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Garoppolo Draft Story From Friday
Three Ohio Valley Conference players were taken on Saturday during the final four rounds of the 2014 NFL Draft, bringing the total players chosen this year from the league to four, the tops among all Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Conferences.
Of the total 19 FCS players selected the OVC led the way followed by the Big South, Southern and Missouri Valley with three selections apiece.
After Eastern Illinois quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo was selected in the second round on Friday, the Tennessee State offensive line duo of
Kadeem Edwards (5th Round by Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and
Demetrius Rhaney (7th Round by St. Louis Rams) and Murray State's
Walter Powell (6th Round by Arizona Cardinals) were selected on Saturday.
The four selections were the most for the OVC since 1996 when the league had five players taken. Tennessee State was one of three FCS schools (Coastal Carolina and Georgia Southern being the others) to have multiple selections this year.
Edwards will return to his home state of Florida to play professional football. This past season, he was named first-team All-OVC starting 13 games for the Tigers and helping lead the team to a 10-4 overall, 6-2 Conference mark and FCS at-large playoff berth where the team topped Butler in the first round. Following the year he was named an All-American by the Associated Press (2nd Team), College Sports Journal, Phil Steele (1st Team) and Sports Network (3rd Team) and was selected to play in the prestigious Senior Bowl.
Rhaney helped Edwards block for Tim Broughton who rushed for 1,146 yards (25th-best total nationally) and six touchdowns. Rhaney also helped protected a quarterback duo that combined for 26 passes touchdowns and only four interceptions in finishing second in the OVC.
The TSU duo are the first Tiger players drafted since 2009 (Jarvarris Williams). It marks the first time two players from the same OVC team have been selected in the same NFL Draft since 2000 (also done by TSU).
Despite battling injuries at the end of the season Powell finished the year with 66 catches for 837 yards and 13 touchdowns in just 10 games. He also averaged 11.6 yards/punt return (including an 88-yard touchdown) and 31.5 yards/kickoff return (including a 98-yard touchdown). Following the season he was named to the College Sports Journal and Phil Steele All-American teams. He is the first MSU draft pick since 2010 (Austen Lane).
2014 NFL Draft Picks From the OVC
Jimmy Garoppolo (QB), Eastern Illinois - 2nd Round (No. 62) - New England Patriots
Kadeem Edwards (OL), Tennessee State - 5th Round (No. 143) - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Walter Powell (WR), Murray State - 6th Round (No. 196) - Arizona Cardinals
Demetrius Rhaney (OL), Tennessee State - 7th Round (No. 250) - St. Louis Rams