Baylor Puts 3 in the League on the NFL Draft's Last Day

Though Day 2 turned into a bit of a letdown in that neither of the Baylor players most likely to go in the second or third rounds went and Baylor RB Terrance Ganaway had to wait a little longer than he probably anticipated, Day 3 more than made up for it. This afternoon's draft action saw three Baylor players get the call with two going to the New York Jets and one to the Denver Broncos. That brings Baylor's total to 5 players after Robert Griffin III and Kendall Wright were selected in the first round on Thursday night. That total is second only to Oklahoma (7) in the Big XII and is the most of any Texas team.

The first Baylor pick of the day was C Philip Blake, who was chosen by the Denver Broncos in the 4th Round with the 108th pick. Denver was an interesting destination for Blake considering they already have his predecessor at Baylor, J.D. Walton, at the center position. I don't know if Walton is on the outs or the Broncos want Blake for depth but there could be an interesting battle to see who snaps the ball to Peyton Manning this season. Here is an article by the Denver Post about the Broncos' plans for Blake.

The next Bear off the board was record-setting RB Terrance Ganaway, who went to the New York Jets in the 6th Round at pick #202. I was hoping Ganaway would get a look from the Cowboys earlier in the Draft, but it didn't happen. This is a tremendous value pick for the Jets, who needed to find a RB in this draft somewhere, and I like him as a fit for their style of play. He is, as Baylor fans know, a powerful back with a great combination of speed and size, and I could see him fitting well into their ground and pound system. He's not as good as he's going to be just yet; remember that he sat out an entire year from football activities of any kind just three years ago. Late-round picks rarely mean anything substantial, but Jets fans should be excited about this one. Nobody works harder than Terrance and there should be no questions about his makeup or desire. Tremendous #want.

The two previous picks were expected to happen at some point today, so there was no surprise when they did. The final Baylor player chosen was a pleasant surprise, I think, and, after taking Ganaway at #202, the New York Jets turned around and took OT Robert T. Griffin with #203, giving them a pair of Baylor selections in the 6th Round. I'm sure it was an incredible feeling for Big Griff to get the call from the Jets considering many mocks had him as an undrafted free agent. He is also an excellent fit for the Jets system as left or right guard, though I wouldn't expect him to get serious playing time this year. As always, picking OL in the late rounds is the crap shoot of crap shoots, but Griff will have the chance to show what he can do and that's all you can ask for. You can't teach size. The New York Daily News posted an article complete with quotes from the two players about being drafted one right after another.

Congratulations to the players chosen today and everyone in Baylor's football program for another successful Draft! Today was a great continuation of the Year of the Bear!

UPDATE: Here is the official article from BaylorBears.com wrapping up the Draft. It contains a neat little chart of the players drafted from Baylor in the last four years.