The National Football League's draft saw 11 players selected from the three state Division I football programs.
Ole Miss defensive tackle Breland Speaks was the first player taken as he was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round. Mississippi State and Ole Miss each had four players selected, and three players from USM were chosen. MSU's players included offensive lineman Martinas Rankin, third round (80th overall), Houston Texans; tight end Jordan Thomas, sixth round (211th overall), Houston Texans; long snapper Hunter Bradley, seventh round, Green Bay Packers; and punter Logan Cooke, seventh round, Jacksonville Jaguars.
Ole Miss' players in addition to Speaks were outside linebacker Marquis Haynes, fourth round, Carolina Panthers; running back Jordan Wilkins, fourth round, Indianapolis; and guard Rod Taylor, seventh round, Cincinnati Bengals.
USM had three players drafted, highlighted by former Quitman quarterback Tarvarius Moore. Moore was drafted by San Francisco with the 31st pick in the third round. Moore played safety for USM and led the team in tackles with 87. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder ran a 4.32 in the 40-yard dash at USM Pro Day. The Golden Eagles also had Bassfield’s Cornell Armstrong taken by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round while Ito Smith was selected in the fourth round by Atlanta. Smith is only the 10th Division I-A running back in NCAA history to run for over 4,000 yards and have another 1,000 receiving yards.
The University of Alabama led the way as the Crimson Tide had a dozen players drafted to break the SEC record of 11 set by the 1944 Mississippi State football team. The Tide had four players selected in the opening round of the draft. LSU, North Carolina State and Ohio State were tied for second with seven players apiece drafted. The SEC for the 12th straight year had more players picked than any other conference.
MR. IRRELEVANT
The 256th and final selection of the draft was SMU receiver Trey Quinn. He is a former LSU Tiger who transferred to SMU two years ago. He set the single season reception record at SMU with 114 catches this past year. The last player chosen in the draft is commonly referred to as Mr. Irrelevant in pro football circles.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Ole Miss won two of three from LSU to improve to 32-11 overall but fell to second in the SEC West behind Arkansas. The Razorbacks are 13-8 in conference play while Ole Miss is 12-9 in league play. The Rebels drew over 32,000 fans for the three-game set versus the Tigers and set a single game attendance mark as they drew over 12,000 fans for the Saturday game. The Rebels travel to South Carolina this weekend.
MSU lost its series to Texas A&M to fall to 9-12 in league play and 24-21 overall. MSU goes to Alabama this weekend. USM won their ninth straight game and also their ninth straight C-USA series by sweeping Old Dominion over the weekend.
Delta State (38-8) will host the Gulf South Conference baseball tournament this weekend. Mississippi College (29-15) will also take part in the tournament.
Dale McKee, a resident of Waynesboro, has covered Mississippi sports for more than 40 years. He writes a weekly sports column. You can contact Dale at
ddmckee18@yahoo.com
