The third and final day of the draft is when the majority of FCS selections come off the board, and Saturday didn’t disappoint with intriguing story lines in Philadelphia.
The Chicago Bears got it going in the fourth round, selecting North Carolina A&T running back Tarik Cohen with the 119th overall selection. Only 5-foot-6, 179 pounds, the MEAC’s all-time rushing leader (5,619 yards) wasn’t just one of the smaller players in the draft, but one of the fastest running backs. He was timed in 4.42 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.
The Los Angeles Rams used the 125th pick on Eastern Washington outside linebacker Samson Ebukam. That reunited the Nigerian-born standout with his college teammate Cooper Kupp, the most accomplished wide receiver in FCS history and their third-round pick Friday night.
Bucknell offensive tackle Julie’n Davenport was the Houston Texans’ pick at 130. The 2016 STATS FCS All-America first-teamer measures in at 6-7, 318 with a 36 1/2-inch arm length and 87 1/2-inch wingspan that were among the longest in the draft.
Interestingly, the Texans had the pick announced by retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
There also were three FCS selections in the fifth round, but it took awhile.
After Davenport’s selection, 35 picks passed before the Detroit Lions selected San Diego cornerback Jamal Agnew at No. 165. He became the third-ever draft choice from a Pioneer Football League that formed in 1993.
But that total increased to four for the PFL when Drake tight end Eric Saubert was selected by the Atlanta Falcons at No. 174.
In between those two selections, the New York Giants grabbed Youngstown State defensive end Avery Moss at 167. Moss’ fellow D-end with the FCS national runner-up Penguins, Derek Rivers, was the New England Patriots’ third-round pick Friday night.
In the sixth round, the Denver Broncos selected Coastal Carolina running back De’Angelo Henderson with the 203rd overall choice. Henderson played his entire college career in the FCS, but the Chanticleers’ program is rising to the FBS level this year.
Also, Chattanooga offensive guard Corey Levin went to the Tennessee Titans at 217.
The seventh and final round brought out more of the big boys: offensive tackles Jylan Ware (6-8, 295) of Alabama State, who went to Oakland Raiders at 231, and Brad Seaton (6-7, 310) of Villanova, a Titans pick at 236.
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