Three 'Dogs will roam NFL cities

Marshall, Jennings and Culver all selected in annual NFL draft

By Darrell Copeland III
The Collegian

Three more Fresno State football players joined the ranks of the National Football League this weekend in April’s annual NFL draft.

The lone Bulldog taken on day one was Richard Marshall, a junior cornerback who declared for the draft following the 2006 football season. The suitor: the Carolina Panthers.

The Panthers selected Marshall in the second round and made the former Bulldogs standout the 58th overall pick.

It was a longer wait than expected for Marshall, however, as many NFL draft gurus projected Marshall to be selected in the late first round.

Marshall instead fell to the second round, despite a record-tying seven defensive backs selected in the first round of the draft.

The rest of the first day of the draft — consisting of three rounds — was quiet for potential Fresno State draft picks, but Sunday’s second and final day of the draft breathed new air for two more Bulldogs.

First team All-WAC selections for the Bulldogs, Adam Jennings and Tyrone Culver, were chosen back-to-back by the Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers with the 184th and 185th picks, respectively.

Jennings was targeted heavily by the Falcons following the Bulldogs’ pro timing day this spring after a Falcons representative spent a great deal of time interviewing Jennings following the workout.

Culver also performed well on pro timing day, but his play on the field was the likely attraction for the Packers.

The three Bulldogs selected in this year’s draft make them the 13th, 14th and 15 Bulldogs players to be drafted into the NFL under Fresno State coach Pat Hill.

“We had three very good players drafted and I was hoping we would have had a couple more,” Hill said in a press release. “It’s a great tribute to Richard, Adam and Tyrone. They all were excellent players for us, won a lot of games, and they are also men of great character. Both Adam and Tyrone were very good students and earned their degrees, and Richard is very close to getting his degree. I’m very proud of all three and I know they will be great ambassadors for Fresno State football.”

At least three other Bulldogs are expected to sign free agent contracts with NFL teams in the coming days, including Paul Pinegar, Wendell Mathis and Jermaine Jamison.

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