Draft holds no Saturday excitement for Seminoles

By Joe Mayes  |   Friday, April 25, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Florida State Seminoles
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For Florida State fans looking forward to watching their favorite Seminoles walk across the stage at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall to shake hands with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on draft Saturday, you may want to make plans to catch the Penn Relays instead. The Seminoles' highest-rated prospect, linebacker Geno Hayes, is not projected to be taken before Sunday’s fourth round of the draft, long after the commissioner -- and most of excitement -- has left the building.

Since 1987, when defensive tackle Gerald Nichols was the only FSU player selected in the draft (in Round 7), the Seminoles have never failed to have at least one player chosen in the first three rounds. Since the draft was shortened from eight rounds to seven in 1994, the Noles have averaged four players taken during these rounds.

This year, 13 of head coach Bobby Bowden’s former charges have declared themselves eligible for the draft but only Hayes, defensive tackle Andre Fluellen, and defensive tackle Letroy Guion are likely to be selected by one of the 32 teams. The last time they had as few as three players taken was 2002, when Javon Walker was picked 20th overall in the first round, followed by safety Chris Hope in Round 3 and guard Milford Brown in the sixth.

But while the 2008 draft may not hold much excitement for Seminoles fans, it will probably be unforgettable for the three ex-FSU players likely to be selected.

Hayes, a linebacker out of Madison, Fla., was able to use his speed at the will spot for FSU, but his size (6-foot-1, 226 pounds) may necessitate a move to the inside at the NFL level. Hayes’ off-the-field problems may have hurt his draft stock somewhat, but players with his athletic ability almost always find a home in the pros.

Andre Fluellen, a 6-2, 295-pound tackle, can occupy blockers against the run as well as collapse the pocket in pressuring the quarterback. Injuries hampered him somewhat during his final year at FSU, but guys like him who can take up space on the defensive line are always in demand at the next level.

Letroy Guion, a 6-4, 303-pound D-tackle, is probably a better physical prospect than Fluellen, but he started just 13 games during his FSU career. A disappointing February combine, during which he ran a 5.32 40 and managed just 26 reps on the bench press, likely caused Guion to drop considerably. But an NFL team willing to take on a project based on raw potential may find a diamond in the rough in Guion.

It also bears mentioning that a fourth Seminole, wide receiver De’cody Fagg, would likely have been taken some time within the seven rounds of the draft had he not torn his left anterior cruciate ligament at the combine. Despite some early reports that the injury was career ending, Fagg’s father, Don, reported the receiver would be “good to go in nine months.” Still, it’s unlikely that any NFL team will take a flier on a wide receiver coming off this type of injury.

It’s also possible, though not likely, that 6-5, 315-pound offensive tackle Shannon Boatman may sneak into the sixth or seventh round, given that as many as half of the teams in the league need offensive tackles, either as starters or depth.

Over the past few years, when the Noles weren’t winning games at their previous clip, fans could take solace in the fact that at least they’d get a chance to see their favorites play on Sundays. More importantly, coaches were able to attract recruits based on the fact that Florida State produced pros, a major selling point for the elite athletes targeted by the program.

But for the first time in more than two decades, Seminoles fans won’t be bragging about how many players were chosen on the first day of the draft. In fact, they may just want to forget this draft altogether. But for the handful of young men whose names are called on Sunday, it will be a day they will remember forever.
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About Joe Mayes

Joe Mayes is an award-winning writer with credits ranging from national sports columns to local newspapers and commercial and technical writing. Joe is the host of "The Morning Wrap," a morning drive-time sports talk radio show on WTKE-FM in Northwest Florida.
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