Crosby, Wright Selected In NFL Draft

BOULDER ? Two-time first-team All-American placekicker Mason Crosby was the first University of Colorado player selected in the 2007 National Football League Draft Sunday afternoon, with All-Big 12 defensive end Abraham Wright also selected before the acquisition process concluded after almost 17 hours and 255 picks covering the seven rounds.

Crosby was selected in the sixth round (the 193rd overall pick) by the Green Bay Packers, while Wright was snared by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round (238th overall).

Crosby became the first Buff selected in the draft by Green Bay since 1995, when the Packers took defensive tackle Darius Holland in the third round. Wright’s choice by Miami marked the Dolphins’ first selection of a Buffalo since they took cornerback Ben Kelly, also in the third round.

Wright indicated the Dolphins, who run the 3-4 on defense, would also be looking at him as an outside linebacker; he is thus the first CU end or OLB drafted since 1999, when Carolina took Hannibal Navies. As for the last time a Buff placekicker was drafted, you have to go back to 1994, when Philadelphia drafted Mitch Berger, who was also a punter, the position he made his bones at in the pros.

Brian Daniels	Mark Fenton	Thaddaeus Washington

As of 7 p.m. MDT Wednesday, three other Buffs had signed free agent contracts, guard Brian Daniels with Minnesota and inside linebacker Thaddaeus Washington with Buffalo, while center Mark Fenton having the chance to sign with Denver Wednesday instead of working out in the rookie camps for Tampa Bay and Kansas City as he previously had planned before the Broncos offered to sign him.

Daniels inked his deal less than 15 minutes after the draft concluded. “I was talking to a couple of teams in case I wasn’t drafted at the end, but Minnesota had the best offer. I am looking forward to joining the Vikings, and I think I can be a pretty good fit for them.” He also liked the idea of potentially teaming with Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson, who was Minnesota’s first pick in the draft.

“I was kind of humbled (by not being selected),” Fenton said, “But now I am going to work hard and improve so I can make a roster and continue my football career.”

Several other Buffs indicated their agents were working on deals. Those players include safety J.J. Billingsley, running back Mell Holliday, wide receiver Blake Mackey, cornerback Lorenzo Sims and cornerback Terry Washington.

The 6-2, 215-pound Crosby became just the seventh two-time, first-team All-American in CU history, as well as only the seventh three-time, first-team All-Conference performer. Crosby set 33 single-game, season and career records at Colorado, most notably becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer with 307 points. He set or tied 19 of the school’s 38 placekicking records, including all of the major marks: field goals made (66), field goals attempted (88), extra points made (109), extra point attempts (117), field goal percentage (75.0) and longest field goal made (60 yards).

When the call finally came, Crosby breathed a sigh of relief, and then got more and more excited after seeing the reaction of about 30 friends and relatives gathered at his Georgetown, Texas, home.

“It was awesome. When they called after there was so much waiting, and when I heard him say that he was from the Packers, it took me a second to grasp it,” Crosby said. “I was almost frozen, I couldn’t even imagine it happening like this. I felt good, and relieved, and I grew more and more excited after seeing how everyone here (friends and relatives) and their excitement about it. I feel fortunate to be going there and be part of such great tradition and legacy.”

Mason Crosby	Abraham Wright

Crosby played golf Friday (one of his better rounds, a 2-over 74), “but a lot of people started showing up” and he scratched plans to play Saturday. “I kind of wish I had played yesterday, it would have made the time pass faster. Then again, it was probably for the better, I was about to shoot even par (Friday) and I bogeyed the last two holes.”

All draft prognosticators had Crosby listed as the top kicker in the draft, but he wound up being the third selected, behind UCLA’s Justin Medlock (fifth round by Kansas City) and Arizona’s Nick Folk (sixth round, Dallas). Folk, who also punted for UA, went to Crosby’s favorite childhood team, though it had been rumored for quite some time that the Cowboys were going to select him.

Crosby handled being selected as the third kicker with class.

“I was a little disappointed, but they’re good guys and I’m happy for them,” he said. “They’re good kickers, and if a team wanted them, then it’s just that’s what they were thinking and it’s good for them. There were only a handful of teams looking for kickers in the draft, so my mind then went to Green bay and I had a good feeling about them, especially when I saw that they had three picks in a row coming up (in the sixth round). So it just feels right.”

None of the three were among the finalists for the Groza Award, which is supposed to be awarded to the nation’s top kicker. Crosby was a finalist in 2005 despite having the best statistics in the land, and both Crosby and Medlock were worthy contenders last year but were snubbed.

He’ll also be in good, friendly hands in Green Bay?two former CU sports information employees work in the Packers PR office, Zak Gilbert (’97) and Adam Woullard (’04).

Crosby will be back in Colorado this fall, as the Packers play the Denver Broncos in Denver on October 29 ? Monday Night Football. “That’s going to be awesome coming back and playing in Invesco as a professional,” he said.

At Colorado, the talk was about him getting a shot at a 68-yard field goal, a length that would have set the collegiate record. In the NFL, the record is 63, held by two players, Tom Dempsey (New Orleans) and Jason Elam (Denver). So perhaps he’ll have a chance to try a 64-yard kick in late October.

“That’d be nice,” Crosby mused, “But that is putting the cart way ahead of the horse. I need to make the team first.”

Denver coach Mike Shanahan acknowledged Crosby’s abilities when he addressed the media following Denver’s draft Sunday.

“He has a very strong leg and I think he will make a great pro for a lot of years,” Shanahan said. “You always wish you had another pick, but with Jason Elam kicking the way he has been, over 90 percent, it is hard to go in a different direction. I wish him well.”

He made 12 career kicks of 50 yards or longer (the previous record had been three), as he owns nine of the 14 longest kicks in CU history. He excelled in late game heroics, making a name for himself in the clutch: he was 14-of-18 in the fourth quarter, including 12-of-14 in the final 9? minutes with nine kicks of 41 yards or longer and seven of them with the score of the game within six points; his only misses came his senior year: a 63-yard try against Montana State as CU tried to rally in the waning minutes (2 yards short) and a 65-yard try in a bid to tie the NCAA record without a tee against Iowa State (27-inches short).

He made 32-of-43 field goals outside of the state of Colorado, the average make from 36.8 yards and the average miss from 43.4 yards (included three blocked; 47.0 otherwise). In addition, he kicked off 203 times, with 138 going for touchbacks (88 through the end zone), all school records, with the average starting yardline of the opponent its 22 after his kicks; 20 of 61 returned against him were not brought out beyond the 20. In the postseason, he finished fourth all-time in scoring with 19 points in bowls (5-of-7 FG, 4-of-4 PAT), the second in kick scoring, trailing only Aldrich, one of the few records of his that he did not break. He also exited as the Big 12 Conference all-time leader in field goals made, attempted and percentage.

Wright earned first-team All-Big 12 Conference honors from the Associated Press and the league coaches, as well as almost every newspaper that selected an all-league team. His 11? quarterback sacks on the season were the most by a Buffalo since 1993, when Ron Woolfork had 14 (the last time a CU player had double figures); they were the most in the Big 12 Conference and the second most in the NCAA. He was also first in the conference in tackles for loss with 16, a number that ranked him 20th nationally. He concluded his career fifth all-time at Colorado in quarterback sacks (21) and tied for 16th in tackles for loss (29).

In 2006, Wright played in all 12 games, starting 11 (came in after the first series against Kansas State), as he was in for 707 snaps, the second most on defense on the team. He racked up 57 tackles (39 solo), with 17 quarterback hurries, eight third down stops, three passes broken up, two caused interceptions, two touchdowns saves and a forced fumble. He had three multiple sack games (including four against Colorado State.

Wright was in Oklahoma City at his mother’s home?but she doesn’t have cable. So he stayed on top of things as best he could on the Internet.

The consummate teammate, Wright was “excited to be selected” instead of waiting to sign as a free agent, but also was “feeling for my teammates, like Thaddaeus, J.J., Mark and Brian” who did not have their names called on the weekend.

“I am really hoping they sign with teams that will give them a serious look,” he said. “It’s a horrible process to sit and wait through. I spoke at my church this morning, and that helped me settle down a bit.

Wright still preferred to be drafted than to go the free agent route. “I wanted to be picked, even though I was on the phone with a couple of teams who were telling me it might be better not to be so I’d be free to pick and choose. But from my point of view, it’s better to have been selected. Not many can ever say they were drafted, and the next step is to go in and prove I belong. I am excited about Miami and get to learn under the best in Jason Taylor.”

Crosby and Wright will head to their new teams on Thursday; Wright won’t return to Boulder in-between while Crosby may make a stop in Boulder first for the school’s annual CUSPY’s (CU Sports Performers of the Year) banquet Tuesday. He’ll firm up his plans Monday.

Colorado University Athletics