Four Huskers Selected in NFL Draft

The St. Louis Rams selected Nebraska defensive end Adam Carriker with the 13th pick in the first round of Saturday's National Football League Draft in New York City. Carriker was the first of four Huskers taken in the two-day NFL Draft which wrapped up on Sunday afternoon.

Nebraska had three players selected on the first day of the draft. In addition to Carriker, running back Brandon Jackson was taken in the second round by Green Bay at pick No. 63, and linebacker Stewart Bradley was taken by Philadelphia with the 87th overall pick in the third round. The three first-day selections marked just the second time since 1998 that Nebraska has had three players taken on the opening day of the draft. The Huskers also had three first-day picks in 2005, the most since NU had four players taken on day one in both 1997 and 1998.

The Huskers' draft total rose to four early on the second day of the draft. Defensive end Jay Moore was taken in the fourth round by the San Francisco 49ers with the 104th overall pick. Moore's selection made Nebraska one of just seven schools in the country to have four or more players selected in the first 104 picks of the 2007 draft. The other teams on that list included Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee and Texas.

The 6-6, 295-pound Carriker was a standout on the Nebraska defensive front for the past four years, including earning first-team All-Big 12 honors each of the past two seasons. In 2006, he was named Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year after registering 52 total tackles, including 16 tackles for loss and seven sacks.

Carriker's selection at No. 13 in the first round marks the highest a Husker has been drafted since defensive end Grant Wistrom was selected sixth in the first round of the 1998 draft. Ironically, Wistrom was also tabbed in the first round by the St. Louis Rams. Since Wistrom's first-round selection in 1998, Nebraska's other first-round picks before Carriker included defensive tackle Jason Peter (14th, 1998, Carolina Panthers) and cornerback Fabian Washington (23rd, 2005, Oakland Raiders). Carriker was the second Big 12 player taken in the draft, behind only Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson who was taken seventh overall.

Nebraska has a strong history of outstanding defensive linemen in the draft. Carriker and Moore are the 13th and 14th Husker defensive lineman selected in the draft since 1998, and Carriker weas the fifth defensive end picked in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft since 1998. In addition to Carriker and Wistrom, Mike Rucker (1999), Kyle Vanden Bosch (2001) and Chris Kelsay (2003) were second-round picks as defensive ends in recent years and all are still enjoying outstanding NFL careers.

Running back Brandon Jackson became the second Husker taken in the draft when Green Bay selected him with the No. 63 overall pick in the second round. Jackson earned first-team All-Big 12 honors last season after rushing for 989 yards, while also catching 33 passes out of the Nebraska backfield. Jackson opted to forgo his senior season of eligibility to enter the draft. Jackson was the fifth running back taken in the draft.

Jackson became the highest selected Nebraska offensive player since offensive guard Toniu Fonoti was taken in the second round in the 2002 NFL Draft. His No. 63 selection also marked the highest by a Nebraska running back since Lawrence Phillips was taken sixth overall in the 1996 draft.

Bradley became the second Husker defensive player taken late on day one. joined Carriker in continuing Nebraska's strong defensive success in recent NFL Draft history. The Salt Lake City native was a three-year starter at SAM linebacker for the Huskers, and finished the 2006 season as Nebraska's leading tackler with 76 stops. He also had a team-high four fumble recoveries, while forcing another three fumbles.

Moore played in all 37 games over the past three seasons, including 30 starts at defensive end. As a senior, the Elkhorn native registered a team-high 17 tackles for loss, including six sacks and earned second-team All-Big 12 honors. He finished his career with 38 tackles for loss and 12 sacks.

The three Husker defenders selected continued the Blackshirt success in the draft. Carriker, Bradley and Moore give Nebraska a total of 29 Blackshirt defenders selected in the past 10 NFL Drafts.

In addition to the four Husker players drafted, four other Huskers agreed to free-agent deals on Sunday evening. Quarterback Zac Taylor and tight end Matt Herian both signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while defensive linemen Ola Dagunduro and Barry Cryer agreed to deals with Dallas and San Diego, respectively.