Valentine Chosen in Third Round by PatriotsValentine Chosen in Third Round by Patriots
Football

Valentine Chosen in Third Round by Patriots

Vincent Valentine became the second Husker defensive lineman taken in the NFL Draft on Friday evening. The 6-3, 320-pound Valentine was taken in the third round by the New England Patriots, being selected with the 96th overall pick. Valentine joins fellow defensive tackle Maliek Collins, who was taken earlier in the third round by the Dallas Cowboys.

Valentine was a key member of the Blackshirts for the past three seasons, starting 24 games during his Husker career. Valentine had 16 tackles for loss and seven sacks during his career, including a career-high 45 tackles as a sophomore in 2014. Valentine was hampered by injuries during his junior year in 2015.

The selections of Valentine and Collins on Friday continue the success of Nebraska defensive linemen in the NFL Draft. The Huskers have now had 15 defensive lineman selected in the first four rounds of the NFL Draft since 1997. This marks the first time Nebraska has had a pair of defensive linemen taken in the first three rounds since 1998 when Grant Wistrom and Jason Peter were first-round selections.  With Valentine and Collins both taken in the 2016 Draft, Nebraska has had at least two defensive players taken in the 10 of the past 14 drafts.

The two Huskers taken on Friday also continue a long streak of multiple selections in the NFL Draft. Nebraska has had at least two players taken in 54 consecutive drafts, and is the only school in the nation to have at least two players taken each year of the Common Draft era, a streak that now spans 50 years dating back to 1967.

The NFL Draft concludes with rounds 4-7 on Saturday, with the fourth round beginning at 11 a.m. CT.