UAB's Roddy White Leads C-USA's NFL Draft Selections

Roddy White

UAB wide receiver Roddy White was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 2005 National Football League Draft on Saturday. The 27th overall selection, White becomes only the second UAB player to be selected in the first round of the draft, joining DE Bryan Thomas, an opening round selection in 2002. It is the second year in a row that C-USA has had a first round draft pick (Tulane's J.P. Losman was taken by Buffalo last year).

White, a first team All-Conference USA selection and a third team AP All-American, finished the 2004 season as the nation’s leading receiver with 1,452 yards. White’s 1,452 yards receiving established a new C-USA record and he tied the single-season C-USA record with 14 TD catches. He also helped the Blazers to the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl, the school's first postseason bowl game.

White, a native of Charleston, S.C., will join a Falcons team that reached the NFC Championship game this past season.

Houston cornerback Stanford Routt was selected by the Oakland Raiders with the 38th pick in the second round of the NFL Draft. Routt becomes the highest selected Cougar football player since the 1997 draft, when running back Antowain Smith was taken in the first round by the Buffalo Bills with the 23rd selection overall.

Routt lettered four years at Houston, where he also was an All-American sprinter and U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier for the Cougar track and field program. Routt started 26 games in his UH career, including all 11 last season as he finished his career with 136 total tackles, seven interceptions and 23 pass breakups. In 2004, he recorded a career-high 60 tackles, of which an impressive 53 were unassisted.

Louisville running back Eric Shelton became the third C-USA player from this past season to be selected when the Carolina Panthers chose him with the 54th overall selection in the second round.

Shelton rushed for 1,728 yards and 30 touchdowns in two years with the Cards before declaring for the NFL Draft after his junior season. In 2004, Shelton led the Cardinals with 938 yards and tied a school record with 20 rushing scores, earning him second team All-Conference USA accolades.


The fourth round finished with the Tennessee Titans taking Tulane wide receiver Roydell Williams with the 136th overall selection in the draft.

Four C-USA players went in the fifth round. Linebacker Trent Cole became the first Cincinnati player to be taken this year when the Philadelphia Eagles chose him with the 146th overall choice. Robert McCune then became the fourth Louisville player to be selected, going to the Washington Redskins eight spots later. Southern Miss linebacker Michael Boley, the 2004 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year, was selected by Atlanta with the 160th choice. For the fifth year in a row, the Miami Dolphins selected a C-USA player when first-year coach Nick Saban selected TCU offensive tackle Anthony Alabi.

The league’s final four selections were spread out over the final two rounds. A pair of players from schools that will join Conference USA this fall were also selected during this period.

Seven different Conference USA schools had at least one player selected. 2004 Champion Louisville had the most players chosen with six, while Cincinnati had three and Southern Miss had two players chosen. The 15 total selections among players that were in the conference in 2004 ranked as the third-most in league history, trailing only the 17 players chosen in the 2001 draft and the 16 in 2004.

The Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons and Kansas City Chiefs each chose two C-USA players. For the fourth year in a row, the Miami Dolphins selected at least one player from a Conference USA school.

Several additional players from Conference USA are expected to sign as free agents with NFL clubs. The rookie free agency period begins immediately following the draft.


CONFERENCE USA’S 2005 NFL DRAFTEES
(through first two selections of seventh round)

Round No.(Overall) Player Pos. C-USA School NFL Team
First 27 Roddy White WR UAB Atlanta Falcons
Second 38 Stanford Routt CB Houston Oakland Raiders
Second 54 Eric Shelton RB Louisville Carolina Panthers
Fourth 121 Stefan LeFors QB Louisville Carolina Panthers
Fourth 123 Kerry Rhodes FS Louisville New York Jets
Fourth 136 Roydell Williams WR Tulane Tennessee Titans
Fifth 146 Trent Cole OLB Cincinnati Philadelphia Eagles
Fifth 154 Robert McCune LB Louisville Washington Redskins
Fifth 160 Michael Boley LB Southern Miss Atlanta Falcons
Fifth 162 Anthony Alabi OT TCU Miami Dolphins
Fifth 173 Tyjuan Hagler LB Cincinnati Indianapolis Colts
Sixth 206 Jonathan Goddard LB *Marshall Detroit Lions
Seventh 215 Daven Holly CB Cincinnati San Francisco 49ers
Seventh 226 James Killian QB *Tulsa Kansas City Chiefs
Seventh 236 Lionel Gates RB Louisville Buffalo Bills
Seventh 238 Jeremy Parquet OT Southern Miss Kansas City Chiefs
Seventh 253 J.R. Russell WR Louisville Tampa Bay Buccaneers

*school that is joining C-USA in 2005