Matthews, other 'Dores eagerly await NFL Draft

May 8, 2014

1960 5 Tom Moore, RB Green Bay1958 12 Phil King, B N.Y. Giants1956 11 Charley Horton, B Los Angeles (Rams)1952 1 Billy Wade, OB Los Angeles (Rams)1943 10 Jack Jenkins, B Washington

Several standouts from Vanderbilt’s 9-4 BBVA Compass Bowl championship squad, topped by All-America and record-breaking wide receiver Jordan Matthews, hope to get selected in the 2014 NFL Draft, which kicks off tonight in New York City.

Matthews, from Madison, Ala., is attending the event in Radio City Music Hall, joining 29 other seniors from across the nation invited to participate in the draft. He also becomes the first Commodore to do so.

The Draft starts at 7 p.m., CT, with NFL Network and ESPN providing television coverage of the first round. Rounds 2-3 will be aired Friday, starting at 6 p.m. On Saturday, coverage of rounds 4-7 starts at 11 a.m., with rounds 4-7.

Matthews hopes to become the 10th Commodore all-time selected in the first round. Two Commodores have been picked in the first round in the last decade: offensive lineman Chris Williams as the 14th overall pick by Chicago in 2008 and quarterback Jay Cutler as the 11th pick by Denver in 2006.

Matthews, who broke virtually every Vanderbilt receiving record and holds multiple career marks in the Southeastern Conference, has been projected as a late 1st round-early 2nd round selection by most draft experts.

Matthews also hopes to become the first Vanderbilt wide receiver ever picked in the first round. Two former Commodore receivers – Bucky Curtis in 1951 and Chuck Scott in 1985 – have been taken in the second round.

The 2014 class of seniors could contend for the most Vanderbilt players picked in a single draft since the NFL limited the event to seven rounds in the mid-1990s. In 2001, four Commodores – linebackers Jamie Winborn and Matt Stewart, kicker John Markham and defensive back Jimmy Williams – were selected. Three Vanderbilt players were taken in 1998 and 2008.

Matthews is one of at least four Commodores with strong draft evaluations. Four-year starting offensive lineman Wesley Johnson of Nashville, three-year starting safety Kenny Ladler of Stone Mountain, Ga., and All-SEC cornerback Andre Hal of Port Allen, La., are likely to hear their names announced from the Radio City Music Hall stage during the three-day event.

Several other Commodore standouts are hoping to get selected – or quickly sign rookie free agent deals afterward. They include kicker Carey Spear of Mayfield Village, Ohio linebacker Chase Garnham of Fairhope, Ala., defensive end Walker May of Birmingham, linebacker/safety Karl Butler of New Orleans, quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels of San Jose, Calif., cornerback Steven Clarke of Fort Lauderdale, receiver Jonathan Krause of Snellville, Ga., safety Javon Marshall of Huber Heights, Ohio, defensive tackle Jared Morse of Oxford, Ala., and running back Wesley Tate of Hendersonville, Tenn.

27th pick, 5th Round Ryan Seymour, OL Seattle 14th pick, 7th Round2012 Casey Hayward, DB Green Bay 30th pick, 2nd Round Tim Fugger, DE Indianapolis 7th pick, 7th Round2010 Myron Lewis, DB Tampa Bay 3rd pick, 3rd Round Thomas Welch, OL New England 1st pick, 7th Round2009 D.J. Moore, DB Chicago 19th pick, 4th Round2008 Chris Williams, OL Chicago 14th pick, 1st Round Earl Bennett, WR Chicago 7th pick, 3rd Round Jonathan Goff, LB N.Y. Giants 30th pick, 5th Round2006 Jay Cutler, QB Denver 11th pick, 1st Round2005 Jovan Haye, DL Carolina 15th pick, 6th Round Justin Geisinger, OL Buffalo 23rd pick, 6th Round2003 Hunter Hillenmeyer, LB Green Bay 31st pick, 5th Round2001 Jamie Winborn, LB San Francisco 16th pick, 2nd Round Matt Stewart, LB Atlanta 7th pick, 4th Round John Markham, PK N.Y. Giants 29th pick, 5th Round Jimmy Williams, DB Buffalo 33rd pick, 6th Round1999 Fred Vinson, DB Green Bay 16th pick, 2nd Round1998 Corey Chavous, DB Arizona 3rd pick, 2nd Round Jamie Duncan, LB Tampa Bay 23rd pick, 3rd Round Anthony Jordan Indianapolis 12th pick, 5th Round1996 James Manley, DT Minnesota 15th pick, 2nd Round