Two thousand, four hundred and thirty-three miles of America
separate Los Angeles from Jacksonville, but soon a Westwood
connection will become a South Florida spark.
UCLA tight end Marcedes Lewis was selected by the Jacksonville
Jaguars with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. Lewis,
the winner of the 2005 Mackey Award, is the first UCLA player to be
taken in the first round since linebacker Robert Thomas was chosen
by the St. Louis Rams in 2001. Almost three hours later,
Jacksonville drafted the second half of the Bruins’ red-zone
tandem in running back Maurice Drew.
With the uncertainty of transitioning from college to the rigors
of the NFL, Lewis is warmed by the fact that he will be going
through the whole process ““ from rookie camp to opening day
““ with an old teammate.
“It’s ridiculous … something that I couldn’t
even think could happen,” Lewis said. “It will be
easier to go through everything having Maurice there to bounce
things off of.”
Lewis’ selection was anything but a surprise, as rumors
had been swirling for the past two weeks that Jacksonville had set
its sights on the 6-foot-6 tight end after he held an impressive
private workout. Lewis credits tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts as
his biggest advocate within the Jaguars’ organization.
“(Roberts) told me that if I was there when they picked,
he was going to jump up and down on the table until they chose
me,” Lewis said.
Lewis and Drew are expected to factor into Jacksonville’s
short-term and long-term plans. Lewis will compete for the starting
tight end position, while Drew, a 2005 All-American special teams
player, is projected to return punts and kickoffs for the
Jaguars.
But the draft was not all smiles for the Bruin program. Senior
safety Jarrad Page was the next UCLA player to come off the board
““ the Kansas City Chiefs drafted him with the 228th overall
pick, which came in the seventh round.
“It was a relief to finally get it done with and go to a
place where I will be able to compete,” Page said.
But Page was the last Bruin to hear his name called on Sunday.
Only three members of a 10-2 UCLA club were selected this year, as
compared with four in 2005.
Linebacker Spencer Havner surprisingly fell completely off
everyone’s draft board despite leading UCLA in tackling the
last two years. He was projected as a fifth-round pick at worst and
hoped to be drafted as high as the second round.
Page wasn’t surprised more of his teammates weren’t
drafted, citing a lack of attention given to players in the
Pac-10.
Following the draft, a number of undrafted free agents signed
non-guaranteed contracts with organizations of their choice. Havner
signed with the Washington Redskins. Senior quarterback Drew Olson,
who set a school record with 34 touchdowns in 2005, signed with the
Baltimore Ravens.
Tackle Ed Blanton, coveted for his 6-foot-9-inch, 346-pound
frame, reached an agreement with the New York Jets. Cornerback
Marcus Cassell was signed by the Carolina Panthers.