Four Hawkeyes Selected in NFL Draft

April 27, 2009

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — 32 straight at counting. That’s the number of NFL Drafts in a row that the University of Iowa has had at least one member of its football program selected to “play on Sunday.”

The Hawkeyes’ total number of draft selections jumped by four in 2008 with the selections of Shonn Greene, Bradley Fletcher, Seth Olsen and Brandon Myers in this year’s draft. A number of other Hawkeyes also signed free agent contracts with NFL franchises late in the final day of the draft including defensive linemen Mitch King and Matt Kroul.

“(Greene) was the best player that was on our board and, in our opinion, it wasn’t close,” Jets coach Rex Ryan told the Iowa City Press-Citizen. “It wasn’t necessarily a need, but you get a rare talent like Shonn is. He’s a big, powerful running back, and we want to have a little bit of ground and pound. … I think he’s got starter ability at 230 pounds with great vision. Let’s just give him the football and see what happens.”

Here’s links to stories about each of Iowa’s draftees:

• Shonn Greene, New York Jets, Round 2
• Bradley Fletcher, St. Louis Rams, Round 2
• Seth Olsen, Denver Broncos, Round 4
• Brandon Myers, Oakland Raiders, Round 6

The four selections is the most for the UI since the 2005 NFL Draft when five Hawkeyes had their names called. Iowa also had five student-athletes selected in the 2004 and 2003 NFL Drafts.

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