2012 NFL Draft: Southern Conference Class One of the Strongest in Recent Memory

 After Brian Quick was taken 33rd overall by the St. Louis Rams, the Southern Conference would go on to have a couple more players taken in the 2012 NFL draft, and several former league standouts inked free-agent contracts before Sunday’s proceedings had concluded.

Samford Bulldogs

After Quick came off the board in the early part of the second round, it was Samford safety Corey White who would be next to come off the board, as the New Orleans Saints drafted White in the fifth round with the 162nd overall pick.

White becomes the fourth player in Samford football history to be drafted, and he is the first to come from the Birmingham, AL-based school since Cortland Finnegan was drafted in the seventh round by the Tennessee Titans in 2006.

With his selection, White becomes the highest selected player to ever come out of the Samford football program. He finished out his senior season with 58 tackles, including 52 solo stops, four INTs, five PBUs and three TFLs.

All told, White finished his Samford career with 140 tackles, seven INTs, 18 PBUs and 118 solo stops. White was a physical player at the FCS level and will fit nicely into a nice mix of veterans in New Orleans, but also one that needs the infusion of youthful talent, which White will provide.

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mocs

The only other player to be drafted in the regular proceedings on Sunday afternoon was Chattanooga quarterback B.J. Coleman, who was chosen in the seventh round (243rd overall pick) by the Green Bay Packers. Coleman was the 47th Moc drafted in program history, and he isn't the first quarterback to be chosen by the Packers from the SoCon in the past decade.

In 2006, the Packers selected Furman’s Ingle Martin in the fifth round. In 2008, former Georgia Southern signal-caller Jayson Foster signed with the Packers as a wide receiver.

Coleman now has the chance to learn under the wing of one of the league’s top signal-callers in Aaron Rogers. In three seasons as the Mocs quarterback, Coleman completed 583 of 1,016 passes for 6,892 yards and 52 TDs and 32 INTs. Coleman was limited by a shoulder injury in his senior season, which he suffered against Georgia Southern in a mid-season contest.

Coleman is the second Moc to be drafted in the past three years, and second player to be drafted in Russ Huesman’s three seasons as the head coach in the Scenic City. The last Moc to be taken in the NFL draft was Buster Skrine in 2010, when he was a fifth-round choice (137th pick) of the Cleveland Browns.

Furman Paladins

Furman saw three players sign free-agent contracts, led by Ryan Steed, who chose to continue his playing career in the Meadowlands as a New York Jet. Steed will be under the direction of one of the best defensive minds in the NFL in Rex Ryan and will be a part of a defensive backfield that includes some of the best talent in the NFL, such as Antonio Cromartie and Darrelle Revis. The Jets also drafted University of South Carolina safety Antonio Allen in the seventh round.

Steed’s physical attributes and ability to mix it up in press coverage should make him a hit with the mentality of Ryan. He has a shot to make the team and be a difference maker in the Jets secondary as a reserve but will likely start out by making the team as a special teams player.

The Mount Pleasant, S.C., product booked quite an impressive career in the Purple and White, finishing his career ranking third in school history in passes defended (38) and fourth in INTs (14).

The last Paladin cornerback to make an NFL roster was William Middleton, who was taken in the fifth round by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2009 NFL draft.

Furman offensive lineman Ryan Lee and linebacker Kadarron Anderson also inked free-agent deals, signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints, respectively. In the 2011 NFL draft, Adam Mims spent a brief time in camp after signing with the Steelers as a free agent but was eventually cut.

The last Paladin linebacker to make noise in New Orleans was Orlando Ruff, who played two seasons in the Black and Gold of New Orleans in 2003 and ’04 before retiring as a Cleveland Brown at the conclusion of the 2005 season. Ruff signed as a free agent with the San Diego Chargers in 1999.

Appalachian State Mountaineers

The third Southern Conference player to call New Orleans a new home is former Appalachian State running back Travaris Cadet, who signed with the Saints as a free agent on Sunday, while teammate DeAndre Presley, who played quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back in the Black and Gold, takes his talents to the San Diego Chargers.

Cadet had three successful campaigns in the ASU Black and Gold after transferring in from Pearl River Community College. In those three seasons as a running back and backup quarterback, Cadet rushed for 1,688 yards and racked up 3,929 all-purpose yards. His 1,376 kickoff return yards were good enough to place him fifth in school history in that particular stat.

Presley, who was a Walter Payton Award finalist as a quarterback in his junior season, spent most of his senior season playing defensive back and receiver for the Apps and was easily one of the best athletes on Jerry Moore’s roster.

Presley finished out his career in impressive fashion, posting 17 tackles, 1.5 TFLs and a pair of forced fumbles over the last half of the season. His most impressive performance came in ASU’s 24-17 win over top-ranked GSU, posting five tackles, with one tackle for loss, and breaking up a key pass on a fourth down play in the back of the end zone to preserve the SoCon win for ASU. He showed his all-around athleticism by playing both ways against Furman on Nov. 5.

Georgia Southern Eagles

The final Southern Conference player to make his new area code “504” and become a New Orleans Saint on Sunday was Georgia Southern’s LaRon Scott, who joins Cadet, Anderson and White. The Warner Robins, Ga., native made 40 career starts as an Eagle and was an instrumental part of the Eagles’ secondary as well as the Georgia Southern special teams, where he set a school record with 2,257 career kickoff return yards.

In 14 starts at corner last season for the Eagles, Scott recorded 57 tackles and a team-best three INTs. He finished his impressive career by picking off 12 passes.

Conclusion

Overall, it was another impressive draft class and free-agent class for the Southern Conference. The 2012-13 NFL season will see most of these guys stick on an NFL roster in what has to be one of the strongest contingents of players joining the NFL ranks in quite some time.

Look for Quick’s impact to be immediate in St. Louis, while I think Furman’s Kadarron Anderson will surprise some folks in New Orleans. Anderson was the Jonathan Vilma of the FCS during his career. It will be interesting to see the knowledge he is able to gain from the former Miami Hurricane star linebacker, as Anderson will be one of the free-agent picks who makes a roster, and will be joined by both Steed and Presley in that same respect.