Greene, Fletcher go one and two in 3rd round

Former Iowa running back Shonn Greene was selected by the New York Jets with the first pick in the third round on Sunday.

One pick the St. Louis Rams took former Iowa cornerback Bradley Fletcher.

The Jets traded up 11 spots with the Detroit Lions to pick Greene and gave up their third, fourth and seventh rounds picks to get him.

Greene won the Doak Walker Award, which annually is given to college football’s best running back. He was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and was a consensus All-American.

Greene, 23, finished with 1,850 yards and 20 touchdowns, both school records at Iowa. He ran for at least 100 yards in all 13 Iowa games last season and combined both speed and power rarely found in collegiate running backs.

Jets Coach Rex Ryan told ESPN that Greene is a “rare talent.”

“He was the best player that was on our board,” Jets Coach Rex Ryan said. “In our opinion, it wasn’t close.

“He’s a big, powerful running back. We want to have a little ground and pound.”

Greene will compete with Jets veteran Thomas Jones and playmaker Leon Washington for time at running back. Greene is the Jets’ second pick in the draft behind USC quarterback Mark Sanchez.

“We have three backs here,” Ryan said. “[Greene’s] got starter ability and he’s 230 pounds, with great vision. Let’s just give him the football and we’ll see what happens.”

Fletcher, 22, registered 60 tackles and three interceptions last year. He was the Rams’ third pick in the draft after Baylor tackle Jason Smith and Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis.

Fletcher was an honorable mention all-Big Ten selection.