| Texans
trade down, select Brown as 26th Pick
by Yolande Lezine
Forward Times Staff Writer
The
Houston Texans traded down their number 18th pick to
the Baltimore Ravens, in exchange for the 26th overall
pick in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft and selected
Virginia Tech offensive tackle Duane Brown.
The 6'4, 308 lb. tackle registered 71 knockdown blocks
in his three seasons as an offensive tackle. He also
recorded six tackles, 94 solos, and blocked three kicks
on special teams.
“We’re excited about Duane,” Texans
head coach Gary Kubiak said. “He fits what we
want to do. I love his passion of how to play the game.”
“We’ll be calling on him to help us early
and often.”
Brown, who was introduced to the Houston media Sunday
afternoon, earned second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference
recognition for the second-straight season and was a
two-time state Offensive Lineman/End of the Year selection
by the Richmond Touchdown Club.
In 2006, he was an All-ACC 2nd team selection. He received
the team’s President’s Award as the most
outstanding leader on offense during the offseason and
spring.
“I love the fact that I will have the number one
job of protecting the quarterback,” Duane Brown
said via telephone following his selection. “I’m
very excited about the challenge of going against some
great athletes in the NFL.”
Brown’s initial reaction to being drafted by the
Texans was a big surprise for him, but it’s one
that brought a lot of joy to him and his family.
“Overall, we are all very excited,” Brown
said. “I was a little bit surprised that the Texans
drafted me because I really hadn’t had much contact
with them since the combine. However, I am very happy
to be selected by them and about reuniting with my former
teammate Brandon Frye.”
As a redshirt-freshman, Brown played as a reserve tight
end, seeing action in fourteen games. He caught three
passes for 64 yards and a touchdown. He caught his first
collegiate pass vs. Western Michigan, a 33-yarder from
Sean Glennon that went for a touchdown.
DUANE BROWN - UP CLOSE & PERSONAL
Full Name: Duane Anthony Brown
Date of Birth: August 30, 1985.
Parents: Dennis & Myra Brown
Hometown: Richmond, Virginia
Age: 23
High School Attended: Hermitage High
School(Richmond,Va.)
Honors: Rated the 13th best prospect in Virginia by
the Roanoke Times and Super Prep in high school; Ranked
49th among the nation’s tight ends by Rivals100.com;
Rated 37th on Tom Lemming’s All-Mid Atlantic Team;
Also lettered in basketball and track.
College Major: Apparel, Housing and Resource Management
Minor: Consumer Studies
One thing that people don’t know about me: I play
the Saxaphone.
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| Brown and his family -
father, Dennis, mother, Myra, and brother, Marlon |
Houston’s Avery first
receiver taken in Draft
by Yolande Lezine
Forward Times Staff Writer
Houston
Cougars wide receiver Donnie Avery became the first
receiver taken in the 2008 NFL Draft, being selected
as the 33rd pick by the St. Louis Rams. He is the first
Cougar football player to be taken by the Rams in 24
seasons.
“It was exciting,” Avery said from his Missouri
City home.” “I was upstairs playing pool
when I received a phone call from an unknown name. It
was Rams coach Scott Linehan, and he said, “Well,
what do you think?
Do you want to be a Ram or what?”
“I was like, You’re danged right!”
Avery got his first chance to impress scouts at the
Senior Bowl. He had a great workout and he showed a
lot of quickness. Size was an issue going into the draft,
but their are other things that can be done to take
advantage of his strengths.
Despite Avery’s 4.2 40 yard dash time, most draft
experts didn’t have him projected among the top
10 receivers. He was ranked behind players such as:
Limas Sweed (Texas), Malcolm Kelly(Oklahoma), DeSean
Jackson(California), Mario Manningham(Michigan), James
Hardy(Indiana), Devin Thomas(Michigan State), and Andre
Caldwell(Florida).
Avery established career highs in receptions(91) and
receiving yards(1,456) in 2007. He was a part of the
2-22 duo of him and former teammate Anthony Alridge
at Houston.
DONNIE AVERY - UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
Full Name: Donnie D. Avery
Age: 23
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Parents: Melonie and Dennis Robertson
Height: 5'11 Weight: 190
Date of Birth: June 12, 1984.
High School: Alief Hastings High School
College Major: Sports Administration
One thing that no one knows about Donnie: He loves to
spend time with young children to talk with them about
having goals and achieving them. Despite getting ready
for the NFL Combine and the Draft, Donnie took time
out of his schedule to visit with the kids from “A
Fresh Start” Boys Group Home in Houston the week
before the combine.
Sports Notebook
by Yolande Lezine
Forward Times Staff Writer
Houston Texans owner Bob McNair will become the first
NFL owner to have three horses in three major races
this weekend. They are Cowboy Cal, Raven's Pass, and
Kentucky Star. Cowboy Cal is named after John Long,
the son of a family friend, who passed away of lung
cancer.
McNair and his wife established a Memorial Fund for
John Long and earnings from the derby will be donated
to the fund at M.D. Anderson Hospital. Raven's Pass
will run in a derby in England, while Kentucky Star
will race in the Kentucky Oaks. The McNair's, who recently
received the "Outstanding Stable Award" ,
are the first owners to have three horses racing at
one time in three major venues. All three horses are
homebreds.
*Kansas cornerback Aqib Talib was the first player selected
in the draft from the Big 12. He went in the 20th spot
to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
*The USC Trojans had four players drafted in the first
round of the 2008 draft, the most by any school. Three
of the four picks were defensive. They include:
Sedrick Ellis-DT(New Orleans Saints), Keith Rivers-LB
(Cincinnati Bengals), Sam Baker-OT (Atlanta Falcons),
and Lawrence Jackson-DE (Seattle Seahawks).
*University of Houston wide receiver Donnie Avery was
the first wide receiver and the first player from Conference
USA to be selected in the NFL Draft. He was selected
by the St. Louis Rams as the 33rd pick.
*Texas Longhorns wide receiver Limas Sweed becamae the
first Longhorn to be drafted being taken as the 53rd
pick in the second round by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
*Texas A & M tight end Martellus Bennett became
the first Aggie to be drafted at number 61 in the second
round and he won't have to go to far being selected
by the Dallas Cowboys.
*Port Arthur native and former Longhorns running back
Jamaal Charles slipped down into the third round and
was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs. He will be reunited
with former teammate Derrick Johnson.
*Seven of the top ten picks in the 2008 NFL Draft were
defensive positions.
*Port Arthur Memorial guard J'Covan Brown signed a national
letter of intent to play basketball for the University
of Texas.
*Former
Houston Oilers and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Steve
McNair retired after a 13-year career last week.
*Kansas Jayhawks teammates Brandon Rush, Darrell Arthur
and Mario Chalmers have all declared themselves eligible
for the NBA draft.
*Prairie View A & M selected Fred Washington as
its interim athletic director, effective May 1st.
*The
Houston Comets welcomed WNBA President Donna Orender
to the city last week. Orender met with the Comets team
and coaching staff, then she addressed the media.
*The Houston Comets announced plans to encourage its
fans to contribute to the Nothing But Nets campaign,
created by the United Nations Foundation to prevent
Malaria in Africa, during the team's July 24th "Comets
Give Back".
*The Touchdown Club of Houston will have Oklahoma State
head football coach Mike Gunday speak at noon, Wednesday,
April 30th, at the JW Marriott, 5150 Westheimer, at
OSU Day, presented by CEP Sorbents.
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