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Bears take Wilson; other locals hook on as free agents

From wire and news services | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 12 years, 7 months AGO
by From wire and news services
| April 28, 2013 9:00 PM

Former Washington State wide receiver Marquess Wilson was the lone area player selected Saturday on the final day of the NFL draft, going to the Chicago Bears in the seventh round with the 236th overall pick.

Wilson, a 6-2, 194-pounder who came out for the draft after his junior year, was Washington State’s team MVP in 2011 and a team captain. In 2012 Wilson lost his starting job before the Stanford game, was suspended in November after he walked out of a conditioning session that he deemed too long, and then quit the team. He issued a statement accusing coach Mike Leach of “physical, emotional and verbal abuse.”

He later reportedly recanted those claims.

Bears general manager Phil Emery said the team did extensive background checks on Wilson.

“We felt at that point in the draft that a person of this kind of talent deserved a second chance,” Emery said. “His biggest sin is he walked out. He made a young decision. He’s just 20. He’s going to be 21 this fall. We felt very comfortable that this was a good person who made an immature decision.”

Bears rookies will be at Halas Hall for a three-day minicamp starting May 12.

A number of other area players had either agreed to terms on free-agent deals with NFL teams, or agreed to attend tryouts at upcoming mini-camps, based on Internet reports.

Those included:

From Idaho, punter Bobby Cowan (Oakland). There were also reports of wide receiver Justin Veltung to Seattle, cornerback Aaron Grymes to Green Bay and safety Gary Walker to Baltimore.

From Washington State, quarterback Jeff Tuel (Buffalo)

From Eastern Washington, quarterback Kyle Padron (Oakland), wide receiver Brandon Kaufman (Buffalo), wide receiver Greg Herd (Dallas), wide receiver Nicholas Edwards (Minnesota).

Starting with Matt Barkley, the fourth round of the NFL draft was the landing spot for quarterbacks who carried hopes of going much higher. Philadelphia traded up with Jacksonville to get the Southern California QB with the opening pick Saturday.

It was three rounds later than Barkley hoped for. Same thing for Ryan Nassib of Syracuse, Landry Jones of Oklahoma and Tyler Wilson of Arkansas, the other quarterbacks chosen in Round 4.

Barkley will join quarterbacks Michael Vick and Nick Foles in Philadelphia.

The New York Giants, hardly in need of a quarterback with Eli Manning in his prime, still dealt with Arizona to move up for Nassib.

Nassib, from the Philadelphia suburbs, took a call from Giants coach Tom Coughlin, but wasn’t sure what Coughlin told him.

Oakland, which acquired Matt Flynn from Seattle in the offseason to be its starter, followed two picks later at No. 112 overall with Wilson. Three spots after that, Pittsburgh grabbed Jones, probably hoping to groom him behind Ben Roethlisberger.

“I just think it was time to start grooming a new player, freshen up the room if you will,” quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner said.

“I get to learn from one of the best quarterbacks to play the game,” Jones added.

Before Saturday’s surge, quarterbacks were rare — only one was chosen in each of the first three rounds: Florida State’s EJ Manuel by Buffalo in the first round; West Virginia’s Geno Smith by the Jets in the second; and North Carolina State’s Mike Glennon by Tampa Bay in the third.

In all, 11 QBs were selected, the same number as last year. But four went in the first round in 2012.

A former quarterback, Denard Robinson of Michigan, is headed to Jacksonville, which had one of the league’s worst offenses the last two years. Robinson will be switched to running back or receiver by the Jaguars; he set the NCAA record for career yards rushing (4,495) by a quarterback.

“A lot of people have put me at different positions,” he said. “Now it’s time to go to work.”

South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore, who would have been a high pick if healthy but is coming off a second severe knee injury, went to the 49ers 131st overall. San Francisco can afford to “redshirt” Lattimore because it has a strong stable of runners, including Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter and LaMichael James.

“We really haven’t even talked about that, so I don’t have any clue,” Lattimore said about possibly sitting out 2013 to heal completely. “My main goal right now is to go in there and work hard, go in there and learn the offense, and if I’m ready to play, I’m going to play, and if I’m not, I’m not.”

Lattimore, who dislocated his left knee and tore three ligaments last season, said he spoke with Gore during his rehab.

“And now I’m with the 49ers, and it’s just a great, great situation for me,” Lattimore said.

Special teamers finally got the call when three kickers went in the fifth round: punters Jeff Locke of UCLA to Minnesota and Sam Martin of Appalachian State to Seattle, and placekicker Caleb Sturgis of Florida to Miami.

National champion Alabama, which had four players chosen previously — three in the first round — had five more go on the final day: linebacker Nico Johnson to Kansas City with the pick after Barkley was taken; guard Barrett Jones, who can play all offensive line positions, to the Rams; DTs Jesse Williams to Seattle and Quinton Dial to San Francisco; and tight end Michael Williams.

Mr. Irrelevant, the 254th and final pick, was tight end Justice Cunningham of South Carolina by Indianapolis.

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