BATON ROUGE — LSU’s Travis Daniels heard a familiar voice on the other end of the phone on Sunday morning just as the second day of the NFL Draft was getting underway.
The first call came from former LSU defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, now assistant head coach and defensive assistant with the Miami Dolphins. That call was followed by one from former Tiger defensive line coach Travis Jones, also a defensive coach with the Dolphins.
The message from both coaches was the same “we want you and we’re going to take you with our pick in the fourth round.”
Nick Saban made it official minutes later when he called Daniels and assured the Tiger cornerback that the Dolphins were going to make the Miami native their fourth round pick. Daniels was taken with the third pick in the fourth round. He was the 104th overall selection in the draft.
“Coach Saban called just before they got on the clock and asked me if I’d like to join his team in Miami,” Daniels said on Sunday night. “I was a little disappointed not to get picked on the first day of the draft, but I’m a big believer that everything happens for a reason.
“I’m very happy the way it turned out. Who knows, had I gone on the first day, maybe I would have ended up on a team on the other side of the country. Now I get the chance to play pro football right here in my hometown.”
Daniels, is a native of Hollywood, Fla., which is located just outside of Miami and the Dolphin headquarters in Davie.
“I grew up watching the Dolphins,” Daniels said. “I’ve watched them practice during training camp so this is very exciting for me.”
The drafting of Daniels also ends a cycle that has seen the Florida native’s career come full-circle.
“Coming out of high school, everybody wanted me to stay close to home to go to college,” Daniels said. “I felt like I needed to go out of state and have the opportunity to grow up and mature away from home.
“It’s ironic that after spending five years away from Miami at LSU, now I’m coming back home to play for the Dolphins. Now that’s special.”
Daniels joined LSU teammates Marcus Spears and Corey Webster as Tigers picked in this year’s NFL Draft. Spears was taken in the first round by the Dallas Cowboys, while Webster was picked in the second round by the New York Giants.
Daniels teamed with Webster to give LSU one of the nation’s top cornerback tandems for the past two years. Daniels finished his career with the Tigers playing in 32 games with 26 starts. He registered 109 tackles, 8.5 tackles for losses and two interceptions, one he returned for a touchdown against Mississippi State in 2003.
In other NFL news on Sunday, former LSU quarterback Marcus Randall signed a free agent contract with the Tennessee Titans, while linebacker Lionel Turner inked a deal with the Miami Dolphins.