BATON ROUGE — Defensive end Tyson Jackson headlines a list of at least 10 former LSU football players who have a shot at getting their named called this weekend as the NFL Draft takes place on Saturday and Sunday in New York City.
The draft starts at 3 p.m. on Saturday and will be televised on EPSN as the first and second rounds will take place. The selection process starts at 10 a.m. on Sunday with rounds three through seven. ESPN and ESPN2 will televise the Sunday portion of the draft.
Jackson is the highest projected draft pick for the Tigers, being slotted anywhere from the fifth overall pick to No. 15 in the first round.
When Jackson’s name does get called in the first round, it will stretch LSU’s streak of consecutive years with a first round selection to six. LSU has had at least one player taken in the first round of the NFL Draft dating back to the 2004 draft when Michael Clayton was the 15th overall player taken by Tampa Bay.
LSU will also take over the nation’s longest active streak of consecutive years with a first round pick, supplanting Miami who is expected to go without a first round selection for the first time since 1995.
“We’ve all worked very hard to get to this point” Tyson Jackson said of his preparation in getting to the NFL. “It’s just a mind-blowing experience to know that I came from a small 2A school to LSU and went against some of the best guys in the country in practice and worked really hard to beat out those guys.
“I can look back at my career and know that hard work has always paid off. I always rely on that in my time playing football.”
Other former Tigers expected to get the call on Saturday during rounds two or three include offensive guard Herman Johnson and linebacker Darry Beckwith. Mike Mayock from the NFL Network lists Beckwith as the third-best inside linebacker in the draft, while Herman Johnson is the No. 5 rated offensive guard.
Rounds three through seven on Sunday could see at least six or seven former Tigers getting their named called. Fullback Quinn Johnson leads the list of Tigers who expect to get the call on Sunday as he’s ranked as the third-best player in the draft at his position by the NFL Network.
Other former Tigers who are projected as second day picks include defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois, defensive tackle Marlon Favorite, center Brett Helms, safety Curtis Taylor and defensive end Kirston Pittman.
“I’ve been getting a lot of phone calls from a lot of teams and they have shown a great deal of interest in me,” Pittman said. “Last week I started having a really good feeling about it (the draft) because my phone started ringing all day every day from teams calling me. People told me I was on their radar and that they want to bring me in and have me as a part of their organization.”
Former LSU wide receiver Demetrius Byrd, who was projected as high as a third round pick, continues to recover in a Miami hospital after being injured in a car wreck on Sunday. Byrd, rated as one of the top 15 receivers in the draft, still has a chance at getting drafted, however it will be much lower due to his unfortunate accident six days ago.
Last year, LSU had seven players picked in the draft, which included the fifth overall selection in defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, who went to the Kansas City Chiefs.
In its history, LSU has had 30 players selected in the first round of the draft.