BATON ROUGE — Marcus Spears became the second LSU player taken in the first round of the NFL Draft in as many years when the Dallas Cowboys took the defensive end with the 20th pick on Saturday.
Spears, who became LSU’s 25th first round draft pick, joins Michael Clayton as the school’s first round draft picks over the past two years. Last year, Clayton was taken with the 15th pick in the draft by Tampa Bay.
Shortly after Spears was picked by the Cowboys, LSU’s Corey Webster got the call from the New York Giants with the 11th pick in the second round.
Spears, a native of Baton Rouge, finished his career among LSU’s all-time leaders in sacks (19) and tackles for losses (34.5). As team captain in 2004, Spears helped the Tigers to a fourth straight January bowl game and a 9-3 overall mark.
Spears, a consensus All-America for LSU in 2004, joins former Tigers Bradie James and Stephen Peterman on the Cowboys roster. Spears also becomes the third Tiger picked by the Cowboys in as many years. James was selected in the fourth round in 2003, while Peterman was taken in the third round a year ago.
Webster capped his LSU career ranked second on the school’s all-time list for interceptions with 16. Webster had seven interceptions in 2002 and 2003 followed by a pair in 2004.