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Randle, Taylor Selected on Day 2 of NFL Draft

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Randle, Taylor Selected on Day 2 of NFL Draft

NEW YORK — LSU wide receiver Rueben Randle was greeted on stage by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and former New York Giants defensive standout Michael Strahan. The wait was over.

Randle brought the hometown fans to their feet, chanting his name when Strahan announced him as the 63rd overall pick by the Super Bowl champion New York Giants at the 2012 NFL Draft on Friday night in Radio City Music Hall.

Safety Brandon Taylor was the other Tiger taken on the second day of the draft when he got the call from the San Diego Chargers in the third round with the 73rd overall selection.

Randle was the final pick of the second round, becoming the highest drafted LSU wide receiver since Dwayne Bowe and Craig Davis were both taken in the 2007 first round. The Tigers have now had at least one wide receiver selected in six of the seven drafts under coach Les Miles, who greeted Randle before he walked on stage.

“Eli Manning is a great quarterback,” said Randle. “A lot of guys will help me develop my game and get better. You just have to stay humble. I knew my opportunity was going to come. You can’t stress about that. It’s about what you do after you get drafted. I am going to go out there and work hard for these guys and hopefully make the team.”

With Randle and Taylor’s selections, that ran LSU’s two-day draft total to four with four rounds remaining. Cornerback Morris Claiborne and defensive tackle Michael Brockers were both first round picks, going to the Dallas Cowboys (sixth) and St. Louis Rams (14th), respectively on Thursday.

Taylor, who wore the honorary No. 18 jersey at LSU, will join a former No. 18 Tiger running back in Jacob Hester in San Diego. LSU is one of only two schools in the draft to so far produce multiple defensive back selections.

Since 2006, the Tigers continue to lead the Southeastern Conference in NFL Draft choices with 41. That total also ranks second nationally. Currently, LSU and Southern Cal are the only two schools to produce at least 40 draft picks dating back to 2006, the year of the first draft under Miles.

The final day of the 2012 NFL Draft featuring rounds four, five, six and seven gets underway at 11 a.m. CT Saturday on ESPN, NFL Network and NFL.com. It could be a busy day for several LSU players who are expected to be taken, including cornerback Ron Brooks, linebacker Ryan Baker, tight end Deangelo Peterson and offensive lineman Will Blackwell.

On Saturday, Miles will serve as a guest analyst for the NFL Network for the fourth and fifth rounds. Miles, who will be on set for three hours that day from 10 a.m. until 1:15 p.m., will join host Rich Eisen, Charles Davis, and Michael Irvin on the NFL Network broadcast.

2012 NFL Draft
April 27, 2012

Second Round
Pick, Team,  Player, Pos, College
1 (33), Rams, Brian Quick, WR, Appalachian St.
2 (34), Colts, Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford
3 (35), Ravens (From Vikings), Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama
4 (36), Broncos (From Buccaneers), Derek Wolfe, DT, Cincinnati
5 (37), Browns, Mitchell Schwartz, T, California
6 (38), Jaguars, Andre Branch, DE, Clemson
7 (39), Rams (From Redskins), Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama
8 (40), Panthers, Amini Silatolu, T, Midwestern St.
9 (41), Bills, Cordy Glenn, T, Georgia
10 (42), Dolphins, Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford
11 (43), Jets (From Seahawks), Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech
12 (44), Chiefs, Jeff Allen, T, Illinois
13 (45), Bears (From Cowboys through Rams), Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina
14 (46), Eagles, Mychal Kendricks, ILB, California
15 (47), Seahawks (From Jets), Bobby Wagner, ILB, Utah St.
16 (48), Patriots (From Raiders), Tavon Wilson, FS, Illinois
17 (49), Chargers, Kendall Reyes, DT, Connecticut
18 (50), Rams (From Bears), Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati
19 (51), Packers (From Cardinals through Eagles), Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan St.
20 (52), Titans, Zach Brown, OLB, North Carolina
21 (53), Bengals, Devon Still, DT, Penn St.
22 (54), Lions, Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma
23 (55), Falcons, Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin
24 (56), Steelers, Mike Adams, OT, Ohio St.
25 (57), Broncos, Brock Osweiler, QB, Arizona State
26 (58), Buccaneers (From Texans), Lavonte David, OLB, Nebraska
27 (59), Eagles (From Packers), Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall
28 (60), Ravens, Kelechi Osemele, T, Iowa St.
29 (61), 49ers, LaMichael James, RB, Oregon
30 (62), Packers (From Patriots), Casey Hayward, DB, Vanderbilt
31 (63), Giants, Rueben Randle, WR, LSU

Third Round
1 (64), Colts, Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson
2 (65), Rams, Trumaine Johnson, CB, Montana
3 (66), Vikings, Josh Robinson, CB, Central Florida
4 (67), Broncos (From Browns), Ronnie Hillman, RB, San Diego St.
5 (68), Texans (From Buccaneers), DeVier Posey, WR, Ohio St.
6 (69), Bills (From Redskins), T.J. Graham, WR, N.C. State
7 (70), Jaguars, Bryan Anger, P, California
8 (71), Redskins (From Bills), Josh LeRibeus, G, SMU
9 (72), Dolphins, Olivier Vernon, DE, Miami
10 (73), Chargers (From Panthers through Bears and Dolphins), Brandon Taylor, SS, LSU
11 (74), Chiefs, Donald Stephenson, T, Oklahoma
12 (75), Seahawks, Russell Wilson, QB, Wisconsin
13 (76), Texans (From Eagles), Brandon Brooks, G, Miami (OH)
14 (77), Jets, Demario Davis, OLB, Arkansas State
15 (78), Dolphins (From Chargers), Michael Egnew, TE, Missouri
16 (79), Bears, Brandon Hardin, FS, Oregon St.
17 (80), Cardinals, Jamell Fleming, CB, Oklahoma
18 (81), Cowboys, Tyrone Crawford, DE, Boise St.
19 (82), Titans, Mike Martin, DT, Michigan
20 (83), Bengals, Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers
21 (84), Ravens (From Falcons), Bernard Pierce, RB, Temple
22 (85), Lions, Dwight Bentley, CB, Louisiana-Lafayette
23 (86), Steelers, Sean Spence, LB, Miami
24 (87), Browns (From Broncos), John Hughes, DT, Cincinnati
25 (88), Eagles (From Texans), Nick Foles, QB, Arizona
26 (89), Saints, Akiem Hicks, DE, Regina
27 (90), Patriots (From Packers), Jake Bequette, DE, Arkansas
28 (91), Falcons (From Ravens), Lamar Holmes, T, Southern Miss
29 (92), Colts (From 49ers), T.Y. Hilton, WR, Florida International
30 (93), Bengals (From Patriots), Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson
31 (94), Giants, Jayron Hosley, CB, Virginia Tech
32 (95), Raiders (Compensatory selection), Tony Bergstrom, OT, Utah