NEW YORK – LSU football set an NFL Draft record for the most defensive players selected in the first three rounds of a single draft with six as linebacker Kevin Minter, defensive tackle Bennie Logan, cornerback Tyrann Mathieu and defensive end Sam Montgomery added to the Tigers’ two-day total on Friday night in Radio City Music Hall.
Minter was taken No. 45 overall (13th pick of the second round) by the Arizona Cardinals. When the Cardinals were able to draft again one round later, they took Mathieu with the No. 69 overall selection (seventh pick of the third round).
Logan went two picks prior to Mathieu, going No. 67 overall (fifth pick of the third round) to the Philadelphia Eagles. Montgomery capped the evening when the Houston Texans called his name with the No. 95 overall pick prior to the third round ending.
With the four selections on Friday evening that moved LSU’s two-day draft total to six picks, the most of any school in the nation heading into Saturday. Florida State has had five selections.
Defensive end Barkevious Mingo was the Tigers’ highest selection with the No. 6 overall pick in the first round to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday. Safety Eric Reid was taken with the No. 18 overall choice in the first round by the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers.
Minter, a native of Suwanee, Ga., concluded his All-America junior season with one of the most impressive year’s by a linebacker in LSU history, racking up 130 tackles. Friday night he was rewarded, becoming the third-highest drafted linebacker in LSU history and the highest since Eric Hill went No. 10 overall to the Cardinals in 1989.
Day 1 Recap:
Barkevious Mingo | 1st Rd. | No. 6 | Cleveland Browns
Eric Reid | 1st Rd. | No. 18 | San Francisco 49ers
Logan extended LSU’s streak of having a defensive tackle chosen to six straight NFL Drafts. The Coushatta, La., native concluded his three-year Tiger career with 107 tackles and was a second-team All-Southeastern Conference selection as a junior.
Montgomery, a native of Greenwood, S.C., was a second-team All-America selection as a junior. He became the first LSU defensive player to be chosen by the Texans since Howard was taken in 2002.
Mathieu will re-unite with former teammate and mentor Patrick Peterson in Arizona. Both Mathieu and Peterson were National Defensive Players of the Year and they will team up on the same defensive unit with Minter and former LSU safety Curtis Taylor.
“I was filled with joy,” Mathieu said. “It’s been a long road. I am proud to be a member of the Arizona Cardinals. To join Patrick and Larry Fitzgerald, I am looking forward to it. I am happy someone believed in me. You have to have faith through the ups and the downs.”
The LSU record for most players selected in a single draft is eight in 1948 and that milestone could fall on Saturday when the third day of the 2013 NFL Draft gets underway at 11 a.m. CT on the NFL Network and ESPN.
LSU head coach Les Miles will join the NFL Network’s coverage live on the set from noon to 2 p.m. CT Saturday.
Tigers in the NFL (2012 Recap)
LSU NFL Draft Notebook
- LSU’s six selections in the first three rounds are the most by the program in the first three rounds of an NFL Draft. The Tigers had five selections in the first three rounds of the 2011 draft.
- All six of LSU’s players drafted are underclassmen.
- Heading into Saturday, LSU leads the nation in draft selections with six. Florida State has five. Alabama and Florida have four.
- LSU has had at least one defensive back in seven straight drafts. The Tigers have had 11 defensive backs chosen in the last seven NFL Drafts combined.
- LSU has produced a defensive tackle selected in the draft for now six straight years.
- LSU Athletic Hall of Famer Kevin Faulk was on hand at Radio City Music Hall to announce the New England Patriots draft picks.
- Kevin Minter was the third-highest linebacker drafted in LSU history. Eric Hill went No. 10 overall to the Cardinals in 1989, while A.J. Duhe went No. 13 overall to the Dolphins in 1977.
- Head coach Les Miles has now produced at least five NFL Draft picks in every draft he has been a part of at LSU (eight drafts).
- For the first time in LSU history, LSU produced multiple first round picks in back-to-back drafts.
- The school record for number of defensive players selected in a single modern draft was broken.
- Nine of the 11 defensive starters on the 2011 team have been drafted in the past two years. All nine went in the first three rounds, including four in the first round.
2013 NFL Draft – Round 2
33. Jacksonville – John Cyprien, FS, Florida International
34. Tennessee (from Kansas City via San Francisco) – Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee
35. Philadelphia – Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford
36. Detroit – Darius Slay, DB, Mississippi St.
37. Cincinnati (from Oakland) – Giovani Bernard, RB, North Carolina
38. San Diego (from Arizona) – Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame
39. NY Jets – Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
40. San Francisco (from Tennessee) – Cornellius Carradine, DE, Florida St.
41. Buffalo – Robert Woods, WR, USC
42. Oakland (from Miami) – Melelik Watson, OT, Florida St.
43. Tampa Bay – Johnthan Banks, DB, Mississippi St.
44. Carolina – Kawann Short, DT, Purdue
45. Arizona (from San Diego) – Kevin Minter, LB, LSU
46. Buffalo (from St. Louis) – Kiko Alonso, LB, Oregon
47. Dallas – Gavin Escobar, TE, San Diego St.
48. Pittsburgh – Le’Veon Bell, RB, Michigan St.
49. NY Giants – Johnathan Hankins, DT, Ohio St.
50. Chicago – Jonathan Bostic, LB, Florida
51. Washington – David Amerson, DB, NC State
52. New England (from Minnesota) – Jamie Collins, LB, Southern Miss
53. Cincinnati – Margus Hunt, DE, SMU
54. Miami (from Indianapolis) – Jamar Taylor, DB, Boise St.
55. San Francisco (from Green Bay) – Vance McDonald, TE, Rice
56. Seattle – Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas St.
57. Houston – D.J. Swearinger, SS, South Carolina
58. Denver – Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin
59. New England – Aaron Dobson, WR, Marshall
60. Atlanta – Robert Alford, CB, Southeastern Louisiana
61. Green Back (from San Francisco) – Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama
62. Seattle (from Baltimore) – Christine Michael, RB, Texas A&M
Round 3
63. Kansas City – Travis Kelce, TE, Cincinnati
64. Jacksonville – Dwayne Gratz, CB, Connecticut
65. Detroit – Larry Warford, OG, Kentucky
66. Oakland – Sio Moore, LB, Connecticut
67. Philadelphia – Bennie Logan, DT, LSU
68. Cleveland – Leon McFadden, CB, San Diego St.
69. Arizona – Tyrann Mathieu, CB, LSU
70. Tennessee – Blidi Wreh-Wilson, CB, Connecticut
71. St. Louis (from Buffalo) – T.J. McDonald, FS, USC
72. NY Jets – Brian Winters, OG, Kent St.
73. Tampa Bay – Mike Glennon, QB, NC State
74. Dallas (from Carolina via San Francisco) – Terrance Williams, WR, Baylor
75. New Orleans – Terron Armstead, OT, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
76. San Diego – Keenan Allen, WR, California
77. Miami – Dallas Thomas, OT, Tennessee
78. Buffalo (from St. Louis) – Marquise Goodwin, WR, Texas
79. Pittsburgh – Markus Wheaton, WR, Oregon St.
80. Dallas – J.J. Wilcox, FS, Georgia Southern
81. NY Giants – Damontre Moore, DE, Texas A&M
82. New Orleans – John Jenkins, DT, Georgia
83. New England (from Minnesota) – Logan Ryan, CB, Rutgers
84. Cincinnati – Shawn Williams, SS, Georgia
85. Washington – Jordan Reed, TE, Florida
86. Indianpolis – Hugh Thornton, OG, Illinois
87. Seattle – Jordan Hill, DT, Penn St.
88. Green Bay – Corey Lemonier, DE, Auburn
89. Houston – Brennan Williams, OT, North Carolina
90. Denver – Kayvon Webster, CB, South Florida
91. New England – Duron Harmon, S, Rutgers
92. St. Louis (from Atlanta) – Stedman Bailey, WR, West Virginia
93. From San Francisco via Green Bay) – Will Davis, CB, Utah St.
94. Baltimore – Brandon Williams, DT, Missouri Southern St.
95. Houston (Compensatory) – Sam Montgomery, DE, LSU
96. Kansas City (Compensatory) – Knile Davis, RB, Arkansas
97. Tennessee (Compensatory) – Zavier Gooden, LB, Missouri