Twenty Outback Alumni Selected in NFL Draft

Tampa, FL -- Fans watching the Outback Bowl get to see some of the best college football talent and that point continues to be proven each spring by NFL teams as twenty players who have played in the New Year's Day game during their college careers were selected in this weekend's NFL draft. Iowa LB Chad Greenway was chosen in the first round with the number seventeen overall pick of the draft.

That brings the total number to at least 516 alumni of this bowl game who have been drafted or signed as free agents with NFL teams over its history. In just the past eight years 207 players have been drafted including thirty-three first round picks.

The 2006 NFL draft selections of Outback Bowl alumni included:

Round 1 (Overall pick in parentheses) Round 2 Chad Jackson, WR, Florida, by New England (36) Tim Jennings, DB, Georgia, by Indianapolis (62)

Round 3 Abdul Hodge, LB, Iowa, by Green Bay (67) Leonard Pope, TE, Georgia, by Arizona (72) Brian Calhoun, RB, Wisconsin, by Detroit (74) Brandon Williams, WR, Wisconsin, by San Francisco (84)

Round 4 Owen Daniels, TE, Wisconsin, by Houston (98) Max Jean-Gilles, G, Georgia, by Philadelphia (99) Gabe Watson, DT, Michigan, by Arizona (107) Jason Avant, WR, Michigan, by Philadelphia (109)

Round 5 Greg Blue, DB, Georgia, by Minnesota (149) Jason Pociask, TE, Wisconsin, by NY Jets (150) DeMario Minter, DB, Georgia, by Cleveland (152)

Round 6 Jonathan Orr, WR, Wisconsin, by Tennessee (172) Jeremy Mincey, LB, Florida, by New England (191) Kedric Golston, DT, Georgia, by Washington (196)

Round 7 D.J. Shockley, QB, Georgia, by Atlanta (223) Dee Webb, DB, Florida, by Jacksonville (236) Tim Massaquoi, TE, Michigan, by Tampa Bay (244)

The Outback Bowl will celebrate its 21st game on January 1st in Raymond James Stadium as it matches the third picks from the SEC and Big Ten Conferences. For tickets and membership information contact the Outback Bowl office at (813) 874-BOWL.