Top 10 West Virginia Mountaineers in the First Round of the NFL Draft
By Ken Durbin
The West Virginia Mountaineers have had a rich college football tradition, including a host of highly drafted prospects.
With that said, WVU’s draft history is not exactly on par with the likes of USC, Miami, and Alabama, but the Mountaineers draft history is still rich. To date, West Virginia has produced 9 first round draft selections.
If polled, Mountaineer fans might draw a blank as to who those first round selections are. They do not include greats like Sam Huff (2nd round), Darryl Talley (2nd round), Ira Rodgers (no draft at that time), or Pat White (2nd round).
So who are the highest draft Mountaineer prospects of all time? Let’s count them down!
10. Geno Smith/Tavon Austin – TBD, 2013
Oct 6, 2012; Austin, TX, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Geno Smith (12) points to running back Tavon Austin (1) after winning the game against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. West Virginia beat Texas 48-45. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
No matter what mock draft you have been looking at, it is a virtual guarantee that at least one Mountaineer player will be drafted in the first round of the draft tonight. There is even a significant chance that both Geno Smith and Tavon Austin will go in the first round of the draft tonight.
Austin is projected as high as a top 10 selection and Geno Smith is projected anywhere from the top 10 to the top of the 2nd round. Depending on how the picks fall, these two Mountaineer greats could be in a race for the top Mountaineer draft pick of 2013.
I could just see Tavon and Geno rushing to the podium like this scene from Talladega Nights: