Under Armour Senior Bowl Enjoys Tremendous
Success In NFL Draft

Among the 2007 contest's many draft-day highlights were 12 first-round picks, 90 total draftees and a top five overall selection for the seventh straight year, while the San Francisco 49ers select two Senior Bowlers in round one.

(Click banner for complete draft coverage at NFL.com)

MOBILE, Ala. (April 30, 2007) -- It was another outstanding weekend of success for the Under Armour Senior Bowl in the National Football League Draft.

Bowl officials announced on Monday how members of the 2007 North and South team rosters fared in this year's NFL Draft, an impressive collection of success stories that included 12 first-round selections, 90 total draftees and a top five overall selection for the seventh straight year in offensive lineman Levi Brown of Penn State.

Over the past eight years, the Under Armour Senior Bowl has averaged 11 first-round selections each year as 88 first-round draft picks have played in the contest from 2000-2007. Also, a total of 712 Senior Bowl players have been selected in the NFL draft over those same eight years.

This year's Senior Bowl draft selections were led by Penn State's Brown, who kept that impressive top-five overall streak intact when the Arizona Cardinals selected him with the fifth overall pick in the draft.

He joined LaDainian Tomlinson (2001), David Carr (2002), Carson Palmer (2003), Philip Rivers (2004), Cadillac Williams (2005) and D'Brickashaw Ferguson in 2006 as Senior Bowl players who have been chosen among the first five overall selections in the past seven years.

And while the Senior Bowl draft numbers once again confirmed its status as the nation's premier showcase of future NFL stars, it was the draft day selections made by the San Francisco 49ers that helped demonstrate just how vital a role the Senior Bowl can play in the NFL Draft process.

The 49ers served as one of the coaching staffs in the Senior Bowl for the second straight year in 2007, and ended up selecting six Senior Bowl players (more than any other NFL team) including the team's two first-round draft picks – Ole Miss linebacker Patrick Willis and Central Michigan offensive lineman Joe Staley.

Both Willis and Staley made strong impressions on 49ers head coach Mike Nolan and his staff while playing and practicing under them as members of their Senior Bowl South squad throughout the week.

"It's a great opportunity (coaching the Senior Bowl), and we've taken advantage of it," Nolan said during a draft-day press conference at team headquarters. "There's a common theme here. From a character standpoint, a work ethic standpoint, all those things we look for in somebody -- things you can only find by spending time with people -- are really important."

In addition to an outstanding week of practice, Willis also had a big Senior Bowl game, leading all tacklers with 11 stops and being named the South's Most Valuable Defensive Player.

"I'm really excited about him being on our football team," Nolan said. "Since we've coached him already at the Senior Bowl, we know a lot about him, which is really important. When you get to know somebody, you really get to find out what you really want in your football team and what it's going to look like, so I think he's outstanding from that standpoint. When you're building the right team, you need to pick the right people as well as the right players. Patrick will be it and he's an outstanding guy."

While Staley had very little contact with the 49ers in the weeks leading up to the draft, offensive line coach George Warhop, who coached Staley in Mobile, was included in the team's introductory phone call after the 49ers had traded up to select him with the 28th pick of the first round.

"He said, "See what playing in the Senior Bowl can do for you?'" Staley said at the team's post-draft press conference. "He said, "This isn't going to be a walk in the park, we're expecting you to play. So get ready.' I'm glad the 49ers traded up and picked me. I got a little taste of their offense when I was down at the Senior Bowl, and I'm just excited to get started."

The first five selections made by the 49ers in the draft played in the Senior Bowl. In addition to Willis and Staley, wide receiver Jason Hill of Washington State and defensive end Ray McDonald of Florida were chosen in round three and Nebraska defensive end Jay Moore was taken in round. The team rounded out its Senior Bowl selections with Kansas State running back Thomas Clayton in round six.

In addition to the 12 first-rounders, the quality of players who participated in this year's Senior Bowl was further demonstrated by the fact that 48 Senior Bowlers were selected on the draft's first day, with 16 Senior Bowl players chosen in round two and 20 more in round three.

The Senior Bowl's 12 first-rounders, made even more impressive when you consider that 14 underclassmen who were ineligible to play in the contest were also chosen in round one, also included the first player selected overall or the first senior chosen in the draft at ten different positions.

For example, the first defensive tackle selected in the draft was Louisville's Amobi Okoye, the 19-year-old who became the youngest player in Senior Bowl history who was selected by the Houston Texans with the tenth selection overall.

In addition to Willis, who was the first linebacker selected in the draft with the 11th overall pick, Auburn's Ben Grubbs, chosen 29th overall by the Baltimore Ravens, was the first guard off the board.

Senior Bowl 2007 also featured the first senior cornerback in Michigan's Leon Hall, chosen 18th overall, and the first senior wide receiver in LSU's Dwayne Bowe, chosen 23rd overall by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Other 2007 Senior Bowl stars chosen in round one include defensive end Adam Carriker by the St. Louis Rams, Texas safety Michael Griffin by the Tennessee Titans, Texas cornerback Aaron Ross by the New York Giants, Miami safety Brandon Meriweather by the New England Patriots, and Purdue defensive end Anthony Spencer by the Dallas Cowboys.

Thirty-one of the 32 NFL teams drafted at least one Senior Bowl player. While the 49ers led all teams with six Senior Bowl selections, the Baltimore Ravens drafted five Senior Bowers, and the Falcons, Packers, Colts, Eagles, Steelers, Seahawks, Rams and Titans all drafted four Senior Bowl players. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who coached the 2007 Senior Bowl's North team, also made three Senior Bowl selections.

The next showcase of future NFL stars is set for Saturday, January 26, 2008, when the 59th annual Under Armour Senior Bowl will kickoff in Mobile''s Ladd-Peebles Stadium. For more information, contact the Senior Bowl at 251-438-2276 or access the bowl's website at www.seniorbowl.com.

The Senior Bowl's 12 First-Round Draft Picks

Player - Position, School, Pick, NFL Team