April 26, 2009
Columbia, Mo. -
Three former Mizzou Tiger standouts heard their names called Saturday on the first day of the 2009 NFL Draft, giving Mizzou one of the most productive days among all schools on day one.
Jeremy Maclin went with the number 19 overall selection to the Philadelphia Eagles, becoming Mizzou’s first player to be taken in the first round of the draft since Justin Smith went number four overall to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2001.
But Maclin wasn’t the only Tiger to go in the first round, as DT Ziggy Hood was snagged with the final pick of the first round (pick number 32 overall) by the defending World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
That marked only the second time in school history that two Tigers were taken in the first round of the NFL Draft. The only other time that’s happened was in 1977, when Morris Towns and Steve Pisarkiewicz went with the #11 and #19 overall selections.
A third Tiger, William Moore, heard his name called on day one, as he was taken with the 23rd pick of the 2nd round (#55 overall selection) by the Atlanta Falcons.
Mizzou’s three players drafted was the most by any Big 12 school on the first day, and the Tigers were one of only six schools in the nation to have three or more players selected on day one in 2009. You have to go back to 1981 to find the last time that Mizzou had three players taken in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft. That year, seven Tigers overall were drafted in rounds 1-7, but three went in the first two rounds – Howard Richards (1st round, #26 overall), James Wilder (2nd round, #34 overall) and Eric Wright (2nd round, #40 overall).
