Feel a draft? Kansas products eagerly await fate in NFL Draft

By Matt Tait     Apr 22, 2010

Dezmon Briscoe, Darrell Stuckey and Kerry Meier will await their NFL fates Thursday during the 2010 NFL draft.

Although it’s unlikely the first round of this year’s NFL Draft — 6:30 tonight in New York City — will feature NFL commissioner Roger Goodell calling the name of any former Jayhawks, there are a few Kansas University players who should field phone calls from the NFL during the next three days.

Agent Erik Burkhardt, who represents wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe, said he could see Briscoe going “top 30,” which would put him in the first round. But none of the mock drafts published on the Internet have that scenario playing out.

Still, of all the Jayhawks eligible — a list that includes safety Darrell Stuckey, wide receiver Kerry Meier, quarterback Todd Reesing and running back Jake Sharp — Briscoe is the most likely to be snagged in the early rounds.

“It’s all up in the air,” Briscoe said. “I’ll be surprised if I jump out (of) the second, honestly.”

NFL draft

When: Round 1 at 6:30 tonight; rounds 2-3 at 5 p.m. Friday; rounds 4-7 at 9 a.m. Saturday

TV: ESPN (channels 33, 233); CBSCS (143, 235) and NFL (154, 230)

The general perception about Briscoe is that he has top-notch talent but less-than-ideal measurables. At one point, draft analyst Todd McShay had Briscoe rated as the third-best receiver on the board.

However, in Mel Kiper Jr.’s most recent ratings, Briscoe wasn’t in the top five at the position. What’s more, a three-round mock draft done Monday by NFL.com did not have any Jayhawks going in the first three rounds.

That’s not to say the scouting report has been all bad. In his most recent projection of the first four rounds, Kiper had Briscoe as a second-round selection of the Arizona Cardinals. It just so happens the Cardinals have Briscoe’s favorite player on their roster — wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

“Playing in Arizona would be a true blessing for me,” Briscoe said by phone recently. “I probably wouldn’t come in and start, but I could come in and learn everything from one of the greatest receivers to ever play the game. I really don’t care where I land. I just want to be able to tell everybody I play in the NFL.”

The draft’s second and third rounds will start at 5 p.m. Friday, and the final four rounds will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Stuckey adds to excitement

An already big week got a little bigger for former KU safety Darrell Stuckey, who, earlier in the week, became engaged to girlfriend Lacie Reed, the older sister of KU basketball player Tyrel Reed.

With that part of his future mapped out, Stuckey now can focus on the football element. Stuckey plays one of the draft’s deepest positions, and that could impact his status.

Kiper has Stuckey as a potential third-round pick of the New Orleans Saints, saying: “The Saints should get a safety sometime within the first four rounds, given (their) uncertainty at that position.”

CBSSports.com has Stuckey rated as the fourth-best safety available, and that falls in line with his NFL combine numbers, which consistently placed him among the top three safeties in Indianapolis.

Versatility Meier’s weapon

NFLDraftScout.com has Kerry Meier rated as the 39th-best receiver in this year’s draft and points to his ability to play multiple positions as a reason he might be an attractive option for a pro franchise. Like his teammates, Meier just wants a chance.

“This is the turning point in my life,” he said by phone prior to the combine. “Going through college was good, and getting my education was important, but this is the next level. It’s the ultimate goal for a young football player, and right now it’s right in my grasp.”

Sharp’s Pro Day opened eyes

Sharp is rated by NFLDraftScout.com as the 38th-best running back available. He thanks his Pro Day showing for giving him a reason to keep tabs on the draft.

“I feel that I’m a late pick or priority free agent,” he said. “I think I just solidified myself of getting a shot at the NFL. And that’s all I could really ask for.”

Reesing small but hopeful

Both NFLDraftScout.com and CBSsports.com have Reesing listed at No. 32 at the quarterback position.

According to CBSsports.com: “Size is a major deterrent for the 5-foot-10 Reesing, even though he rewrote virtually all the Kansas passing records as a three-year starter.”

Reesing plans to watch the draft with his family at home in Austin, Tex., and hopes to be a late-round selection.

Gill on potential Buffalo draft picks

Although new KU coach Turner Gill will have his hands full with Saturday’s spring game, he said Monday he planned to keep one eye on the draft.

“I probably will see a little bit of it,” he said. “There’s two guys from Buffalo that may have a chance to get drafted, Naaman Roosevelt and James Starks. Whether they will or not, we’ll see. Obviously, there’s a handful of guys here at Kansas, too, that, hopefully, will have an opportunity to play at the next level. I know there’ll be at least a few guys.”

Roosevelt is a 6-foot, 187-pound wide receiver. Starks is a 6-2, 211-pound running back.

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.