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Former Players

The Buffalo Bills signed former Hokies standout linebacker Vince Hall to a “future free agent” contract on Thursday, Jan. 15. Hall, who was not drafted following his senior year, was signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent following the 2008 NFL draft, but was released Sept. 8, after tearing his hamstring. The Bills signed Hall to the practice squad in December and by signing him to a “future free agent” contract, he will be a part of the team when the 2009 NFL contract cycle begins in March, according to the Roanoke Times.

Former Coaches

Lorenzo Ward, the Hokies secondary coach from 1999-2005, is Steve Spurrier’s new defensive coordinator at South Carolina. It seems that while Spurrier couldn’t land Hokies D coordinator Bud Foster on two separate occasions, he believes in Foster so much, that he hired one of his former assistants.

Since leaving the Hokies following the 2005 season, Ward worked as an assistant coach for the Oakland Raiders and most recently with the Arkansas Razorbacks. Ward joins Shane Beamer, another former Hokie, on Spurrier’s staff.

Read the Roanoke Times article.

Thanks to hokieballa for the links!

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(Updated 4/30/2008)

The 2008 NFL draft saw eight Hokies drafted and several left waiting at the altar. Two Hokies didn’t have to wait long. Just minutes after the draft was over, Safety D.J. Parker got a call from the San Francisco 49ers and quickly signed a free-agent deal. Linebacker Vince Hall was contacted and signed by the St. Louis Rams. Barry Booker, Josh Hyman and Korey Robertson had to wait until Monday. Booker got a call from the Tennessee Titan; Hyman will join teammate Hall with the Rams; and Robertson signed with the Dolphins. (Thanks for keeping my posted guys!)

• Read more about Hall and Parker.
• Read more about Booker.
• Read more about Hyman and Robertson.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Last year, the Houston Texans went out and brought in highly touted, albeit unproven, quarterback Matt Schaub to lead the offense. He played well last season, but got dinged up because of a shaky offensive line. Houston took steps to correct that problem today when they surprised everyone and selected former Virginia Tech OL Duane Brown with the No. 26 overall pick in the first round. The 6-4, 315-pound converted TE has the ability to play either tackle position, which will provide OL depth for the Texans. The pick came as a surprise because Brown was graded by many mock drafts as a third-round selection.

From ESPN: “Houston clearly placed an emphasis on need over value. Brown is a reach because he’s not a great drive-blocker and he can get pushed into the backfield by bull rushes. On the flip side, he’s a former tight end who has the quick feet, athletic ability and initial burst to develop into an outstanding pass-blocker and an effective starter on the left side. It’s also worth pointing out that he was the best tackle left on the board (seventh rated overall).”

From Rivals: “The Texans made a good trade back at first, but the worst case scenarios occurred over the last eight picks. Many of the guys they would have wanted came off the board. Brown is an athletic left tackle, but a guy most graded as a third-round pick.”

Second Round

The Kansas City Chiefs may have found an heir apparent for Ty Law in former Hokie Brandon Flowers. The Chiefs selected the hard-hitting All-American corner with the 4th pick in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

From ESPN: “Flowers doesn’t have elite size or top-end speed. Occasionally, he gets caught out of position trying to make a big play. However, he plays far bigger than his size indicates and faster than his 40 time suggest. He opens his hips very well and has the upper-body strength to deliver a violent punch. There’s also a lot to like about his willingness to play the run.”

From Rivals: “Flowers was the most physical corner available in this draft. He has the inside track to replace Ty Law in the starting lineup as a rookie. He has a high level of development as a cover man, which indicates he can play the nickel corner role almost immediately. He could develop into an early starting NFL corner with shutdown talent.”

Seven picks later, the Denver Broncos got some receiver help for QB Jay Cutler in Eddie Royal, who went a little earlier in the draft than I thought he’d go. He’s undersized, even for a college WR, but his prowess as a return man is probably what appealed to the Broncos.

From ESPN: “Royal has had some problems staying healthy, and the fact that he doesn’t have great size only accentuates concerns about his durability. He has to improve his route-running, but he has the quickness and athletic ability to separate from coverage once that happens. He’s fast enough to stretch the field and make an impact as a punt returner.”

From Rivals: “Royal was pound-for-pound one of the fastest and strongest receivers available in the draft. He also gives the Broncos the added option of using him as their primary return man.”

Hokies hoping to be selected on Day Two of the 2008 NFL Draft:

Xavier Adibi
Barry Booker
Chris Ellis
Vince Hall
Justin Harper
Josh Morgan
D.J. Parker
Carlton Powell

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From our friend Shane at vt.fanfoc.us:

As the NFL combine swings into full gear this weekend – something that I think deserves a lot more attention is just how many hokies are participating in the combine this year – here are the top ncaa schools (ranked by # of participants):

• USC 12
• Virginia Tech 11
• Arkansas 8
• LSU 8
• Cal 7
• Oklahoma 7
• Texas 7
• Michigan 7

So you ask – exactly who are those 11 fine hokies heading to the nfl combine?

• Adibi, Xavier – LB 6’2″ 220lbs
• Booker, Barry – DT 6’4″ 284lbs
• Brown, Duane – OL 6’5″ 300lbs
• Ellis, Chris – DE 6’4″ 260lbs
• Flowers, Brandon – CB 5’10″ 190lbs
• Hall, Vince – ILB 6’0″ 238lbs
• Harper, Justin – WR 6’4″ 198lbs
• Morgan, Josh – WR 6’1″ 215lbs
• Parker, D.J. – CB 6’0″ 195lbs
• Powell, Carlton – DT 6’3″ 300lbs
• Royal, Eddie – WR 5’10″ 182lbs

I’m actually surprised to see 11 hokies on the list and it’s a testament to the quality of players VT has been bringing in lately and good job beamer and his staff do developing those players. So who isn’t on this list?

Click here to read the rest of the combine preview.

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