BY SAM NEFF
The first round of the NFL draft can be long and grueling, especially for the players whose new residence, employer and salary are decided.
With each team allotted 15 minutes to make a selection, the first round could last over seven hours.
When the Indianapolis Colts finally called BYU linebacker Rob Morris with the 28th pick overall, they interrupted his Nintendo game.
“Things leading up to the draft went real fast, but when we started watching the draft on television, things started going real slow,” Morris said in a BYU news release. “After about the 20th pick, my buddies and I went in the other room and started playing Nintendo.”
Morris arrived in Indianapolis on April 16 with his parents. Colts’ president Bill Polian presented him with his new jersey, number 94.
Morris joins a Colts team that finished the season with a 13-3 record and an NFC East title. With an already potent offense – i.e. Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James and Marvin Harrison – the Colts used the draft to solidify their defense. Six of the seven players drafted were on the defense.
“It’s kind of been a whirlwind of emotions,” Morris said in a Colts news release. “I am not really nervous. It is kind of a sense that I have a job to do. It is not like I am going to Disneyland or something. I have a job now and I have to earn my money. It is starting to sink in and I realize what lies ahead.”
It was thought by some before the draft that Morris’ age, 25, would play a part in where he was drafted, but the Colts didn’t even consider it when they drafted him.
“We don’t think his age is an issue,” Polian said in a news release. “Guys play a long time these days. He is a mature young man. He has been on a mission. I think that’s a plus in the sense that you’re getting someone who’s all business.”
Morris looks forward to butting helmets with pal John Tait when the Colts play the Kansas City Chiefs next year. Tait was drafted as the 14th overall pick in last year’s draft when he decided to forego his senior season at BYU.
“It will be fun to go out there and take care of John the way I used to in practice when we were both at BYU,” Morris said.
BYU offensive lineman Matt Johnson will join Morris Indianapolis. Johnson was the ninth pick in the fifth round, 138th overall.
Defensive lineman Byron Frisch was selected in the third round by AFC champs the Tennessee Titans.
Frisch is expected to see some action in the Titans defensive line rotation as a pass rusher.
While some former Cougars are expected to see significant time as rookies, others just want to make the team.
Brian Gray, once projected as one of the top 10 cornerbacks in the draft due to size and cover ability, saw his draft day chances slip away after a sub par performance at the NFL combines.
Gray went undrafted, but signed with the Cincinatti Bengals as a free safety.
Kevin Feterik, who was a Heisman contender early in the season, went undrafted in a weak draft for quarterbacks, but signed as a free agent with the Seattle Seahawks.
Tight end Carlos Nuno signed as a free agent with the Miami Dolphins.
Cornerback Heshimu Robertson and offensive lineman Jimmy Richards are still courting teams as free agents, but have yet to sign.
