Football Gazette's Small College Football Blog

Don Hansen's Football Gazette Blog of information, comments, notes, and tidebits on Small College Football. NCAA 1-AA & Mid Major, Division II & Mid Major, Division III, NAIA, and NCCAA

Monday, May 01, 2006

THREE ATLANTIC 10 FOOTBALL CONFERENCE STANDOUTS SELECTED IN 2006 NFL DRAFT

Maine’s Kevin McMahan tabbed "Mr. Irrelevant"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


PHILADELPHIA, PA - Teammates Willie Colon and Marques Colston of Hofstra and Maine wide receiver Kevin McMahan were selected on Sunday in the 2006 NFL Draft, held at Radio City Music Hall in New York, NY.


A first-team All-Atlantic selection in 2005, Colon was taken by the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round (131st overall). A first-team All-America selection by the American Football Coaches Association and the Walter Camp Foundation, Colon made 34 consecutive starts along the offensive line during his standout career at Hofstra. He is the highest A-10 player chosen since former Villanova standout running back and current Philadelphia Eagles star Brian Westbrook was tabbed by the Eagles in the third round (91st overall) in 2002.


Colston was a seventh round selection (252nd overall) by the New Orleans Saints. The Harrisburg, PA, native totaled 70 receptions for a team-high 975 yards and five touchdowns in 2005 en route to garnering first-team All-Conference honors. Colston had four 100-yard receiving efforts this past season and finished his career as the school’s all-time leader in receiving yards with 2,834. He was chosen to play in the prestigious East-West Shrine Game, where he hauled in five passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. Hofstra joins Weber State as the only I-AA programs to have a pair of players selected in the 2006 NFL Draft.


The Oakland Raiders tabbed McMahan with the choice (255th overall) of the seven-round draft, giving the Rochester, NY, resident the distinction of being called the "Mr Irrelevant" of the 2006 draft. Now in its 31st year of existence, the award was started by former Baltimore Colts player Paul Salata, who read the final selection of the afternoon at the podium. A third-team All-Atlantic 10 honoree in 2005 who finished second in the Conference with 13 touchdown receptions, McMahan will be honored by former "Mr Irrelevant" winners at a ceremony in Newport Beach, CA.


The Atlantic 10 Football Conference had the most student-athletes selected among I-AA conferences in the 2006 NFL Draft. The last time the A-10 had at least three players chosen was back in 1999, when five standouts were selected.



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Stephen Haug
Associate Director of Communications
Atlantic 10 Conference
230 South Broad Street - Suite 1700
Philadelphia, PA 19102
215.545.6678 (phone)
www.atlantic10.org