The 2011 NFL Drafted ended on Saturday evening, and three Virginia Tech players were selected: Ryan Williams , Rashad Carmichael and Tyrod Taylor . The rest of Tech’s seniors, as well as Darren Evans, went undrafted, and will have to sign free agent contracts.
Ryan Williams was the first player off the board, selected on Friday night by the Arizona Cardinals early in the second round, with the 38th overall pick. Williams was expected to go a little later in the second round. He is expected to split carries with Beanie Wells, a former first round pick out of Ohio State.
It’s a good situation for Williams to get early playing time, though the Cardinals’ offense was very bad last year because they didn’t have a quarterback.
Rashad Carmichael went to the Houston Texans in the fourth round, with the 127th overall pick. The Texans consider Carmichael to be a steal that late, because they considered him second or third round talent.
Carmichael will have to compete with Miami’s Brandon Harris for playing time, who was selected by Houston in the third round. They also have Kareem Jackson of Alabama, who was a first round pick last season.
Tyrod Taylor went a little lower than some thought, but he will find himself in a good situation in Baltimore, who selected Taylor with the 180th overall pick in the sixth round. Marc Bulger is not expected to return as the backup to Joe Flacco, and the only other quarterback on the roster is Hunter Cantwell, a former undrafted free agent out of Louisville who has never thrown a pass in an NFL game.
Baltimore could end up signing another free agent quarterback to create some competition, but as of now there is a chance that Tyrod Taylor could be their #2 quarterback at some point this season.
Tech Sideline is Presented By: