Tim Settle, Wyatt Teller, Greg Stroman Drafted on Day 3

By: Will Stewart | Founder
Greg Stroman Tim Settle
Three Hokies were drafted on Day 3 of the 2018 NFL Draft, including Greg Stroman. (Photo by Ivan Morozov)

After Tremaine and Terrell Edmunds were selected in Round 1 of the NFL Draft on Thursday, things were quiet for Hokie Nation in Rounds 2 and 3 on Friday. But on Saturday, three more Virginia Tech players were selected:

  • Tim Settle: Round 5, Pick 163 to the Washington Redskins
  • Wyatt Teller: Round 5, Pick 166 to the Buffalo Bills
  • Greg Stroman: Round 7, Pick 241 to the Washington Redskins

Some draft prognosticators had Settle going as early as the second or third round, and in a phone conversation Wednesday, Settle’s agent, Andy Ross, told me the Redskins were very interested and might take him in the third round. The Redskins satisfied their need for a stud defensive tackle when they selected Da’Ron Payne out of Alabama No. 13 overall, but when Settle was still available in Round 5, the ‘Skins had their cake and ate it, too.

As the No. 163 pick overall, Settle’s rookie contract will be worth approximately $2.6 million with a $187k signing bonus, per spotrac.com. That leaves it up to fans to debate for years if Settle was wise to leave after just his redshirt sophomore season, but the truth is that Settle was always on a fast track for the NFL, telling TechSideline.com back in January “My goal was to be three and out when I came into college.”

Wyatt Teller’s selection by the Buffalo Bills continues a long-standing fascination by the Bills with the Hokies. Bruce Smith was the No. 1 overall pick by Buffalo back in 1985, and he carved out a Hall of Fame career with the Bills, but that’s hardly the start of it.

Ten Hokies have been drafted by Buffalo over the years, if you count the selection of Frank Ballard in 1948 by the Buffalo Bills of the All-America Football Conference (okay, that’s a stretch):

  • 1948: Frank Ballard (Buffalo-AAFC)
  • 1969: Jim “Waddey” Harvey, Round 8
  • 1970: Ken Edwards, Round 6
  • 1985: Bruce Smith, No. 1 overall
  • 2000: Corey Moore, Round 3
  • 2002: Jarrett Ferguson, Round 7
  • 2008: Chris Ellis, Round 3
  • 2010: Ed Wang, Round 5
  • 2018: Tremaine Edmunds, Round 1
  • 2018: Wyatt Teller, Round 5

If you exclude Ballard’s selection by the AAFC Bills, then the NFL Buffalo Bills are tied with the Atlanta Falcons for most Hokies drafted, with nine.

That doesn’t even count former Hokies who weren’t drafted by the Bills, but had good stints with them, like the late Keion Carpenter (three years), Pierson Prioleau (four years), and Tyrod Taylor (three years). Former Hokie QB Logan Thomas is currently with the Bills as a tight end.

Greg Stroman’s late selection by the Washington Redskins completes a remarkable turnaround for the popular, multi-talented, underrated player who will be missed in Blacksburg.

In 2015, Stroman was a pedestrian defensive back, thrust unexpectedly into a starting role against East Carolina, where he was targeted and roasted in an embarrassing loss to the Pirates.

In the following years, Stroman turned into a stellar punt returner for the Hokies, taking back four punts for touchdowns, tied for second in Virginia Tech history behind only DeAngelo Hall with five. Stroman had 1,108 yards on punt returns in his career, second only to Eddie Royal’s 1,296 yards.

But most spectacular was Stroman’s improvement as a cover corner. Stroman became a reliable pass defender for the Hokies, and in his senior year, statistically he was one of the best cover corners in the country.

Settle and Stroman are the seventh and eighth Hokies to be drafted by the Redskins, who have drafted four Hokies in the last four years: Kyshoen Jarrett (2015), Kendall Fuller (2016), and now Settle and Stroman.

Of note: Settle and Stroman are both high school graduates of Stonewall Jackson HS in Manassas, VA. If they both play for the Redskins this fall, they will pull off the rare hat trick of playing for the same high school, college, and NFL teams.

 

 

 

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    1. I think you mean Billy Conaty. He played for the Bills but I don’t know if he was drafted or signed as a free agent.

        1. Wasn’t drafted, but made the Bills and played for them for six years (1997-2002), then played one season each for Dallas, Minnesota and Arizona.

  3. Great draft for Hokies and value picks for the respective NFL franchises; these players exhibiting overall good character & athletic enthusiasm will be great goodwill ambassadors for the school and program.

  4. Will, is there an article coming to address how Cam, our all time leading receiver, was undrafted? sad for him, perhaps the injury is worse than reported. also sad to see JT Barrett from ohio St (their leading qb statistically) also went undrafted.

    1. I feel disappointed for Cam and Brandon Facyson. Great Hokies and deserving of a late round draft pick. Hopefully they catch on as undrafted free agents.

    2. Good suggestion, but I won’t have the time till later in the week. With Chris on vacation and Ricky no longer working for TSL, I’m a little busy. (Plus, I’m taking my 17-year-old on a VT campus tour Monday — scheduled that before the CC and Ricky stuff was known.)

      1. so excited to hear that. I hope your son enjoys the “recruiting trip” as much as you will. VT is such a great place to call home.

        1. Eh, he’s already committed to South Carolina. He’s just taking other official visits. 😜

  5. It warms my heart to see Hokies be so successful. The Edmunds brothers both being drafted in Round 1 is great PR for both VT and the NFL. Then Tim and Greg finish off the draft by completing a hat trick; play together in high school, college and now possibly the pros. These guys prove the worth of buying into a program and celebrating the success together. We are Hokies. We are Family!

  6. @Will Stewart, Typo in last sentence of second to last paragraph. Should be Settle not Teller as a Redskin.

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