TCU was well represented in this weekend’s NFL Draft. The Horned Frogs had 11 prospective picks at the start of Saturday’s first round. Below is a look at where the six drafted players landed.

Player, Position, Round,
Overall, Team

• LaDainian Tomlinson, tailback, first, fifth, San Diego
• Aaron Schobel, defensive end, second, 46th, Buffalo
• George Layne, fullback, fourth, 108th, Kansas City
• Curtis Fuller, cornerback, fourth, 127th, Seattle
• Shawn Worthen, defensive tackle, fourth, 130th, Minnesota
• Cedric James, wide receiver, fourth, 131st, Minnesota

L.T. goes fifth after Chargers trade down
Five other former players drafted, putting Frogs in top five for overall selections

By Rusty Simmons
Editor in Chief

In a draft that included Michael Vick, arguably the most athletic quarterback ever to enter the National Football League, much of the talk before the first pick Saturday centered around former TCU tailback LaDainian Tomlinson.

The San Diego Chargers selected Tomlinson with the fifth pick in the first round after trading down from the No. 1 spot, where the Atlanta Falcons chose Vick. But the Chicago Bears and the New England Patriots, who both threatened to move up to the third position, and the Cleveland Browns, who held the rights to the third pick, all showed interest in selecting Tomlinson.

In fact, Sports Illustrated’s Peter King reported that Tomlinson was rated as the best talent in the draft by the majority of the 31 NFL franchises.

Even after a college career, in which he rewrote the TCU record books, many scouts still had questions about Tomlinson’s ability. But after earning the MVP award at the Senior Bowl and a series of good workouts for scouts, Tomlinson’s stock rose dramatically.

Despite the rumors that the Bears, Patriots or Browns might have selected him with the third pick, Tomlinson said he is excited about playing in San Diego’s warm climate.

“I’m just hoping to provide relief to the running game,” he said. “I just want to go in and contribute to this offense.”

The Chargers’ offense needs Tomlinson’s help. They finished last in the league in rushing last season, and their leading individual rusher, Terrell Fletcher, compiled only 384 yards.

Len Pasquarelli, a senior writer for Sportsline.com, said Tomlinson will have an instant impact for San Diego.

“The Chargers got the highest-rated player on their board, drafting L.T., who could have two 1,000-yard seasons before Vick ever starts a game,” he said.

Along with Pasquarelli’s opinion that Tomlinson will be have an immediate impact, many experts are comparing him to some of the NFL’s best running backs.

“All I know is that (the Chargers) gained a marvelous back in L.T., a guy who doesn’t fumble, is fast, is durable and has drawn comparisons to Emmitt Smith,” said Clark Judge, of FOX sports.

Smith is the third-ranked rusher in NFL history. He has also won four NFL rushing titles, three Super Bowl titles and a league (1993) and Super Bowl (XXVIII) MVP award.

But Tomlinson said he isn’t affected by the comparisons.

“I’m not worried about living up to expectations,” he said. “I know how to run the ball. I think my instincts will take over and carry me a long way.”

Some of TCU’s former players weren’t in Tomlinson’s situation, where he knew he would be a first-round draft choice.

Instead, they entered the draft just hoping for the chance to continue to play football.

Six of the 11 former Frogs who entered the draft were selected. Only Florida State (9), Wisconsin (8), Miami (Fla.) (7) and Nebraska (7) had more players drafted than TCU.

Defensive end Aaron Schobel was the only other TCU player to be drafted on day one, which consists of the first three rounds.

Schobel was selected by the Buffalo Bills with their second-round pick (46th overall). Pasquarelli said the Bills got a steal with the selection of Schobel.

“The Chargers almost took Schobel in the first round, but Buffalo was able to get him in the second stanza,” he said.

Former Frogs fullback George Layne, cornerback Curtis Fuller, defensive tackle Shawn Worthen and wide receiver Cedric James were all drafted in the fourth round. Layne, who was drafted 108th overall by the Kansas City Chiefs, and Fuller, who was drafted 127th overall by the Seattle Seahawks, will play in the AFC East. Worthen and James, who were both drafted by the Minnesota Vikings, were selected with the 130th and 131th choices overall.

Rusty Simmons
j.r.simmons@student.tcu.edu