Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas

A total of five Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas alumni were drafted in the first round of last night’s NFL Draft, surpassing last year’s record of three. Missouri defensive end Aldon Smith led the way after he was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the seventh pick in the draft, while Baylor offensive lineman Danny Watkins rounded out the selections after being picked number 23 by Philadelphia. Highlights included:

Aldon Smith, No. 7, San Francisco 49ers: The redshirt sophomore became the first bowl alumnus taken after the 49ers selected him with the seventh pick. Although he battled through injury last year, Smith was a defensive force throughout his time at Missouri. After redshirting in 2008, Smith was a 2009 1st team Freshman All American, the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year and the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2009. Smith recorded five tackles and a half-sack in Missouri’s loss to Navy in the 2009 Bowl , and that half-sack set Missouri’s single season sack record at 11.5. In 2010, Smith had three sacks in his first three games, but a leg injury slowed him for the rest of the season and he was not able to put up the same numbers.

San Francisco has plans to move Smith to outside linebacker in their 3-4 defense, and he will also be able to line up at defensive end when needed.  Smith figures to see plenty of playing time as a rookie, as San Francisco only has two of their starting linebackers from last year under contract.

“We took the guy we liked most as a football player, as a person,” 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh said Thursday night. “We think he has tremendous upside.”

Blaine Gabbert, No. 10, Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars traded up to take the second Missouri Tiger off the board at number 10 overall, swapping picks with the Washington Redskins. Gabbert, who threw for 291 yards and a touchdown against Navy in the 2008 Bowl, finished his career with 6,822 yards passing, which put him fourth on the school’s all time list. He also threw for 40 touchdowns, third most of any Missouri quarterback behind current NFL players Chase Daniel and Brad Smith.

The Jaguars currently have David Garrard starting at quarterback, but Gabbert will have an excellent opportunity to learn under Garrard before taking over the starting role. And should Garrard struggle early, Gabbert could be leading the team by the time the Jaguars come to Reliant Stadium on October 30th.

“We feel like we have a guy that can lead us into the future,” Jaguars general manager Gene Smith said.

Corey Liuget, No. 18, San Diego Chargers: Liuget, who was instrumental in Illinois’ 2010 Bowl win over Baylor, was drafted by the San Diego Chargers with the 18th pick in the draft. Liuget was a standout player throughout his college career at Illinois, but started to really catch scouts’ attention during the 2010 season. He finished with 63 tackles (12.5 for a loss) and 4.5 sacks, earning him second team All Big Ten honors. Despite facing repeated double teams against Baylor’s front line, which included fellow first round pick Danny Watkins, Liuget finished with five tackles (2.5 for a loss) and a sack.

The Chargers are expecting Liuget to move from tackle to defensive end in their 3-4 defense. After shedding 20 pounds before last season, he became much more explosive and should be able to handle the transition to end extremely well.

“He’s got an attacking style to him,” San Diego general manager A.J. Smith said. “We’re going to put him in (defensive coordinator) Greg Manusky’s wagon and turn him loose.”

Phil Taylor, No. 21, Cleveland Browns: After trading back in the first round, the Browns then traded back up to 21 to select massive Baylor defensive tackle Phil Taylor. Much like his teammate and fellow first-round draftee Danny Watkins, Taylor experienced a unique path to his eventual arrival in Cleveland. He started his career as a highly touted signee at Penn State before transferring to Baylor in 2008. After sitting a year per NCAA rules, Taylor developed into a run stuffing force on the defensive line. He was extremely disruptive in last year’s bowl matchup against Illinois, finishing with a career high 10 tackles. 

At almost 6’4” and 334 pounds, Taylor is a perfect anchor for the middle of Cleveland’s new 4-3 defense and figures to start immediately. While many expected him to go a team looking for someone to play the middle of a 3-4 defensive line, Taylor will team with 6’2”, 330 pound Ahtyba Rubin to form one of the more formidable run stopping defensive lines in the NFL.

“There’s absolutely no question he can (start immediately),” commented first-year Cleveland head coach Pat Shurmur. “He’s got size; he can play the run; he has pass rush ability inside and when you’re putting together a 4-3 line, to have two big bodies inside like we now have is going to be good for us.”

Danny Watkins, No. 23, Philadelphia Eagles: Watkins has the most fascinating back-story of this year’s draft. After not playing football growing up in Canada, Watkins spent four years as a firefighter and enrolled at Butte College in California. It was there that he was encouraged to take up football. After playing for two years, Watkins transferred to Baylor and improved so quickly that he ended up being voted second-team All Big 12 his senior year.

The franchise that gave us Vince Papale, a bartender who became a 30 year old rookie on the 1976 team after impressing Coach Dick Vermeil in an open tryout, now has another player with an equally captivating story. Watkins should see significant playing time at guard this year and will provide protection for the always electrifying Michael Vick.

“This is a guy that’s a tough, tough guy and he has a phenomenal character on and off the field. He’s a class act,” Eagles head coach Andy Reid said. “He’ll bring a toughness and blue collar attitude to the offense.”