Appalachian State receiver Dexter Jackson was drafted in the second round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and safety Corey Lynch was taken in round six by the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL's annual draft. Furman running back Jerome Felton was a fifth round pick by the Detroit Lions.

Jackson became just the second Appalachian State University football player ever taken as high as the second round of the National Football League Draft when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected the Mountaineer speedster with the second round's 27th pick (58th overall) on Saturday at Radio City Music Hall.

Jackson finished his career ranked among Appalachian's all-time leaders in receptions (seventh - 110), receiving yards (fourth - 1,846), receiving touchdowns (fourth - 17), punt returns (third - 93), punt- return yards (third - 837) and punt-return touchdowns (t-first - two).

As a senior, the Dunwoody, Ga. native caught 30 passes for 688 yards (22.9 avg.) and a team-high eight touchdowns. He made national headlines with his two touchdown catches in ASU's season-opening 34-32 triumph at Michigan and closed the season with touchdowns of 52 and 60 yards in the national semifinals versus Richmond and national championship game against Delaware, respectively.

He continued to wow NFL scouts with standout performances at the East West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl in January and perhaps made his biggest impression by running the 40-yard dash in 4.27 seconds at the NFL Combine in February. The 4.27 matched the fastest hand-timed reading at the annual evaluation of potential draft picks in Indianapolis.

The only Appalachian product ever selected higher was linebacker Dino Hackett, who went to Kansas City with the 35th overall pick in 1986. Hackett went on to become an All-Pro and spent seven seasons in the NFL, six with the Chiefs and one with Seattle. Jackson is the first Mountaineer wide receiver to ever be drafted and the first ASU product at any position to be selected since 2000, when the Atlanta Falcons picked Corey Hall in the seventh round.

The Cincinnati Bengals picked ASU safety Cor Lynch (Cape Coral, Fla./Evangelical Christian) on Sunday with the 11th pick of the sixth round (177th overall) at Radio City Music Hall.

Lynch joins wide receiver Dexter Jackson (Dunwoody, Ga./Dunwoody), a second-round selection by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, as Appalachian's 2008 draftees. Only twice before have two Mountaineers been selected in the same NFL Draft - 1990 (Derrick Graham and Keith Collins) and 1992 (Gary Dandridge and Mike Frier).

Lynch finished second in the voting for the 2007 Buck Buchanan Award, given to the nation's top defensive player in NCAA Division I FCS (Football Championship Subdivision - formerly Division I-AA).

He tied for sixth nationally with six interceptions in 2007 and ended his illustrious collegiate career as the FCS all-time leader with 52 passes defended. He overcame two devastating arm injuries to also finish as ASU's all-time leader with 24 interceptions and rank sixth in the school's annals with 358 tackles.

The once unheralded recruit out of Cape Coral, Fla. also blocked six kicks in the Black and Gold, including a 37-yard field goal attempt as time expired that sealed the Mountaineers' 34-32 upset victory over Michigan in the 2007 season opener.

Lynch perhaps cemented his position as a draftee when he completed the 20-yard shuttle run in 3.99 seconds at ASU's Pro Day, a time faster than any recorded at the NFL Combine.

Felton, an All-America fullback, was selected by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round of the National Football League Draft.

The 11th pick of the fifth round and the 146th overall selection in this year’s draft, he was the second Southern Conference player to be selected and the second fullback taken behind LSU’s Jacob Hester, a third round selection of the San Diego Chargers.  Felton became the highest drafted Furman player since All-America safety John Keith was chosen in the fourth round by the San Francisco 49ers in 2000.  Paladin quarterback Ingle Martin was also taken in the fifth round as the 148th overall pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2006.

The 27th player in Furman history to be drafted, Felton is the fourth Paladin selected by Detroit but the first since offensive tackle Mike Shill was picked by the Lions in 1956.

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 241 pounds, Felton earned 2007 Sports Network Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) first team All-America honors after rushing for a team leading 705 yards and 12 touchdowns last fall.  A four-year starter, the Madisonville, Tenn., native and three-time All-Southern Conference selection finished his career as the top rushing fullback (2,652 yards) in Furman history and the school’s all-time leading scorer (414 points).

“This is a big day for Jerome and for Furman football,” said Paladin head coach Bobby Lamb Sunday afternoon.  “He was an outstanding performer for us and certainly worked hard over his Furman career and beyond to prepare him for this opportunity.  We are certainly proud of him and all that he accomplished on the field and in the classroom and wish him the very best with the Lions.”

A 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III selection, Felton recorded a 3.28 grade point average as a political science major and has completed all requirements for graduation.