SoCon Notes:
- Andre Roberts is the highest SoCon draft pick since Appalachian State’s Dexter Jackson was chosen in the second round of the 2008 draft.
- This marks the first time that two SoCon players have been taken in the third round (or higher) of the same draft since 1996 when Appalachian State’s Matt Stevens and Chattanooga’s Terrell Owens were each third round choices.
Panthers Select Edwards in 3rd Round of NFL Draft
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University legend Armanti Edwards will move less than 100 miles to begin his professional football career, as the Carolina Panthers selected him in the third round of the 2010 National Football League Draft (89th selection overall) on Friday night.
Edwards was the most decorated player in NCAA Division I FCS (Football Championship Subdivision ? formerly Division I-AA) history as Appalachian’s record-setting signal-caller from 2006-09. He ranks second in FCS history with 14,753 yards of total offense (behind only Steve McNair, who amassed 16,823 at Alcorn State from 1991-94) and is the only two-time winner of the Walter Payton Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top FCS player.
With 10,392 passing yards and 4,361 rushing yards, Edwards is the only player in Division I history (FCS or FBS) with at least 9,000 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards in a career and the only FCS player to reach the 8,000 passing/4,000 rushing plateau. He was responsible for 139 touchdowns in his career (74 passing, 65 rushing), highlighting his 64 ASU and 14 Southern Conference records.
The only four-time all-American in Appalachian history, Edwards compiled a 42-7 record as a starter and led the Mountaineers to back-to-back national championships (2006 and ?07) and four-straight SoCon titles.
As a senior in 2009, Edwards threw for a school-record 3,291 yards and rushed for 679 more. His 330.8 yards of total offense per game ranked third nationally and he also finished among the nation’s top 20 in rushing touchdowns (t-3rd - 18), completion percentage (4th - .680), passing yards (8th), scoring (10th - 108 pts.), passing efficiency (12th - 147.90 rating), completions (13th - 257) and touchdowns responsible for (16th - 30).
He won his second-straight Payton Award in a landslide, receiving 55 of a possible 108 first-place votes and 431 total points in a vote by national media and sports information directors to easily out-distance Elon wide receiver Terrell Hudgins, who received 16 first-place votes and 268 points, for the 2009 honor. He was also a landslide winner of the 2008 Payton Award, garnering 398 total points and 53 first-place votes, compared to 290 points and 17 first-place nods for James Madison quarterback Rodney Landers. Edwards is one of only six underclassmen to ever take home the FCS version of the Heisman Trophy.
Edwards is the 19th Mountaineer ever selected in the NFL Draft and the first since wide receiver Dexter Jackson and safety Corey Lynch were drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (second round) and Cincinnati Bengals (sixth round), respectively, in 2008. Edwards will be reunited with Jackson in the NFL, as Jackson signed with the Panthers' organization during the 2009 season. As the No. 89 overall pick, Edwards was selected higher than all but five of ASU's previous 18 NFL draftees. Linebacker Dino Hackett remains Appalachian's highest-ever selection, going to the Kansas City Chiefs with the 35th overall pick (second round) in 1986.
Edwards will play as a pro at Carolina's Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., just 99.5 miles from ASU's Kidd Brewer Stadium. The Panthers' headquarters are also only 135 miles from Edwards' hometown of Greenwood, S.C.
Bulldog All-America Receiver Andre Roberts Selected 88th Overall in the NFL Draft
Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel All-America receiver Andre Roberts was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2010 National Football League Draft, announced Friday in New York. The announcement was made before a live, nationally televised audience on the NFL Network.
Roberts, a 5-11, 195-pounder from Columbia, S.C., was the 24th pick in the third round and the 88th overall pick. He becomes the first Bulldog drafted since Nehemiah Broughton's seventh round selection to the Washington Redskins in 2005 and the 15th Bulldog in Citadel history to be drafted to play professional football (the 12th to the NFL). His selection marks the second highest pick by any Bulldog behind John Small, who was a first round selection in the 1970 NFL Draft (Atlanta Falcons). Roberts becomes the fourth Citadel player selected by the Cardinals among those 12 draftees.
"I am just so excited right now. It's been a long week knowing that the draft was this weekend. Now I'm drafted. I'm happy and I'm an Arizona Cardinal now. Now it's time to work," Roberts said. "Of course I couldn't be here without my Bulldog family. I really appreciate the love that they've shown me for four years."
Roberts currently holds school records for single game catches (14), single game punt returns (8) and season records in catches (95), receiving yards (1,334) and punt return yards (461). He is also the school record-holder for career catches (285), receiving yards (3,743) and punt return yards (1,160). Roberts was the 2008 National Champion in punt return yards (FCS) and finished his collegiate career second all-time in the Southern Conference for career catches and receiving yards and fourth in punt returns yards.
A three-time All-American, Roberts was named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award in both 2008 and 2009. After concluding his senior season in November, he was invited to the East-West Shrine Game but declined to accept an invitation to the 2010 Under Amour Senior Bowl. He was also invited to the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine where he left an impression on many team scouts and was thought to have improved his stock from a potential fifth round pick to a possible third or fourth.
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The entire Citadel program is extremely proud of Andre for all his accomplishment. Graduating in three and a half years with over a 3.0 GPA from the Business College is a testimony to the character of this fine student athlete," said Head Coach Kevin Higgins. "I know being drafted in the National Football League has been a dream of Andre's since his arrival at The Citadel. We will watch with pride as Andre represents us in the days ahead. We all just became Arizona Cardinal fans."
Having completed graduation requirements in December, Roberts will march with his class on Saturday, May 8 for The Citadel's 2010 Commencement Exercise. He has earned a bachelor of arts degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting.