Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, April 26, 2013
The Big Ten wasn?t shut out of the first round of the NFL draft for the first time since 1953 with the surprise selection of Wisconsin center Travis Frederick No. 31 over by the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night. Several Big Ten players should come off the board the next two days.
The most likely to get picked in the second or third rounds on Friday are Michigan State running back Le?Veon Bell; Wisconsin running back Montee Ball; Michigan State defensive end William Gholston; Ohio State defensive end John Simon.
The Frederick pick means Wisconsin has had one offensive linemen taken in the first round in each of the last three NFL drafts. Tackle Gabe Carimi was selected by the Bears in 2011 and guard Kevin Zeitler was picked by the Bengals last season. Frederick had a third- or fourth-round grade from most draft analysts. The Big Ten players most believed had the best shots to go in the first round were defensive tackles Johnathan Hankins of Ohio State and Kawann Short of Purdue.
Use the FOXSports.com NFL Draft Tracker for up-to-the-minute results. We'll also be tracking the picks Friday night and updating the table below throughout the rest of the draft.
ROUND 2 – OVERALL | PLAYER, SCHOOL, POSITION | NFL TEAM |
44 | Kawann Short, DT, Purdue | Carolina Panthers |
48 | Le'Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State | Pittsburgh Steelers |
49 | Johnathan Hankins, DT, Ohio State | New York Giants |
58 | Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin | Denver Broncos |
ROUND 3 | PLAYER, SCHOOL, POSITION | NFL TEAM |
86 | Hugh Thornton, G, Illinois | Indianapolis Colts |
87 | Jordan Hill, DT, Penn State | Seattle Seahawks |