The Daily Campus

Issue date: 4/27/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Dan Gindraux Second-round NFL Draft pick Darius Butler avoids a Baylor defender after one of his two receptions in the Huskies' 31-28 victory over the Bears Sept. 19 at Rentschler Field.

Only three schools had four or more players drafted in the first two rounds of the 2009 NFL Draft.

Two were traditional powerhouses USC and Ohio State. The other was UConn.

The Huskies, who have never had a player drafted higher than the third round (Alfred Fincher went 82nd overall in 2005), saw Donald Brown, Darius Butler, William Beatty and Cody Brown all taken in the first 63 picks.

The Indianapolis Colts plucked Brown, the NCAA's leading rusher last season with 2,083 yards, off the board with the 27th overall pick.

"It's an honor," Brown said. "There will be more first-round draft picks coming from the UConn program real soon."

Brown joins a Colts backfield that includes former All-Pro back Joseph Addai, who rushed for 544 yards and five touchdowns in an injury-plauged 2008 campaign.

Brown will likely replace back-up running back Dominic Rhodes, a player who split carries with Addai last season and signed with Buffalo as a free agent earlier last week.

"We're very excited about [drafting Brown]," said Colts head coach Jim Caldwell. "He's a guy who's going to come in and do some fine things for us. He certainly has the speed and ability to run the ball. Not only that, he'll understand and learn the protections and our offensive scheme in a short period of time.î

Shortly after the Colts drafted Brown, cornerback Darius Butler was selected by the New England Patriots with the 9th pick in the second round, 41st overall.

ìI was surprised at where they picked me, but I wasnít surprised who picked me,î Butler said.

Ever since head coach Bill Belichick visited UConn for its Pro Day, the Patriots were rumored to be enamored with the Huskies cornerback. Some analysts had the Patriots slated to take Butler with the 23rd pick, but after trading down twice, they grabbed him 18 selections later.

Nineteen picks later, the New York Giants grabbed UConn offensive tackle William Beatty (60th overall). Defensive end Cody Brown came off the board soon after (63rd overall) when the Arizona Cardinals made him their second pick of the day.

Defensive end Julius Williams pushed the number of UConn alumni in the draft to five when he was snatched by XXX with the XX pick of the seventh round. UConn had six players in the NFL last season, but assuming all five draft picks make a roster, that number will nearly double.

"You know when they showed there toward the end of the draft, they showed USC with five [picks] and they show us and a couple other teams with three," said UConn head coach Randy Edsall. "And then we end up getting a fourth one in there. I mean, jeez, that just says a lot about the efforts of those players and the coaches. It's hard to describe it."??

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