Closing In On It

The first night of the NFL Draft is behind us . Rounds 2 and 3 are set for tonight, but things will get interesting tomorrow for those keeping an ear out hoping to hear Dartmouth offensive lineman Delby Lemieux's name called.

In case you are wondering, rounds 4-7 take place Saturday beginning at noon. Teams will have five minutes to make their selections in rounds 4-6, and four minutes in the final round.

FCS Football Central on SI includes Lemieux in its list of the top five offensive prospects from the FCS ranks. From that posting (LINK):

1. Bryce Lance, North Dakota State wide receiver

2. Daniel Sobkowicz, Illinois State wide receiver

3. Rodney Hammond, Sacramento State running back

4. Cole Payton, North Dakota State quarterback

And . . . 

5. Delby Lemieux | IOL | Dartmouth Lemieux is a fringe NFL roster prospect with upside as he transitions from offensive tackle to interior offensive line. Though the transition from tackle to interior can be difficult, Lemieux is poised for a smoother one thanks to his best trait: technical soundness. He had a solid week down in Mobile, Alabama, for the Senior Bowl and helped his stock rise significantly. Teams willing to take a swing on a versatile and technically sound offensive lineman as a preferred free agent will get a hidden gem. He has upside to be a potential adequate starter.

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The New Orleans NBC TV station WDSU, has the Saints taking Lemieux in the sixth round at No. 172 overall. (LINK)

The Silver and Black Pride Las Vegas Raiders site has its own Top 300 Big Board with Lemieux coming in at No. 217. (LINK)

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Lemieux isn't the only former Dartmouth player looking to continue his career. Senior Sean Williams and fellow defensive back Onye Onuoha, who grad transferred to Butler, showed their stuff at the Big Green's pro day..

Green Alert Take: While every player would love to hear his name called even at the tail end of the draft, coaches will tell you that for some it's actually better not to be taken at that point. That allows the player and his agent the opportunity to pore over rosters and pick the best landing spot as an undrafted free agent.

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A story about the Monmouth football team Dartmouth will play in its Sept. 26 home opener revealed that the Hawks have brought in no fewer than 16 players from the transfer portal (LINK). Among those players are an offensive lineman from Penn State, a defensive lineman from Syracuse, and a linebacker from UMass. Returning on the roster from a year ago are an offensive lineman who transferred from Illinois, a linebacker from Rutgers and a handful of other transfers.

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EXTRA POINT
Remember that Extra Point a little while back about our new driveway alarm that plays the Addams Family theme? (LINK) The best part, even better than the tune, is that it almost never issued false alarms, a real flaw in our old alarm.

But that changed.

As it turned out, our feathered friends discovered they really enjoy perching on the alarm. And when bird visitors sit facing away from the driveway, their tail feathers hang over the sensor, triggering the Addams Family music. That started to get really old.

It's not the most sightly thing, but I've come up with a solution that keeps the birds and the Addams Family at bay, while allowing the solar panel atop the alarm to keep charging the internal batteries. The solution: paper clips!

Draft Musings

With the NFL Draft kicking off tonight, the Bengals.com site has a lengthy story about the most prominent Dartmouth product in the modern NFL headlined, The Scouting And Selection Of Bengals Legend Reggie Williams 50 Drafts Ago: 'I've Got To Take This Call.' The AI summary for the story reads:

Reggie Williams, a standout linebacker from Dartmouth, was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 1976 NFL Draft. Despite being pursued by the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts with a lucrative offer, Williams chose the Bengals, prioritizing his passion for the NFL over money. His decision was influenced by the Bengals’ interest and the positive scouting reports from Howard Brinker, who had a close relationship with Bengals founder Paul Brown.

Find the story HERE.

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FCS Football Central has a piece headlined How Many FCS Prospects Could Be Selected In The 2026 NFL Draft? The site lists four FCS players who are "locks," three who have "Draftable Grades," and "Five Wild Card Names To Know (UDFA Locks, Dark Horse Draft Picks)."

Among the handful or so in the "wild card" category is former Dartmouth offensive tackle Delby Lemieux, who has been widely recognized as a possible draft pick at center.

Find the full FCS Football Central story HERE.

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Curious about Dartmouth's NFL Draft picks over the years?

All-Time Dartmouth Draft Picks
1939 - RB Bob MacLeod, Brooklyn Dodgers
1960 - RB Jack Crouthamel, Los Angeles Chargers
1963 - LB Don McKinnon, Boston Patriots
1968 - DB Gordon Rule, 11th round, 299th pick, Green Bay Packers
1971 - DB Willie Bogan, 8th round, 207th pick, Baltimore Colts
1976 - LB Reggie Williams, 3rd round, 82nd pick, Cincinnati Bengals
1976 - WR Tom Flemming, 17th round, 465th pick, Cleveland Browns
1978 - DE Gregg Robinson, 6th round, 143rd pick, New York Jets
1998 - LB Zack Walz, 6th round, 158th pick, Arizona Cardinals
2004 - TE Casey Cramer, 7th round, 228th pick, Tampa Bay Bucs

How about around the rest of the Ancient Eight?

Ivy League Draft Picks Since 2000

Year	Name	School	Pos	Team	Rd	Pick	#
2000	Isiah Kacyvenski	Harvard	LB	Seahawks	4	25	119
2001	Dennis Norman	Princeton	OT	Seahawks	7	22	222
2001	Than Merrill	Yale	S	Buccaneers	7	23	223
2001	Eric Johnson	Yale	TE	49ers	7	24	224
2002	Jeff Hatch	Penn	OT	Giants	3	13	78
2004	Casey Cramer	Dartmouth	TE	Buccaneers	7	27	228
2004	Nate Lawrie	Yale	TE	Buccaneers	6	16	181
2005	Ryan Fitzpatrick	Harvard	QB	Rams	7	36	250
2006	Kevin Boothe	Cornell	OT	Raiders	6	7	176
2007	Zak DeOssie	Brown	LS	Giants	4	17	116
2010	David Howard	Brown	DT	Titans	7	34	241
2011	Shane Bannon	Yale	FB	Chiefs	7	20	223
2013	Mike Catapano	Princeton	LB	Chiefs	7	1	207
2013	J.C. Tretter	Cornell	OT	Packers	4	25	122
2013	Kyle Juszczyk	Harvard	HB	Ravens	4	33	130
2014	Caraun Reid	Princeton	DT	Lions	5	18	158
2016	Seth Devalve	Princeton	TE	Browns	4	40	138
2016	Cole Toner	Harvard	C	Cardinals	5	33	170
2018	Justin Watson	Penn	WR	Buccaneers	4	7	144
2018	Foyesade Oluokun	Yale	LB	Falcons	6	26	200
2022	Rodney Thomas	Yale	S	Colts	7	18	239
2023	Andrei Iosivas	Princeton	WR	Bengals	6	29	206
2024	Kiran Amegadjie	Yale	OT	Bears	3	11	75
2024	Hunter Nourzad*	Cornell	C	Chiefs	5	24	159
2024	Nick Gargiulo*	Yale	C	Broncos	7	36	256
2025	Jalen Travis*	Princeton	OT	Colts	4	25	127
2025	Jackson Hawes*	Yale	TE	Bills	5	37	173

Ivy League Picks By Position Since 2000

Offensive Line - 9
Tight End - 5
Linebacker - 3
Fullback/H Back - 2
Wide Receiver - 2
Safety - 2
Defensive Line - 2
Quarterback - 1
Long Snapper - 1

FCS Draft Picks Since 2000

2025 – 15
2024 – 12
2023 – 11
2022 – 24
2021 – 6
2020 – 6
2019 – 14
2018 – 19
2017 – 15
2016 – 20
2015 – 18
2014 – 19
2013 – 19
2012 – 15
2011 – 21
2010 – 19
2009 – 15
2008 – 24
2007 – 17
2006 – 16
2005 – 17
2004 – 15
2003 – 14
2002 – 18
2001 – 20
2000 – 28

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EXTRA POINT
Because our robot vacuum does such a good job I went off in search of an addition to our vacuum family for the second floor. I felt lucky to find a "refurbished" model of the same vac for a significantly lower price. It had a two-year guarantee, so I thought, 'What the heck?' and ordered one. I eventually decided to use the new one downstairs and move our veteran vac upstairs.

The refurbished model worked fine for a couple of months, but then started spinning in place instead of meandering around the downstairs. I tried everything the manual suggested to get the thing working properly again, to no avail. Customer support was exemplary, going so far as to have me email videos of the vac spinning aimlessly, along with a few stills of various connections. I tried everything the person on the other end suggested over a couple of weeks of back-and-forth emails, but nothing fixed the issue.

I eventually clicked on the warranty on the site where I bought the thing and answered a ridiculous number of questions – including whether I had tried all of the suggestions the support staff had recommended. When I finished the questionnaire, I received an automated response telling me I was entitled to a replacement.

Great, I thought.

As it turned out, they did not have the identical vacuum available, and instead offered two alternatives. One also had a mopping function, which was of no interest. Mr. Google informed me the other replacement sold for just about the same price we paid for the refurbished model. Because that was what it cost brand new, I figured it probably wasn't of the same quality as the original. But it had to be better than one that just spins, so I clicked in the appropriate box and a scant two days later it was on our doorstep.

My first impression was that it did indeed seem cheaper. But after the first week of use I realized two things. First, it's a lot noisier than the other one. And, surprise, it's significantly more powerful. I don't know how long it will last until it breaks down, but for now I'm pretty happy with it.

I did mention it was more powerful, right? I wasn't happy about that this morning at about 5 when I heard a huge crash downstairs. When I went down I found the new vac had managed to knock over a TV table we'd left up. While it was at it, the thing jarred a remote control onto the floor where it landed buttons down, turning on the TV.

So now we have a robot vacuum that not only cleans the house, but rearranges the furniture and apparently likes to watch TV. At this point I’m less worried about how long it will last and more concerned about what it’s planning to do next.