Delby Lemieux did not have his name called in the NFL Draft Saturday, but another former Dartmouth standout did. Linebacker Zack Walz, '98, himself a sixth-round pick in 1998, was brought on stage in Pittsburgh yesterday to honor former Arizona Cardinals teammate and roommate Pat Tillman by announcing the 226th pick to his year's draft in Tillman's honor. Fittingly, the pick by the Bengals was Landon Robinson, a defensive tackle from Navy.
Click HERE to watch and listen to a video where Walz talks about the close friend, who lost his life in Afghanistan after walking away from pro football to become an Army Ranger after the 9/11 attacks.
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Courtesy of Dartmouth social media
Green Alert Take I: It's every football player's dream to be chosen in the NFL Draft, but a lot of people around the game think it might actually better to be an undrafted free agent. That offers the chance to pore over rosters to see what team might need what you bring to the field, rather than be chosen by the wrong team in the final round. Rest assured, going to Minnesota wasn't a random decision by Lemieux and his advisors.
Green Alert Take II: The guess here is that Lemieux has a ready-made friend on the Vikings' offensive line to help him learn the ropes. Brian O'Neill, Minnesota's standout right tackle, played at Pitt but he has deep Dartmouth roots. His father, Brendan '72, was a Dartmouth running back, and his uncle John Carney '78, who would go on to serve as governor of Delaware, also played for the Big Green.
Also from Dartmouth social media:
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Among other Ivy Leaguers who are getting a shot:
• Yale tailback Josh Pitsenberger is going to the Texans.
• Yale long snapper Ben Mann, who did a grad transfer season at Boston College, is headed to the Giants.
• Brown wide receiver Ty Pezza is joining the Ravens.
• Harvard offensive lineman Jacob Rizy is headed to the Patriots.
The Ivy League products are not alone in going the free agent route. Just eight former FCS players were chosen in the draft, with four coming out of the FBS ranks and the other four coming straight from the FCS.
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EXTRA POINTThe "paper clip" solution to keep birds off our driveway alarm has been largely successful, but not perfect. It turned out there was just enough room left for them to perch on the sides of the board holding the alarm. I thought that might be the case, but didn't think their tail fathers would reach the sensor. A few false alarms informed me I was wrong, so out came the drill again and in went several more paper clips. As we speak, the birds are being kept at bay, but stay tuned for an update. ;-)
