Wilson, Tuel and links
COUGARS
FROM PULLMAN -- At least two former Washington State football players will have a chance to earn their way onto NFL rosters this season. And the Cougars got a commitment from an in-state player whose WSU career is still ahead of him. Keep reading.
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As we documented in the newspaper and on the blog, Marquess Wilson was finally drafted yesterday by the Chicago Bears with the 236th overall pick, the 30th selection of the seventh, final round. Bud Withers has some thoughts on that and other Pac-12 selections in this blog post, and there are a few stories about Wilson from the Chicago outlets. And based upon the reaction I've seen from WSU fans, I've decided to pose a question to the blogosphere this morning: are you happy Wilson was drafted? And will you root for him in the NFL? I don't have a dog in the fight, so I'm mainly just curious to know how some of you feel now that the sting of Wilson's departure has dissolved at least somewhat (or, maybe not quite somewhat for some of you). My guess is that in time, he'll be forgiven and his decision to leave the team will be taken for what it was: a poorly-handled exit by a young man who will likely grow from it as a result. Wilson is only 20 years old, remember. He played a portion of his freshman season as a 17-year-old (which is fairly amazing, if you think about the level at which he played). Kids make mistakes, and mistakes have consequences -- such as a record-breaking talent slipping to the seventh round of the NFL draft. Wilson's legacy will be constructed based upon what he does with the opportunity he has going forward. That seems to be the only direction he's looking. ... Wilson's good friend and former teammate, quarterback Jeff Tuel, went undrafted but signed a free-agent deal with the Buffalo Bills, which he announced on Twitter. ... WSU picked up a commitment yesterday from Bellevue defensive tackle Marcus Griffin. ... Rahmel Dockery finished fourth in the long jump at yesterday's track and field meet at UW.
Around the Pac-12 ... It wasn't a good draft for the state of Arizona, as the UA and Arizona State were each shut out of the draft. ... Stanford's career rushing leader, Stepfan Taylor, is headed to play for Arizona. ... Tennessee selected a California center, and said he might end up starting. ... UCLA is looking to replace star running back Johnathan Franklin, the Bruins' career rushing leader. ... Matt Barkley, once thought to be a potential top-10 pick, slipped to the fourth round, where the Eagles picked him. ... Oregon played its spring game yesterday, and shockingly, the offense played really well. ... Former Oregon State cornerback Jordan Poyer, who intercepted three passes against WSU last season, was drafted by the Eagles in the seventh round. ... A pair of Colorado players were drafted yesterday, too. ... Utah had another player drafted in the seventh round. ... Here's a rundown of the Pac-12's draftees.
Christian Caple can be reached at christianc@spokesman.com. Twitter: @ChristianCaple