EWU’s Roos second-round pick of Titans

About the time Eastern Washington University’s Michael Roos figured Washington’s Khalif Barnes would get selected in the second round of the NFL draft, the Tennessee Titans were debating between Roos, Barnes and another offensive lineman.

The discussion didn’t last long. The Titans chose Roos with the 41st overall selection, making Roos the highest draft pick in EWU history. No Eagle had been drafted higher than the fifth round.

“We were kind of sitting around waiting for Khalif to go because most (projected) Khalif to go ahead of me, so I was cheering for him,” said Roos, who will be in Nashville on Thursday for a mini camp. “All of a sudden, I got a phone call from the Titans.”

Washington State cornerback Karl Paymah was the only other area player selected. He went to Denver with the 12th pick of the third round (76th overall).

Several area players could hear their names called today during the final four rounds.

Roos, who played left tackle at EWU, will probably play right tackle for the Titans, who have an opening at that position after releasing Fred Miller for salary cap reasons in February. Roos will likely compete against Jacob Bell, a fifth-round pick in the 2004 draft.

“It came down to Roos, Barnes and one additional player,” Titans coach Jeff Fisher said on the team’s Web site. “When we selected, both Michael and Khalif were there on the board. Our board was accurate and we’ve definitely addressed a need at the right tackle spot.”

Barnes, projected by many as a late first-round selection, went to Jacksonville with the 52nd overall selection. So much for those mock drafts. Most draft gurus pegged Roos in the lower half of the top 10 offensive tackles. He was the third tackle drafted. One ESPN.com analyst didn’t have Roos in his top 13 offensive linemen (including guards and centers), but listed Roos from Eastern Michigan among “others” to watch. He was the sixth offensive linemen selected.

Tennessee relied on its own set of experts – and perhaps received a helping hand from former Titan/Eagle Tom Ackerman. He had a lengthy chat with Titans offensive line coach Mike Munchak when Munchak worked out Roos in Cheney last month. Ackerman, who had an eight-year NFL career, played his last two years with Tennessee and was coached by Munchak.

“He asked my opinions about Michael, and we talked for quite a while,” said Ackerman, who is helping coach at EWU. “Whether or not it had some impact I don’t know, but I think it did because I know what kind of player they’re looking for. If it helped, great.”

It did, according to Munchak. “It always helps when you have someone that you can talk to that you know,” Munchak said on the Titans Web site. “Tom sat there and worked (Roos) out with me. He had pluses and minuses about trying to be honest, but I think the bottom line was that he felt as good about him as we do.”

Roos’ first contract should be in the neighborhood of Oklahoma State running back Tatum Bell’s, who was selected by Denver with 41st overall pick of last year’s draft. Bell signed a five-year contract worth $3.6 million, which included a $1.72 million bonus.

Roos performed well at right tackle at the Senior Bowl.

“It’s pretty similar to left tackle, so I have a good idea of what it will be like,” Roos said.

Munchak watched Roos at the Senior Bowl.

“In one-on-ones, I thought he did really well,” Munchak said on the team Web site. “He wasn’t intimidated. … He’s very smart. He picks it up fast.”

Ackerman agreed.

“I think Michael’s going to have a long career,” he said. “Physically, he has everything a team looks for. He’s tall, about as big as they come, good feet, but I think the mental part for him is what’s going to help him be ahead of other guys coming in – just how he’ll approach the game and how humble he is.”

The 6-foot, 204-pound Paymah went out for a walk and came back in a Bronco. Paymah, visiting family in New Orleans, watched the draft off and on, but decided to take a stroll in the third round.

“That’s when I got the call,” Paymah said. “It was really a surprise because they weren’t one of the teams that recruited me heavily. Kansas City, Jacksonville and Miami showed the most interest.”

Denver selected Oklahoma State cornerback/return specialist Darrent Williams in the second round. Champ Bailey and Lenny Walls are listed as Denver’s starting cornerbacks.

“We felt very good about (Paymah) from the start,” coach Mike Shanahan told DenverBroncos.com. “Good one-on-one cover skills, very quick, good size. He’s one of those corners that can play outside, bump coverage, man-to-man.”