3 Cal players picked on final day — 6 in all
Marvin Jones, the Cal wide receiver, loved getting a phone call from Cincinnati’s head coach Saturday telling him he was now a Bengal.
“His name is Marvin Lewis; mine is Marvin Lewis Jones,’’ Jones said. “Maybe it was destined.’’
He was selected in the fifth round, with the 166th overall pick, the first of three Cal players who were chosen on the final day of the NFL draft. Free safety D.J. Campbell and defensive end Trevor Guyton went in the seventh and final round, Campbell to Carolina on the 216th pick and Guyton to Minnesota three picks later.
The Bears had six players picked, equaling the second-best draft in school history. Cal also had six players chosen in 1997 and 2008. A school-record 10 players were chosen in 1952, when there were only 12 NFL teams but the draft lasted 30 rounds.
Several other Bears who had hoped to be picked will have to try the free-agent route. Defensive end Ernest Owusu and guard Justin Cheadle tweeted that they were signing with the Vikings and Chiefs, respectively. Wide receiver Michael Calvin, tight end Anthony Miller, free safety Sean Cattouse and linebacker D.J. Holt weren’t drafted either.
Stanford: 4 and done
After having four players picked in the first 42 selections, Stanford was blanked the rest of the way, while coach David Shaw looked on at draft headquarters in New York’s Radio City Music Hall as a guest analyst for the NFL Network.
Among his players who weren’t drafted, defensive lineman Matt Masifilo tweeted that he would sign with the 49ers, who also landed wide receiver Chris Owusu, according to his agent. Safety Michael Thomas also signed a free-agent contract with the 49ers. Running back Jeremy Stewart said he’ll sign with the Eagles, and wide receiver Griff Whalen reportedly will join quarterback Andrew Luck and tight end Coby Fleener in Indianapolis. Strong safety Delano Howell said on his Facebook page that he will sign with Buffalo.
Chris Owusu had two concussions as a senior as well as a shoulder injury. Although he was cleared by doctors to play professionally, NFL teams might be wary of his medical history.
The Cardinal, of course, had the top pick in the draft, Luck, and their four high picks put them ahead of such traditional football powers as Miami (whose first pick was No. 72), Florida State (105), Florida (114) and Texas (119).
The Pac-12 had 28 selections in the draft, ranking fourth behind the SEC (42), Big Ten (41) and ACC (31). They were followed by the Big 12 (27), Big East (12), Mountain West (11), WAC (9), Conference USA (9), Mid-american (5) and Sun Belt (5).
Jones admitted he had hoped to go in the second round, but was happy to be taken by a playoff team. The Bengals “are a great team, a team on the rise,’’ he said. “They have (quarterback) Andy Dalton and (wide receiver) A.J. Green, and a lot of young guys.’’
The defection of Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell via free agency generated a need at receiver. The Bengals picked Mohamed Sanu of Rutgers in the third round before grabbing Jones.
NFL coach a former Bear
Campbell will play for former Cal linebacker Ron Rivera, entering his second season as the Panthers’ head coach. Campbell was mainly a special teams player and reserve safety until he became a starter last season. Campbell was not invited to the NFL combine but excelled at Cal’s pro day. His 22 bench press reps of 225 pounds would have tied for first among safeties at the combine, and he ran a 4.51 40-yard dash. His vertical leap and a broad jump both would have ranked second at his position.
“Initially I took (the snub) to heart,’’ he said. “I thought I did the things I needed to do to get invited. I used it as fuel to get better.’’
Guyton made 16 starts, finishing the 2010 season with four consecutive starts and then starting all 12 regular-games in 2011.
Utah State running back Robert Turbin, a former Irvington-fremont star, was picked by the Seahawks in the fourth round (106th pick). San Jose State safety Duke Ihenacho signed as a free agent with Denver.