The Palm Beach Post

Florida players do well in Day 2

- By Matt Porter Palm Beach Post Staff Writer mporter@pbpost.com Twitter: @mattyports

The NFL draft is a time for players to wear custom-cut suits, sparkling shoes and more go l d t han S c ro o ge McDuck had in his vault.

Quinc y Wilson made a statement of a different kind.

At his draft party in Fort Lauderdale, the former Florida cornerback donned a ringer T-shirt with a character familiar to iPhone users — the poop emoji — over the word “happens.” [Expletive] happens. That may have been Wilson’s attitude after he fell out of the first round, but he was proud to pull on a blue and white cap after the Indianapol­is Colts took him in the second round, 46th overall.

Wilson was one of five in-state players drafted in the second round Friday in Philadelph­ia.

Wilson’s former te ammate, safety Marcus Maye, went 39th overall to the New York Jets. Florida State running back Dalvin Cook (41st pick, Minnesota Vikings) and defensive end DeMarcus Walker (51st overall, Denver Broncos) and Florida cornerback Teez Tabor (53rd, Detroit Lions) also became second-rounders.

It was the first time three Florida defensive backs went in the same round.

Another Gator, linebacker Alex Anzalone, went early in the third. The New Orleans Saints took him 76th overall.

The C o l t s b e l i e ve Wil - son, the son of former UM cornerback Chad Wilson, w i l l i mp r o v e t h e N F L’s 30th-ranked pass defense. “He controls a lot of wide receivers,” NFL Net work analyst Mike Mayock said of Wilson, a second-team All-SEC selection listed at 6-foot-2 and 211 pounds.

“What I like is he’s square and patient at the line of scrimmage,” Mayock said. “I would just like to see him be more physical in the run game. Get off blocks and make tackles.”

Maye, from Melbourne, saw his stock slip when he broke his arm late in 2016. That injury forced him to miss four games and the NFL combine. In his shortened senior season, he registered 50 tackles and six pass breakups. He was a first-team AllSEC pick in 2015.

The Jets will pair him with another SEC safety, LSU’s Jamal Adams, whom they chose sixth overall Thursday night. “It’s not even fair that we’re together,” Adams tweeted at Maye.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings found their replacemen­t for star running back Adrian Peterson in Cook, the Miami native who tortured his hometown Hurricanes for three seasons. He went 41st overall after slipping out of the first round.

The 5-11, 213-pound Cook will bring immediate help to an offense that struggled to run the ball in 2016.

Cook, FSU’s career rushing leader, ran for 4,464 yards and 46 touchdowns. He has also developed into a consistent receiving option, grabbing 79 passes for 938 yards and two touchdowns in his college career.

Walker (6-4, 280) was the heart of FSU’s defense and a first-team All-American after putting up 21.5 tackles for loss and 16 sacks as a senior. The latter total was second in the nation.

Central Florida defensive back Shaquille Griffin went 90th overall to Seattle.

Florida Internatio­nal produced the 100th pick of the draft, tight end Jonnu Smith. Smith is heading to the Tennessee Titans as the seventh FIU draft pick in history, first since 2013 and third-highest selection in school history.

Florida Atlantic defensive end Trey Hendrickso­n went to the Saints with the 102nd overall pick.

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