Parry is latest from Stanford to join the Colts
The road to Indianapolis will be taken by yet another Stanford player. The Colts took nose tackle David Parry in the fifth round Saturday, the final day of the three-day draft.
In Indianapolis, he’ll join defensive end Henry Anderson, who was selected in the third round, and three exCardinal players, Andrew Luck, Coby Fleener and Griff Whalen, along with ex-Stanford offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton.
“The Stanford tree is going to be right in the middle of the parking lot,” said ESPN analyst Bill Polian, a former Colts president.
Six Stanford players were drafted this year, tying a school record previously reached seven times, including last season.
Meanwhile, Cal was shut out for the first time since 1986. Wide receiver Chris Harper, who left school a year early, will have to take his chances as a free agent. So will undrafted Stanford players like linebackers A.J. Tarpley and James Vaughters and San Jose State defensive tackle Travis Raciti.
San Jose State safety Akeem King was taken by Atlanta in the seventh round.
Both Anderson and Parry told the Colts’ website they were delighted to go to a winning team that has so many of their friends. “I think I can help the defense out a lot,’’ Anderson said.
Parry, a 6-foot-1, 308pounder, made 34 tackles last season, including 7½ for losses. He was a semifinalist for the Bulsworth Trophy, given to the nation's top player who began his career as a walk-on.
Parry said he continues to use the fact he didn’t have a single Divi- sion I scholarship offer coming out of high school in Marion, Iowa, as motivation.
“Looking back on my past, I wouldn’t have changed anything,” he told Colts.com. “Coming out without an offer was tough, but I went to Stanford with a mission, to try to earn a scholarship. I think the lessons I learned through that are going to help pay dividends through my career in the NFL.”
The Pac-12 had 39 players drafted, seven of whom went to the Cleveland Browns. That left the conference behind the SEC, which had 54, and the ACC, 47. Next came the Big Ten, 34, and the Big 12, 25.
Utah wide receiver Kaelin Clay, who started his college career at Cal, was picked by the Buccaneers in the sixth round. Clay redshirted with the Bears in 2010 and was injured in 2011. He spent the next two years at Mount San Antonio College before playing just one year at Utah, making four AllAmerica teams as a punt returner. He returned three punts and a kickoff for touchdowns.
He led Utah in receiving but was best known for dropping the ball short of the goal line on what would have been a 78-yard touchdown reception against Oregon. The Ducks’ Joe Walker returned the ball for a 100-yard touchdown to tie the game 7-7, shifting the game’s momentum as Oregon rolled to a 51-27 rout.
San Diego State offensive tackle Terry Poole, from Seaside High and Monterey Peninsula Community College, was picked by the Seahawks in the fourth round.