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Friday 27 April 2012

  NFL Draft | Stanford's Coby Fleener joins Andrew Luck in Indy | NFL ...

NEW YORK -- Coby Fleener heard his name, grabbed his phone and immediately contacted his new teammate in Indianapolis -- and old teammate from Stanford.

The overnight wait paid off for the Stanford tight end. He's reuniting with his college quarterback, a guy named Andrew Luck.

Fleener wasn't chosen in the first round of the NFL draft, in which Luck was the top selection. He got a nice consolation prize Friday night when the Indianapolis Colts grabbed him with the second pick of the second round.

Among the other notable selections on the second day of the draft were: Oregon running back LaMichael James by San Francisco, Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson by Seattle and Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw by Baltimore.

Chances are very good Fleener will become a starter -- and a main target -- for Luck in Indianapolis.

"I just sent him a text message that had a lot of exclamation points in it," said Fleener, who had 10 touchdown catches last season and 18 for his career in Stanford's prodigious offense. "I expected to be on a team where I wasn't familiar with the offense or the quarterback. I can't wait to get started, to be honest with you."

Indy not only parted with four-time MVP quarterback Peyton Manning this year, but also lost tight end Jacob Tamme to free agency and isn't expected to bring back injury-ravaged veteran Dallas Clark.

"For me, getting to play with him the past couple of years, it is speed, he is dynamic," Luck said. "Anytime we crossed the 50-yard line it seemed like we just said, `Coby, go run. Go run past the safeties.' Hopefully it continues to work out."

The Rams actually used their own pick to begin the second round, selecting Appalachian State wide receiver Brian Quick. St. Louis traded down twice in the first round the previous night, accumulating several extra picks and also taking LSU defensive tackle Michael Brockers 14th overall. In the second-round spot they earned for going 2-14 in 2011, the Rams took a wideout from an FCS powerhouse. The 6-foot-4 Quick had a strong Senior Bowl, showing he could play at the highest college level and helping his stock in the draft.

Upshaw of the national champion Crimson Tide was chosen by Baltimore, the Ravens' first pick of this draft. Baltimore was projected by many to take Upshaw in the first round, but dealt away its pick. Four of Upshaw's teammates went in the first round.

Janoris Jenkins, a cornerback at North Alabama who was kicked off the team at Florida, went to the Rams six picks after they took Quick. Jenkins, holding an infant in his arms, had tears in his eyes as he spoke by phone with the Rams.

"I just be honest," Jenkins said about talking about his past transgressions. "I don't have nothing to hide. That was my past, that was a year ago. I took my second route to go to UNA for a reason, to show people I wasn't a bad kid and I wasn't running from my problems."

Division II guard Amini Silatolu, a member of the Little All-America team, was the eighth overall selection in the second round by Carolina.

It took 11 picks before Friday's first trade, with the Jets moving up four slots and surrendering a fifth- and seventh-rounder to Seattle to take Georgia Tech wide receiver Stephen Hill. New York needs a deep threat wideout, and Hill was the fastest player at the NFL combine. But he also comes from a running offense.

BROWNS -- Colt McCoy's days with the Cleveland Browns might be numbered, but he's still a member of the team for now.

As of Friday evening, the Browns had not talked to other teams about trading quarterback Colt McCoy, coach Pat Shurmur told reporters at the team's headquarters.

"We haven't made any plans to do anything about anything yet," Shurmur said about an hour before the second round of the NFL Draft began at 7 p.m. "So we haven't made any phone calls. We haven't done anything in regards to Colt."

When asked if McCoy will be on the team May 22 when organized team activities begin, Shurmur said: "Well, let's not take it all the way out to May 22. As it stands right now, I've talked to Colt, and we're getting ready to draft.

"I talked to Colt this evening. He's actually going to Dallas this weekend, which he had planned to do. So he's fine."

Shurmur's comments contradict reports that surfaced earlier Friday. According to PackerReport.com, the Browns talked to the Green Bay Packers about dealing McCoy. Meanwhile, NFL Network's Jason La Canfora reported McCoy is not asking for a trade, though the Browns could move him.





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