Delmas, others look to make their mark in NFL draft

By Adam Bouton
Western Herald

Western Michigan University had several outstanding individual performances this past year on the football field. Many of those players are looking to make the transition to the National Football League next year and are expected to be selected in the upcoming NFL Draft.

One of those players is WMU senior safety Louis Delmas.

Delmas, who finished the 2008 season leading the Broncos in tackles with 111, is expected to be selected in the first or second round of the 2009 NFL Draft which is being held April 25.
Many different analysts have Delmas as the top-ranked free safety in the draft.  NFL.com’s Steve Wyche and Mike Mayock had Delmas listed as the No. 1 safety prospect heading into the NFL combine and fifth defensive back overall. Many analysts have the senior safety going in the mid-to-late first round of the draft.

Wyche’s analysis on Delmas following the combine was generous. He had the former Bronco safety going to the New England Patriots at pick No. 23 in the first round. His analysis on Delmas compared him to arguably one of the best safeties in the league.

“It’s time for the Patriots to replenish this position, and Delmas could be the next Bob Sanders – with coverage skills,” Wyche said.

Delmas has the chance to be the highest Bronco player ever selected in the draft. Former WMU defensive end Jason Babin was the highest Bronco football player ever selected when the Houston Texans used the 27th overall pick to take him in 2004.

Senior wide receiver Jamarko Simmons is another who has a good chance at being taken with a pick in the draft.  Although not highly touted like Delmas, Simmons did rank among the best in the college ranks last season in several different receiving categories.

Simmons led WMU and ranked fourth in the nation, along with fellow Mid-American Conference receiver Naaman Roosevelt, with 104 receptions overall. He had more catches than higher-ranked sophomore prospects Jeremy Maclin from Missouri and Michael Crabtree from Texas Tech.  Simmons also hauled in seven touchdown grabs and 1,276 yards receiving on the season. He passed current Green Bay Packer stalwart Greg Jennings for the career receptions plateau at Western Michigan.

Among the other senior players that hope to be taken in the draft next weekend are Bronco senior cornerbacks E.J. Biggers and Londen Fryar and senior tight end Branden Ledbetter.
Ledbetter, even though he missed part of the season due to an injury, finished fourth on the team in catches in 2008. The senior tight end hauled in 45 catches for 464 yards and six touchdowns. He passed current Denver Bronco tight end Tony Scheffler in touchdown grabs by a Bronco tight end in his junior year.

Biggers and Fryar occupied the two cornerback spots for the Broncos for much of the season. Biggers started all 13 games for the Brown and Gold and finished sixth on the team with 62 tackles. Fryar had 42 tackles for Western Michigan in 2008. Fryar is the son of former NFL wide receiver Irving Fryar.

Jennings and Ledbetter are the last two Broncos to be drafted as they were both taken in the second round of the 2006 draft.

All athletes are expected to be at their respective homes watching the draft on TV surrounded by friends and family. The draft is set to begin at 4 p.m. on April 25. It’s being televised on ESPN.

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Posted by HeraldAdmin on Apr 20 2009. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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