Colts Select Six Players on Second Day of 2009 NFL
Draft
INDIANAPOLIS – Jerraud Powers watched as little of the NFL Draft as possible.
Jerraud, a cornerback from Auburn University who the Colts made the No. 92 overall selection of the 2009 NFL Draft, said he stayed distracted from the draft on Saturday by playing golf all day, then going bowling at night. On Sunday morning, he filled time at breakfast and watching the movie, "Notorious."
Finally, when he figured it was late in the third round, Powers figured his time might be coming.
How right he was.
Powers (5-feet-10, 192 pounds) late Sunday morning text messaged his agent and finally asked how the draft was going, and what did he think.
Around that time the phone rang.
On the other end: Colts President Bill Polian.
"I'm excited," said Powers, an early-entry junior who said while most draft analysts had him being selected later in the draft he had been hearing late second or early-third round from teams.
"It's a great place. I'm just happy to be in the blue and white now."
Powers said he had been watching the draft for about 10 minutes when he received the call.
"I was texting my agent about, 'What's the word?'' Powers said. "Then, boom, the Colts called and I just started screaming before I answered the phone."
Powers, a starter in his final two seasons at Auburn, finished his career with six interceptions, playing in 36 games after red-shirting as a junior.
"I just want to come in and try to make an impact wherever I'm needed – corner, special teams, wherever I'm needed," Powers said. "I just want to make an impact and show them I can play."
Powers described himself as "hard-nosed, tough player, smart. Not going to do too much wrong on the football field."
Powers said his decision to declare early for the draft came down to "me just praying about it.
"I've been chasing this dream since I was five," he said. "For it to happen today, it's a blessing."
Powers the Colts showed interest from early in the predraft process.
"This is about the round and time I had a feeling I was going to go," Powers said. "Some teams had me sneaking into the late, late second round, but if not, I had a feeling somebody would probably pick me up in the third round."
A look at the Colts' selections Sunday following the third round:
• Austin Collie (6-1, 200), wide receiver, Brigham Young, fourth round (No. 127 overall). Collie caught 215 passes for 3,255 yards in three seasons at BYU, declaring for the NFL Draft following his junior season. He caught 106 passes for 1,538 yards and 15 touchdowns this past season. "I couldn't be happier," Collie said. "I just wanted to get picked up by a team that I thought would be the best fit. I think that's what I got. It's a dream come true and a blessing to go to a team you've always grown up watching." Collie did not play in 2005 and 2006 because he was on a church mission to Buenos Aires, Argentina. He's the third BYU player to leave school early.
• Terrance Taylor (6-0, 319), defensive tackle, Michigan, fourth round (No. 136 overall). Taylor started three seasons at nose tackle for Michigan, starting 36 games and registering 17.5 tackles for loss and six sacks. He had four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks this past season as a senior. "I'm a physical player, explosive," Taylor said. "I'm a playmaker, a run-stopper. The Indianapolis Colts got a great player. Picking me was one of the best things they could have done." Taylor is the second defensive tackle selected by the Colts in this year's draft. They selected Fili Moala in the second round on Saturday.
• Curtis Painter (6-4, 230), quarterback, Purdue, sixth round (No. 201 overall). Painter completed 987 of 1,648 passes for 11,163 yards and 67 touchdowns with 46 interceptions in four seasons. He started 41 career games for the Boilermakers, completing 227 of 379 passes for 2,400 yards and 13 touchdowns with 11 interceptions as a senior. "I'm extremely excited," Painter said. "It's an organization close to home. The opunity to come in and work behind a couple of great quarterbacks – it's kind of hard to explain." The Colts have three-time NFL Most Valuable Player and nine-time Pro Bowl selection Peyton Manning at quarterback, with six-year veteran Jim Sorgi as the backup. "I don't think you can ask for a better situation as far as getting in there and learning behind some great guys," Painter said. "When I came to Purdue, it was a similar situation in that Kyle Orton was here. I was a freshman and I really learned a lot from mimicking him and seeing the kinds of things he did. It's a great situation to mimic that same scenario." He's the first quarterback selected by the Colts since Sorgi in 2004.
• Pat McAfee (6-1, 220), punter/kicker, West Virginia, seventh round (No. 222 overall). He handled punt, kickoff, extra point and field goal duties, setting the school record for games played (51), points (384) and extra points made (210). He also finished second in school history in punting average. The Colts' punter the last 10 seasons, Hunter Smith, became a free agent following this past season.
• Jaimie Thomas (6-4, 322), guard, Maryland, seventh round (No. 236 overall). A two-year starter at left guard, Thomas played in 45 careers games, starting 23. He played in the 2009 East-West Shrine Game.
