Five Tigers Drafted by the NFL in 2008

Good weekend for Auburn as five players were drafted including Quentin Groves, Pat Lee, Pat Sims, Jonathan Wilhite and King Dunlap.

Quentin Groves - 52nd pick in the 2nd round to the Jacksonville Jaguars
Q was projected as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense but the Jags run a 4-3 and project him as a defensive end. They have a good team, especially on defense so look for them to ease Groves into the system, probably as a situational 3rd down rusher during his rookie year.

Pat Lee - 60th pick in the 2nd round to the Green Bay Packers
Another good team with a good, young defense. The Packers have one of the best secondaries in the NFL with Atari Bigby, Charles Woodson and Al Harris. Harris and Woodson are the two starting corners but are 33 and 31 years old respectively so Lee will have a chance to start in a couple of years after learning from two of the best.

Pat Sims - 77th pick in the 3rd round to the Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals, who usually run a 3-4 defense, under defensive guru Marvin Lewis need a youth movement on their defensive line. The Bengals' defense has not lived up to their head coach's resume in recent years and seem to be team turmoil. Hopefully that will change. Their top two defensive tackles last season were 32-year-old Mike Myers and 31-year-old John Thornton. They each have a couple of years left in them so Sims will also get a chance to learn with a chance to start in 2-3 seasons.

Jonathan Wilhite - 129th pick in the 4th round by the New England Patriots
Wilhite faces a deep roster in front of him in New England, even with the loss of Asante Samuel to the Philadelphia Eagles. But this is the class team of the NFL and it will be a great situation for Wilhite, especially with as many players that see the field for the Pats and their ability to maximize player's potential wherever they can get them on the field.

King Dunlap - 230th pick in the 7th round by the Philadelphia Eagles
King lost his starting job early in the 2007 season. No one doubts his size or potential as you would think he would be a dominant offensive lineman. The only one that seems to stop Dunlap is Dunlap himself. To lose your job as a senior to a true freshman and still be drafted is a testament to his potential. It's up to him now. Dunlap has his opportunity in Philadelphia, which cut its backup right tackle in December and he'll have a chance to backup John Runyan, 34, for the Eagles.

Three Tigers have signed free agent deals as of this morning, defensive tackle Josh Thompson signed with the St. Louis Rams, tight end Cole Bennett signed with the Houston Texans and fullback Carl Stewart signed with Tampa Bay Buccaneers.