By Sam Draut–
For the first time in school history, three players from Louisville were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Safety Calvin Pryor was the first Cardinal taken, drafted by the New York Jets with the 18th pick. Pryor is the fifth highest Cardinal selected in the NFL Draft. He accumulated 218 tackles and seven interceptions during his three seasons at Louisville.
Marcus Smith was selected 26th by the Philadelphia Eagles. The defensive end led the nation with 14.5 sacks, but was projected by many mock drafts to be picked up in the third or fourth round. He became Louisville’s tenth player in school history drafted in the first round.
Teddy Bridgewater was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings with the final pick in the first round after they traded a second-round pick and fourth-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks.
Bridgewater leaves Louisville as one of the program’s most prolific passers, but saw his draft stock plummet leading up to Thursday night.
The three draft picks help to lead Louisville to a 23-3 record over the past the past two seasons.
