Dillard, Casey selected in fifth round of NFL Draft

By Casey Michel     4/16/09 7:00pm

Although they may have slipped further than expected, a pair of former Owls will be playing in the NFL this summer. The Jacksonville Jaguars selected former Rice wide receiver Jarett Dillard in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft, and eight picks later, the Houston Texans chose former Rice tight end James Casey.Dillard and Casey become the first Rice tandem selected in the NFL draft since 2003, when Ryan Pontbriand was taken in the fifth round by Cleveland and Brandon Green was selected in the sixth by Jacksonville.

According to RiceOwls.com, Casey, 24, had been projected to go no lower than the third round. However, it appears that Casey's advanced age may have played a role in his drop.

But Houston Texans tight ends Coach Brian Pariani disagrees.

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"I don't think age comes into a factor in my mind," Pariani said. "I think playing tight end has to do with maturity and learning how to play the position. I think he showed enough things at Rice that he knows how to play the position. ... He is a very good athlete. You see today that a lot of tight ends are good athletes that might have played a different position in college, so I don't think that hindered him by being old. I think it helped him when it comes to playing in the league."

Dillard set a total of six NCAA records in his career at Rice and became the Owls' first Football Writers All American in 50 years in 2008. He set NCAA records for career touchdown receptions (60), career games with a touchdown reception (38) and career touchdown passes with the same quarterback (51, with Chase Clement).

Casey presents a plethora of options, having played nearly a dozen positions in his two years at Rice. He was second in the nation in 2008 with 104 receptions at 8.7 catches per game.

"It's something that I've dreamed about my whole life," Casey said in a press conference on Sunday. "Just my whole goal was to get into the NFL. On top of that, to be drafted by the Texans is just unbelievable. It couldn't have worked out any better for me.

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