First-round draft pick T.J. Duckett was the guy in the spotlight this weekend, but four other Spartan players quietly fulfilled childhood dreams of their own.
Tight end Chris Baker, wide receiver Herb Haygood, defensive tackle Josh Shaw and punter Craig Jarrett all had their names called in the 2002 NFL Draft, which took place Saturday and Sunday in New York.
All four were Spartan seniors last fall - but being drafted is the official start of their professional football careers. There is no guarantee that any of them will ultimately make an NFL roster, but at least they now have a ticket to training camp this summer.
“I can’t really explain how great this feels,” Baker said in a written statement. “When the phone rang in my apartment, I really couldn’t believe it, and then I saw my name come across the TV screen.”
Aside from Duckett, the 6-foot-3, 263-pound Baker was the only other Spartan to be chosen in the first four rounds of the draft. He was picked in the third round (No. 88 overall) by the New York Jets.
Baker, a native New Yorker, said he’s looking forward to “going back home.”
“I already have a good relationship with Jets tight end Anthony Becht because we have the same agent,” Baker said. “This is a good situation for me, because I won’t be expected to step into the starting lineup right away. I’ll be able to learn from a veteran tight end.”
Baker finished his senior season with 40 catches for 548 yards and four touchdowns. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper, who had Baker ranked as the 11th-best tight end in the draft, was surprised Baker was the sixth tight end taken.
“Chris Baker went a little earlier than I had anticipated,” Kiper said in the same statement. “I had projected Baker to be a fifth-to-seventh round selection, but he’s got great athletic ability.”
Haygood was the next Spartan to hear his name called, but he had to wait until the second day of the draft to do so. The Denver Broncos took the 6-foot, 190-pound Haygood in the fifth round (No. 144) Sunday.
He had 57 receptions for 808 yards and four touchdowns for MSU last season.
“It was a long wait, man,” Haygood said Sunday.
“I thought I was going to get picked (Saturday) in the third round to Arizona, but it didn’t work out. I didn’t get any sleep last night.
“This was the worst day I had, but also the best day. I didn’t spend much time talking with Denver, but they pulled the trigger. They told me I was going to be a kick returner.
“So far, this is the best day of my life by far - just to see the expression on my mother’s face. I had to be the calm one.”
Shaw, who suffered a torn medial collateral ligament against Michigan on Nov. 3, was the last pick of the fifth round - taken by the San Francisco 49ers at No. 172 overall. The 6-3, 278-pound Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native recorded 54 tackles - nine for losses - and forced one fumble in seven games for MSU last season.
In San Francisco, he will be reunited with former Spartan defensive lineman Julian Peterson, who already plays for the 49ers.
“We had him ranked much higher in the draft, but because of his injury, his stock fell,” 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci said in a released statement. “We did a lot of homework on him, he’s a tough inside player.
“If his knee fully recovers like it should, then we’re going to have a real player on our hands. We’re going to be patient with him. He’s a real good inside player, he’s got good quickness. He’s not a big run-stopping player - he’s more of a guy that can get up the field in a hurry and help with the pass rush inside.”
Jarrett, a 6-2, 212-pounder, was taken in the sixth round (No. 194) by the Seattle Seahawks.
He averaged 43.6 yards on 51 punts last year, and pinned 15 inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. He also had seven of his punts blocked.
MSU linebacker Josh Thornhill was not selected in the draft and will become an NFL free agent.
