Missouri senior tight end Michael Egnew was the lone Tiger selected in the 2012 NFL Draft, selected in the third round (78th overall selection) by the Miami Dolphins on Friday.
Eight other Missouri seniors also inked professional contracts as undrafted free agents: guard Austin Wuebbels (Denver), defensive end Jacquies Smith (Miami), wide receivers Wes Kemp (Carolina) and Jerrell Jackson (Houston), long snapper Beau Brinkley (Tennessee), kicker Grant Ressell (Pittsburgh), tackle Dan Hoch (New Orleans) and defensive tackles Dom Hamilton (Oakland) and Terrell Resonno (Minnesota).
Three more Tiger seniors have accepted invitations to NFL mini-camps. Safety Kenji Jackson will try out for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Arizona Cardinals, linebacker Luke Lambert will try out for the Green Bay Packers and cornerback Trey Hobson will try out for the Washington Redskins.
Egnew was the third tight end selected in this year’s draft, behind Stanford’s Colby Fleener and Clemson’s Dwayne Allen, both of whom were selected by the Indianapolis Colts.
The senior ended his MU career with 147 receptions for 1,332 yards and eight touchdowns. His 90 receptions as a junior in 2010 led all Division 1A tight ends and netted him a spot on the All-American First Team. Egnew received All-Big 12 Conference honors in each of his last two seasons.
Egnew saw a drop in his production last season, crafting a season-long storyline for Missouri to get its big man the ball. His reception total dropped from 90 in 2010 to 50 in 2011, although he did increase his yards-per-reception from 8.5 to 10.5 in the span.
Egnew upholds a recent MU tradition of sending All-American tight ends to the NFL ranks. He is the third Tiger tight end to be drafted in the last five years, joining Martin Rucker (fourth-round selection by the Cleveland Browns in 2008) and Chase Coffman (third-round selection by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2009).
Egnew is the second-highest drafted tight end in MU history, behind NFL Hall-of-Famer Kellen Winslow Sr. (No. 13 pick of the 1979 draft).
This marks the first year since 2008 the Tigers did not have a player selected in the first round. Last season saw quarterback Blaine Gabbert and defensive end Aldon Smith land top-10 selections. In total, the Tigers have had five players selected in the first round in the last three seasons.
