An excited Curran says ‘my heart skipped a beat’ when drafted by Titans (UPDATED)
(11:20 A.M. SATURDAY UPDATE: The Cincinnati Bengals selected former Georgia defensive tackle Geno Atkins in the fourth round Saturday morning. He was the 120th pick of the NFL draft — and just the second from Georgia. Atkins said he went about where he expected to go in the draft — late third or fourth round — but that he was surprised to be chosen by the Bengals because they had not worked him out or interviewed him.)
(1:25 P.M. SATURDAY UPDATE: The Miami Dolphins drafted Georgia safety Reshad Jones late in the fifth round. Jones was the 163rd pick of the draft, the third from UGA. Jones was drafted later than projected — he had expected to go in the second or third round — but it wasn’t a surprise the Dolphins picked him. They had brought him to Miami for a workout and interview a month or so ago. The Dolphins moved up in the draft to get Jones, trading sixth- and seventh-round picks to the Washington Redskins.)
(4:40 P.M. SATURDAY UPDATE: Finally, Jeff Owens has been drafted. The former UGA defensive tackle was taken late in the seventh — and final — round by the Philadelphia Eagles, the 243rd pick of the draft. Analysts had been all over the map with projections of his draft stock, forecasting him to go anywhere from the second round to the seventh.)
(4:50 P.M. SATURDAY UPDATE: Now Georgia’s top three defensive tackles from last season have all been drafted. Kade Weston was taken by the New England Patriots as the draft wound down, the 248th pick.)
Ninety-seven picks into the NFL draft, a player from the University of Georgia finally was selected late Friday night: linebacker Rennie Curran by the Tennnessee Titans.
The Titans took Curran, Georgia’s most valuable player and the SEC’s leading tackler last season, with the next-to-last choice of the third round, a compensatory pick.
Curran, watching the draft with family and friends at his Snellville home, was informed of his NFL destination in a phone call from Titans coach Jeff Fisher a few minutes after 10 p.m.
“That was the best call of my life, the best sound,” Curran said an hour or so later. “Just picking up the phone call, my heart skipped a beat.”
The selection of Curran came just as it appeared Georgia might not have a player chosen in the first two nights of the draft. Rounds four through seven will be held Saturday, with several other Georgia players, including defensive tackles Geno Atkins and Jeff Owens and safety Reshad Jones, expecting to be selected.
Curran bypassed his senior season at UGA to enter the draft one year early. He clearly considered his decision validated by Tennessee choosing him in Round 3.
“I’m just so excited,” Curran said on a conference call. “I’m so grateful.”
Although Curran often was described as a “tackling machine” at Georgia, where he had 130 tackles last season and 298 in the past three seasons, forecasts of his draft stock had been mixed, mainly because of concerns about his height (5-10 1/2). Many recent projections had him going in the fourth or fifth round. But the Titans had been mentioned as a team whose defensive system and needs could be a good match for Curran.
“They are a very aggressive defense, and I feel like I am going to fit perfectly with their defensive scheme,” Curran said. “I’m just glad a team took a chance on me, and they will not regret [it]. I am looking to make an impact.”
Fisher and Titans general manager Mike Reinfeldt, in a late-night news conference shown on the team’s website, said they believe Curran will overcome his height disadvantage in the NFL just as he did in the SEC.
“He’s kind of unique in that even though he doesn’t have the ideal height, he’s a long strider, so he covers a lot of ground,” Fisher said.
Said Reinfeldt: “He plays very fast, very active. He kind of fits the mold of what we look for in a linebacker.”
Reinfeldt said the Titans were impressed not only by Curran’s play at Georgia, but by their recent visit with him in Nashville. “We had the kid in. We interviewed him. He was a great kid,” Reinfeldt said. “It was all positive.”
One of Curran’s new teammates will be former Georgia Tech defensive end Derrick Morgan, selected by the Titans with the 16th pick of the first round Thursday night.
Compensatory picks, such as the one Tennessee used to select Curran, are tied to a team’s losses in free agency.
Twenty-one players were drafted from SEC teams the past two nights before Curran became the first to be taken from Georgia.
In last year’s draft, the Bulldogs had two of the first 12 picks, No. 1 Matthew Stafford and No. 12 Knowshon Moreno, and had five players chosen in the first three rounds.
Links to today’s other UGA football news:
Richt: Aaron Murray reminds me of Heisman runnerup Weldon.
Murray: First day on campus as No. 1 quarterback is ‘pretty cool.’
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150 comments Add your comment
Stinger
April 24th, 2010
2:22 pm
Brokeback Cowboy are you a student of the prof from Colorado?
bug crusher
April 24th, 2010
2:34 pm
DOGMAX STFU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ultra
April 24th, 2010
2:35 pm
laughin larry:
spectacular post, my life is complete now. Seriously, you’re the best here, thans for taking the time to write. great, great stuff. Funny, but different from what anyone else could say. And bringing new ideas every time.
right on. Georgia should have 7 or 8 guys go again this year. It’s all in how you see things I guess.
thanks again laughin larry.
you da’ man.
bug crusher
April 24th, 2010
2:39 pm
PUNKS MURREY WILL KICK YOU’RE A$$ AND CURREN WILL DOMANATE THE NFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Stinger
April 24th, 2010
2:46 pm
The Steelers can now cut Hine Ward and just give Dwyer the ball.
Mr Charlie
April 24th, 2010
2:54 pm
OK, Tech has more talent than UGA, and the best coaching staff in modern College football. So, can anyone please explain the 30-24 whuppin Tech took by this poorly coached team with inferior talent?
Mr Charlie
April 24th, 2010
3:00 pm
Curran will be a stud. He has led every league he has played in over the past 5 years in tackles. He plays with dicipline, great technique, and he is smart. He will start opening day.
On his “downside” it says he “looks tiny” out on the field. Well, how you look does not mean anything.
UGADAWGZ
April 24th, 2010
3:00 pm
Orange Colored Glasses- UGA sucks? Um… No. The round you are drafted in doesn’t determine if you will be good in the NFL you idiot.
If you need proof
Terrell Davis- 6th round
Hines Ward- 3rd round
Jon Stinchcomb-2nd round
Kevin Butler-4th round
Mohamed Massaquoi-2nd round
Dannell Ellerbe-Undrafted and now is going to be a starter for Baltimore
Also We have had more first rounders than anyone in the sec so, to say we suck in the draft makes you ignorant
Another perspective
April 24th, 2010
3:00 pm
Mr C, The only way to explain it is by saying that most of the techie posters are full of …. I think Mike pretty well summed it up about Stinger and his band of losers
Mr Charlie
April 24th, 2010
3:04 pm
My guess is Curran will play in the NFL longer than Derrick Morgan and “Gay Gay” combined….Another you are right, I am sure Hines Ward is worried about his job.
Mr Charlie
April 24th, 2010
3:08 pm
“Gay Gay” is a workout wonder who will be a miserable failure in the NFL.
bug crusher
April 24th, 2010
3:14 pm
HAHA!!! MR CHARLIE YOUR SO FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOUR RIGHT ABOUT CURRAN TO HE IS A SMART PLAYER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!THAT IS WHAT WRONG WITH ALL THE BUGS IS THEY THINK THEY ARE SO SMART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!
bug crusher
April 24th, 2010
3:18 pm
THE DAWGS PUT MOST PLAYERS IN NFL THAN ANYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bug crusher
April 24th, 2010
3:24 pm
DAWGS WILL WIN IT ALL THIS YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!! DON”T BE SO JELLOUS LITTLE BUGS AND GAY-TURDS!!!!!!!!!! MURRAY WAS THE BEST QB IN HIGH SCHOOL SO GET READY FOR YOU’RE A$$ WHUPPED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bug crusher
April 24th, 2010
3:31 pm
CAN’T WAIT UNTIL BASKETBALL SEASON TO!!!!!!!!!!!!! CHOACH FOX HAS TURNED US TO A POWER HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!! KENTUKY LOOSES ALL THIER PLAYERS TENN SUX ANT NO WAY WE LOOSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dawg nation
April 24th, 2010
4:00 pm
Ga Tech has a football program? I drove by their the other day and I thought it was a highschool stadium. bahahahahahahahha
Red Dogs
April 24th, 2010
4:15 pm
Tia & Cref are scared to leave their dorms b/c they might be the next robbery victims on the Tech campus.
Techsucks deeznutts
April 24th, 2010
5:09 pm
Dwyer “ya’lls boy stud didn’t look to much of a stud in alot of NFL Eyes, Thank God for Spiller or the ACC would’nt have Squat at the tailback position boooy!
Anne
April 24th, 2010
5:11 pm
Congrats to Jeff Owens on being selected!
I Hate UGAY
April 24th, 2010
5:14 pm
Close UGA, Close UGA, Close UGA, Close UGA, Close UGA, Close UGA, Close UGA, Close UGA, Close UGA, Close UGA, Close UGA, Close UGA, Close UGA, Close UGA, Close UGA,
Dawg Tired
April 24th, 2010
5:34 pm
Stinger needs to get his slide rule out and figure out whether 5 is greater than 4. Although I suspect Stinger never got admitted to Tech. Just a guess, He just seems to be too stupid to actually have beem admitted to Tech.
trey in lagrange
April 24th, 2010
5:49 pm
dogman I hate to burst your bubble- granted a WR got picked by Tech in the first round; but, he was recruited by Gailey for a completely different system along with the other players chosen in the draft… Johnson will run Tech into the ground with recruits– that offense will not attact top-tier talent.. It is designed for the lesser athlete plain and simple. It’s what is called the great equalizer.. sorry but that is the trust… and the receiver currently a sophmore at tech would be a 3rd string at UGA. My god on a downyear Georgia sends another 5 players to the NFL in the draft ( not counting the free agents which might make a team over the summer ) Hell the quarterbacks in this draft were awful– I can’t rememeber a group so ill prepared for the pro game… THWGT!!! 8 out of 9 and you know the score a couple of months ago…
DAWG WANTS A TITLE
April 24th, 2010
5:54 pm
I love reading blogs from tech fans. what some fn idiots. All 7 of you.
DAWG WANTS A TITLE
April 24th, 2010
5:57 pm
Am I the only one who cant believe Moore hasnt went any where.
big_fort
April 24th, 2010
5:57 pm
Leave it to an idiot like Stinger to make stupid comments. Tech couldn’t beat UGA even with our late round talent so what does that say about the Yellow belly Jackets?
DAWG WANTS A TITLE
April 24th, 2010
5:57 pm
?
DAWG WANTS A TITLE
April 24th, 2010
5:58 pm
TRUE
DAWG WANTS A TITLE
April 24th, 2010
6:00 pm
TECH FOOTBALL NOW EVERYONE LAUGH
DAWG WANTS A TITLE
April 24th, 2010
6:02 pm
And speaking of thugs, WHATtheHEll classes does Nesbit attend?
Rabun Dawg
April 24th, 2010
6:38 pm
Tia and Cref, I think the questions you posed are none of your business, and you probably have no idea what you are talking about. The article was about the NFL draft and nothing more! Congratulations to all of the UGA and Tech players who were drafted. As Kiper stated at the end of the draft, come back in about 3 to 5 years to see how they all pan out. I suspect this bunch from our schools will do just fine!
bug crusher
April 24th, 2010
9:26 pm
WRITE IT DOWN UGA WINS NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP THIS YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bug crusher
April 24th, 2010
9:28 pm
YOU LITTLE PUNKS FROM FLA WILL GET YOURS NOW THAT TEBOW IS GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!Enter your comments here
bug crusher
April 24th, 2010
9:30 pm
WE SHOULD HAS BEEN NATIONS CHAMPS TWO YEARS AGO BUT THEY LET LSU JUMP US AND THEY LUCKY WE DIDNT SUE!!!!!!!!Enter your comments here
bug crusher
April 24th, 2010
9:32 pm
RICTH WILL PUNK EVERYBODY OUT THIS YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bug crusher
April 24th, 2010
9:36 pm
AND THOSE DUMBA$$ BUGS GOT PICKED IN FIRST ROUND WONT MAKE OUR BOYS WILL MAKE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bug crusher
April 24th, 2010
9:38 pm
NO BUGS BS??????????? AT LEAST YOU KNOW WHEN TO STFU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GoDOGS1
April 24th, 2010
9:58 pm
Are you drunk, bug crusher?
GoDOGS1
April 25th, 2010
7:59 am
Alixi- I’m sure your her next door neighbor, too? Why don’t you and her go to the Salvation Army, and see if you can two get the baby some formula?
4 ncs are better than 1
April 25th, 2010
8:29 am
bug crusher, sue for WHAT??????????????????
Bulldawg Country
April 25th, 2010
8:32 am
4 ncs: I do believe that coach Richt and Evans did look into filing suit against the NCAA and had a very good case against them.
4 ncs are better than 1
April 25th, 2010
8:37 am
FOR WHAT????????????? “Bulldawg Nation” is the biggest bunch of B**TH A$$ CRY BABIES in all of college football!!!!!!!!!! You can’t file a law suit against the NCAA for that BS!!!!! Try winning your CONFERENCE that might help! WHAT A JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4 ncs are better than 1
April 25th, 2010
8:39 am
And bug crusher, LEARN TO SPELL YOU TYPICAL CRY BABY DAWG!!!!!!!!!!
4 ncs are better than 1
April 25th, 2010
8:41 am
This is some FUNNY S**T!!! I can’t wait to tell my GT buddies so they can have a good laugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bo
April 25th, 2010
12:46 pm
Stinger, if you know who Pat Swilling was then you know he played next to one of the best ILB backers of all time…a 5′ 10″ “midget” that by your accounts couldn’t have made it in the NFL.
Dogmax, sure you can be objective. However, your comments were “please stop antagonizing those guys”. I hate the trolls on these blogs as much as anyone but come on with the please don’t antagonize GT talk. What, GT wouldn’t try as hard to beat UGA? Your response was more legitimate as a Dog fan but I have to disagree. The spread is a legitimate offense but I believe the Pro style offense will always be better. Even if it weren’t better, UGA is in a good position to get some big time QB and WR recruits since FL is running the spread. Sure, there will be some great pro style players go play offense for the Gators but I think UGA has an edge with that type of recruit (see LeMay).
Stinger
April 25th, 2010
7:00 pm
Dumb AZZ Dawg Tired, the word is been not beem. You are smart enough to get into UGA but too damn dumb to be a 5th Grader.
Dogmax
April 25th, 2010
8:52 pm
Bo, I agree that we will get some good pro style guys, but it seems like FLa and GT take some of the same kind of players and put them in position to really hurt people. Look at the receiver for Tech, he was a pro style guy like AJ but compare their stats from last year. Why couldn’t we utilize AJ like that? And Tech is a run oriented team. Look at how GT and FLA spread the defense out so their skill guys can be more effective. I guess I’m just pi@#@*& off because we get so much talent and it seems like we waste it every year and I’m just ready for something new, that’s all.
2 national titles pre-WWI
April 26th, 2010
10:33 am
Yech terds still trying to claim Michigan St. and Colorado’s titles. LOVE IT!!!
James T. Kirk
April 26th, 2010
10:38 am
Poor poochies. Still upset that Tech had 14 players drafted or signed while you had a measly 2. Pathetic. I suspect you saw how Tech Nation was out in full force Saturday to watch our starters win 27-7 while only playing one half. You all know what that means for this Thanksgiving weekend. Yet another beat down between your hedges. We have our thrower of the ball returning while you are trying to play a 5′5 midget at your thrower of the ball position. Nezbit will win the Heisman contest. We have the greatest catching receiver in all the land in Stephen Hill. Most say he is the best prospect to come along since Randy Moss. We have the greatest coach and recruiter in the nation while you have fake ‘n back Coach Rick. I can sympathize with you poodles. I know how much it must hurt to be annually owned by your masters from Atlanta in everything.
Cheryl and Marco Williams
April 26th, 2010
1:23 pm
Way to go Rennie! We are so proud of you and can’t wait to follow your progress! Congrats! I still owe you a dinner…. (Nicole’s mom)
CDAWG
April 27th, 2010
11:28 am
Way to go Rennie, I know you will make UGA and the SEC proud. Good luck to you and your family.