Peterson, Baldwin and Coe complete HBCU NFL Draftee list
April 29, 2007
The second day of the 2007 NFL Draft produced three additions to the HBCU NFL Draftee list. North Carolina Central's Greg Peterson, Alabama A&M's Johnny Baldwin and Alabama State's Michael Coe were all drafted in the fifth round.
Peterson was the fourth selection in the fifth round (#141 overall) by Tampa Bay. Baldwin was selected #156 by Detroit. Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis picked Coe 36th in the round and 173 overall.
Peterson, who was a defensive lineman in college, is the first NCCU player selected since Robert Massey was the 46th player taken in the 1989 draft. He was not even watching the television coverage of the Draft when he got a phone call from Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden while visiting his grandmother at her home in Techey, N.C.
“It doesn't matter where you play,” Peterson said. “I gave everything I had on the field and stayed out of trouble. I wasn’t looking to get drafted, I just wanted a chance. Now I have that chance.”
Baldwin, a linebacker for the SWAC Champion Bulldogs, got word of his selection while spending the weekend at home in Bessemer, AL surrounded by by family and close friends. He is the first AAMU player drafted since Robert Mathis was chosen in 2003 by the Indianapolis Colts.
He is being counted on to bolster Detroit's linebacking corps.
"I'm a seek-and-destroy linebacker," Baldwin said. "My instincts and athleticism are a big part of the package that I bring. I can go sideline-to-sideline. I think I'm a pretty smart player, too."
Baldwin thinks that he'll be a good fit for the Lions.
"Coach (Phil) Snow was telling me that they wanted their 'mike' to be an athletic linebacker, so I think I fit the bill perfectly," Baldwin said.
Coe was the Colts' eighth pick of the Draft and the only cornerback taken by Indianapolis.
He ended his collegiate career as a first team All-SWAC cornerback. Prior to his senior season, Coe transferred to Alabama State from the University of Arkansas to play for his father, then ASU head coach Charles Coe.
The elder Coe has since left to become wide receivers coach for the Oakland Raiders.
During his only season in the SWAC, Coe was named 1st team All-SWAC as a cornerback. He earned a reputation as a shut-down corner, leading the conference in passes defended (16) and tying for first in passes broken up (14). Coe showed his versatility by filling in at safety in several games, and he finished fifth on the team in tackles (42), including 1 ½ sacks for -7 yards. Coe also returned punts for `Bama State, gaining 176 yards on 21 returns for a 8.4 average.
Peterson, Baldwin and Coe bring the 2007 HBCU NFL Draftee list to five players. Hampton's Justin Durant and Lane's Jacoby Jones were selected on the first day of the Draft.
Posted By: Jehan Bunch
Monday, April 30th 2007 at 9:42AM
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