Former Northwestern stars Mike Kafka, Corey Wootton and Sherrick McManis have found homes in the NFL.
In the third day of draft proceedings Saturday, the Chicago Bears selected Corey Wootton with the 11th pick of the fourth round and 109th overall, while quarterback Mike Kafka was selected thirteen picks later at the 24th pick of the fourth round and 122nd overall by the Philidelphia Eagles and cornerback Sherrick McManis was taken by the Houston Texans in the fifth round with the 13th pick and 144th overall.
Wootton was selected a day after most prognosticators had predicted, initially perceived as second or third round choice. It has been a trying year for the defensive lineman in which he admittedly was not at full strength and battled back from an ACL injury in the 2008 Alamo Bowl. Wootton will compete for playing time opposite fellow defensive end and newly-minted Bear, Julius Peppers. He will also join Northwestern alumni Brett Basanez, Eric Peterman and Nick Roach.
Mike Kafka was rated highly by the Eagles and was invited for workouts prior to the draft, but was not considered to be as high as a fourth round pick by outsiders. A bigger surprise is that Kafka was the next quarterback selected after the hyped foursome of Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow, Jimmy Clausen and Colt McCoy. At Philadelphia, he finds himself behind projected starter Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick, and will most likely have a few years to develop into a quality NFL signal-caller.
Of the three Wildcats drafted, none was as uncertain in value as Sherrick McManis. Dogged by a nagging injury throughout the season and into draft workouts, McManis was projected by most draftniks to be a sixth or seventh round choice, at best. He was invited into New England for a workout after missing both Pro Days, but has found a home with the Houston Texans and will compete for playing time against the Texans’ first-round selection of Kareem Jackson, and perhaps on special teams.
Other potential NFL signees are wide receivers Andrew Brewer and Zeke Markshausen, defensive tackle Marshall Thomas and tight end/superback Brendan Mitchell.
The addition of three new Wildcats brings the current number of Northwestern alumni in the NFL to 16.