Strong-armed quarterback JaMarcus Russell was selected first overall by the Oakland Raiders in the NFL draft on Saturday.
Russell, a 21-year-old junior, led Louisiana State University to a 41-14 victory over Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl last year.
JaMarcus Russell of the LSU Tigers was drafted first overall by Oakland.
(Wade Payne/Associated Press)
The strapping six-foot-six, 263-pound pivot passed for 332 yards and two touchdowns against the Fighting Irish, and was voted the game's most valuable player.
He compiled a 25-4 mark with the Tigers, matching Warren Rabb for the third-highest win total in LSU history.
"It is a dream come true," Russell said. "Growing up as a kid, playing every sport in life, and always seeing the guys on the professional level — and here I am today."
Russell is projected to start next season for the Raiders, who posted a league-worst 2-14 record last season.
He was a 61.9 per cent passer at the collegiate level, completing 493 of 797 attempts for 6,625 yards and 52 touchdowns with 21 interceptions in 36 NCAA games, including 30 starts.
"I cannot wait to get in the black and silver and get to work," Russell said.
The Detroit Lions drafted Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson with the second pick overall.
Johnson, 21, was considered the most athletic player available, and the fourth wideout in five years chosen high in the draft by Detroit.
He won the Fred Biletnikoff Award last season as the NCAA's top receiver.
"I told him when he was here [for a pre-draft workout] that he would not get past No. 2," Lions president and general manager Matt Millen said. "This guy is the real deal."
The Cleveland Browns took 313-pound offensive tackle Joe Thomas out of Wisconsin with the No. 3 pick.
Thomas, 22, was named the Outland Trophy winner as last season's best interior lineman.
"I hoped for a few months that Cleveland would pick me," he said. "They showed a lot of interest in me all the way along."
"If you are going to get a Pro Bowl tackle, you have get him in the top five," he continued. "There may have been a couple of guys who have not panned out.
"But I am a vastly different person. My attitude and my competitiveness will not let me fail."
Cleveland later traded up for the No. 22 pick, owned by the Dallas Cowboys, and took Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, once considered the top prospect in the draft.
Quinn, 22, completed 289 of 467 passes for 3,426 yard and 37 touchdowns with only seven interceptions in 13 starts during his senior campaign.
The Maxwell Award winner as top collegiate player was elated to join the Browns, the team he cheered for growing up in nearby Dublin, Ohio.
With files from the Associated Press
