Three former Huskers chosen in NFL draft

What Matt Slauson called the worst day of his life quickly became the best in a heartbeat.

The Nebraska offensive lineman spent countless hours in front of his television Sunday waiting to hear his name called.

A little before 4 p.m., the phone rang. New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum was on the line, and Slauson was their man.

"It's a huge relief," Slauson said. "It was awful. I've got to say, there's no wonder NFL players have a shorter life expectancy — they're almost half-dead before they even get to the pros.

"My heart was beating a million beats a minute, and I was sweating, but this is the best day I could ever ask for."

Nearly seven hours after the beginning of day two of the NFL Draft, the 6-foot-5, 320-pound offensive guard was selected by the Jets with the 20th pick of sixth round. Slauson was the 193rd player selected in the draft.

Slauson will reunite with former NU coach Bill Callahan, who now leads the Jets' offensive line. Slauson said it's the best destination for him.

"I really believe that this is the best opportunity I could possibly ask for because Coach knows exactly what I can offer him," Slauson said. "This has been the second time he has taken a chance on me, and I could not be more thankful to him. Without him, I would not be where I am now."

Callahan was the first coach Slauson talked to when the Jets called to tell him they would select him, and he was also the first coach that interviewed Slauson at the NFL Combine in February.

"He said that he hadn't been able to watch any of my film, but said I looked great and that he was very impressed with my knowledge of the game," Slauson said.

Slauson spent the day with his family, friends and fiancee in Lincoln. He said he knew there was a good chance he would be a drafted and an equally good chance he wouldn't. When the call came in, he celebrated well.

"I had a slice of cake and a beer, and that was it," Slauson said. "I was just soaking it in and having some fun."

While Slauson was busy celebrating, fellow lineman Lydon Murtha continued to watch the draft and ponder where he would land.

The 6-foot-7, 315-pound offensive tackle was projected by many to be a fourth- or fifth-round selection, but by the time the seventh round rolled around, he was still unclaimed.

"There were lots of teams calling, and they were surprised that I wasn't picked up yet," Murtha said. "Every second, a new player would tick by on the screen, and I kind of said, ‘Oh gosh, what's going on here?'"

His questions were answered in the middle of the seventh round, when the Detroit Lions selected him with the 228th pick in the draft.

"They're a team that needs some help right now, and they've got a new staff, and I think it's a great fit for me to go in there and earn some time," Murtha said. "Just to be able to play in the NFL is a one-in-a-million chance and a dream come true."

Murtha said he didn't know what to expect from the day but didn't feel stressed about falling so far in the draft.

"Teams are going to draft what they need and not what other people think," Murtha said. "Obviously, there wasn't a huge need for tackles in the late rounds of the draft. The guys that went ahead of me deserved to."

Both Slauson and Murtha will have the opportunity to work with and block for the top two quarterbacks in the draft. The Lions landed Georgia's Matthew Stafford with the first overall pick. New York selected Mark Sanchez of USC with the fifth pick.

"He's a really good player, and I'm just really excited that he got the number one pick for a team that desperately needs him," Murtha said of Stafford. "For me, just to be a part of that and to help the team is all I could ever ask for."

Former NU linebacker Cody Glenn was the first Cornhusker selected in the draft Sunday when the Washington Redskins grabbed him with the 22nd pick of fifth round.

Glenn spent three seasons at I-back before switching to linebacker for the 2008 season. He collected 51 tackles in nine starts before being suspended for the rest of the season after violating team rules.

Most experts projected Glenn would go undrafted. He was rated the 27th-best outside linebacker in the draft by ESPN but was the 15th selected.

Two Huskers who surprisingly didn't hear their names called Sunday were defensive end Zach Potter and running back Marlon Lucky.

Potter has signed a free agent contract with the Jets, and Lucky has signed on with the Cincinnati Bengals. Wide receivers Todd Peterson and Nate Swift also landed on pro rosters, signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Denver Broncos, respectively.

maxolson@dailynebraskan.com