Here is a look at all former Tech players playing in the NFL as of opening day (Sept. 5):
ARIZONA CARDINALS
87 Jeff King – The former Tech tight end caught 27 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns in his first season with Arizona after signing a three-year, $6 million deal with the Cardinals last summer. The former fifth-round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft spent the first five years of his career with the Carolina Panthers. He has caught 139 passes in his career, with 12 going for touchdowns.
34 Ryan Williams – A second-round pick in the NFL Draft a year ago, Williams missed his rookie season after suffering a torn patella tendon in his right knee during a preseason game against Green Bay. The former Tech tailback, though, enters this season at 100 percent and should get plenty of carries as a backup to starter Beanie Wells.
BALTIMORE RAVENS
2 Tyrod Taylor – The former Tech quarterback enters his second season with the Ravens after playing in three games as a rookie a year ago. He completed one pass for 18 yards and rushed once for two yards. The former sixth-round pick serves as the backup to starter Joe Flacco.
CAROLINA PANTHERS
50 James Anderson – Entering his seventh season, Anderson continues to be a stalwart at linebacker for the Panthers. The former third-round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft is living up to the five-year, $22 million deal he signed last summer, having started every game during the 2011 season and finishing with a career-high 145 tackles (98 solo) and two interceptions.
DALLAS COWBOYS
81 Danny Coale – Coale suffered a tough summer, battling through various injuries after being drafted in the fifth round by the Cowboys. He broke his foot, and once he got over that, he suffered a quad injury. The Cowboys cut Coale, but then signed him to their practice squad after he cleared waivers. He could be signed off the practice squad at any point this season if the Cowboys need him.
GREEN BAY PACKERS
11 Jarrett Boykin – In a bit of a surprise, Boykin survived the final round of cuts and earned a spot on Green Bay’s roster. The former Tech receiver signed with Jacksonville as a free agent last spring, but the Jaguars released him, and Boykin signed with Green Bay. He made the squad and will be the Packers’ sixth receiver. He led all Packers with 13 catches for 166 yards this preseason.
68 Jaymes Brooks – Brooks, a former Tech offensive guard, signed with Green Bay as a free agent following the NFL Draft last spring. He never practiced during the team’s training camp because of a hamstring injury, and the Packers ended up putting him on the reserve/physically unable to perform list.
HOUSTON TEXANS
17 Shayne Graham – Graham, a former Tech kicker, continues to find employment in the NFL, and his latest stop is in Houston, where he replaces Neil Rackers, who set a Texans record with 137 points last season. Graham has been in 13 camps since his rookie year of 2000, and Houston is his eighth NFL team (Buffalo, Carolina, Cincinnati, New York Giants, New England, Miami and Baltimore).
76 Duane Brown – Brown is coming off the best season of his career, and the former Tech left tackle received a massive pay increase as a result, signing a six-year deal worth $53.4 million ($22.08 million guaranteed). Last season, the 2008 first-round pick did not allow a sack on his way to earning second-team Associated Press All-Pro honors. Brown has started every game he’s played in during his NFL career.
20 Rashad Carmichael – Carmichael’s rookie season last year went down in flames after he suffered a shoulder injury during training camp. He spent the entire season on injured reserve, but now he is healthy and hoping to make an impact at cornerback for the Texans.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
24 Brandon Flowers – The former Tech defensive back again returns as a starting cornerback for the Chiefs following a season in which he recorded 59 tackles (47 solo) and four interceptions – one which he returned for a touchdown. Flowers, a second-round selection in the 2008 draft, has started every game in which he has played except for one. Last September, he signed a five-year, $50 million extension, with $22 million guaranteed.
NEW YORK GIANTS
22 David Wilson – Wilson, who set the Tech single-season rushing record a year ago, begins life in the NFL after forgoing his final season of collegiate eligibility and entering the NFL Draft. The first-round pick of the Giants signed a four-year deal worth $6.68 million, with a $3.3 million signing bonus, and he will be splitting carries with Ahmad Bradshaw this season.
28 Jayron Hosley – Like Wilson, the former Tech defensive back decided to forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility and enter the NFL Draft. The third-round pick of the Giants signed a four-year deal worth $2.637 million, with a $515,000 signing bonus. He’ll be a backup at both cornerback positions this season.
OAKLAND RAIDERS
73 Ed Wang – Wang, a former Tech offensive tackle, signed with Oakland after being released by the Buffalo Bills, who drafted him in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, Wang, who has played in six NFL games in his career, suffered an injured shoulder during the preseason, and the Raiders put him on injured reserve, which means he’ll miss the 2012 campaign.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
7 Michael Vick – Entering his 10th NFL season, Vick enjoyed one of his best seasons as a pro last year when he threw for a career-high 3,303 yards. He also threw 18 touchdown passes, but had a career-high 14 interceptions. He rushed for 589 yards and one touchdown as well. Last fall, he signed a six-year, $100 million contract with the Eagles - $40 million of that was guaranteed – and will be the starter for the foreseeable future.
55 Darryl Tapp – Tapp started in two games and played in 12, his fewest since joining the NFL as a second-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2006 NFL Draft. The former Tech defensive end recorded 27 tackles (19 solo) and 2.5 sacks as a backup last season. He has one more year left on the three-year deal (worth $15 million) he signed in 2010.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
93 Jason Worilds – Worilds, entering his third season with the Steelers, started seven of the 12 games he played a year ago and recorded 38 tackles (27 solo) and three sacks. He also forced a fumble. He got those starts in place of an injured LaMarr Woodley, but he figures to be Woodley’s backup again this season.
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
11 Eddie Royal – Royal changed addresses in the offseason after spending the first four years of his career with the Denver Broncos. He signed a three-year, $13.5 million deal this past summer with the Chargers. The former Tech receiver caught just 19 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown in 12 games a year ago (eight starts) and will be looking to improve on those numbers with the Chargers.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
31 Kam Chancellor – No former Hokie player enjoyed a better NFL season than Chancellor, who made the Pro Bowl team as an alternate and then got to play in the game when San Francisco’s Dashon Goldson pulled out with an injury. He became the ninth former Tech player to play in a Pro Bowl.
Chancellor, a fifth-round pick by Seattle in the 2010 draft, started 15 games last season and finished with 97 tackles (75 solo) and four interceptions. He also had a sack and two forced fumbles. He’ll be the starter at strong safety for Seattle this season.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
35 Cody Grimm – One of Hokie Nation’s all-time favorite players, Grimm enters his third season with Tampa Bay after suffering through an injury-plagued second year. The former Tech whip linebacker started the first three games for the Buccaneers, but then broke his left fibula – an injury that cost him the remainder of the season. He finished with 11 tackles (10 solo), and heading into this season, appears to be a backup at strong safety behind rookie Mark Barron.
TENNESSEE TITANS
36 Darren Evans – Evans, a former Tech tailback, spent a portion of his rookie season last year on the Indianapolis Colts practice squad and found himself on the active roster in October, playing in two games. In August, the Colts waived Evans, and the Tennessee Titans signed him to their practice squad less than a week before the season opener.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS
15 Josh Morgan – Morgan spent his first four seasons in the NFL with San Francisco, but he signed a two-year, $12 million deal with Washington after last season. The former Tech receiver started five games for the 49ers last season, but suffered a broken leg that cost him the rest of the campaign. He caught 15 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown, and he goes into this season as a backup at both receiver spots.
23 DeAngelo Hall – Hall is entering his 10th season in the NFL and his fifth with the Redskins. A year ago, the former Tech cornerback started all 16 games and had 90 tackles (65 solo), 16 pass breakups and three interceptions, and he also forced a fumble. The former first-round pick by Atlanta in the 2004 draft has three more years left on the six-year, $55 million deal ($23 million guaranteed) he signed with Washington in 2009.
63 Will Montgomery – Montgomery continues to hang around in the NFL, and he won’t be leaving any time soon after signing a four-year, $12 million extension with Washington back in February. He started all 16 games for the Redskins at center a year ago and will be the starting center again this season – his seventh in the NFL (five with Washington, one with New York Jets and one with Carolina).
