FAYETTEVILLE -- Trey Flowers led a group of five Arkansas players selected in the NFL Draft on Saturday to highlight a big day for Razorback defensive players.
Four of the five Arkansas players taken during the final four rounds of the draft in Chicago played defense, marking the highest number of Razorback defenders taken in the same draft since five went in 1989.
Flowers got the call from the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots early Saturday, just as NFL Draft watchers were settling in to view the final four rounds.
The Patriots selected Flowers with the second pick of the fourth round, No. 101 overall. Flowers, who elected to return for his senior year, was a third-round projection after his junior season.
"I don't get too into what round I go as long as I'm living out my dream as an NFL player," Flowers said in a media session with Patriots reporters. "This was always my dream and I'm just happy to be living it now."
The five Razorbacks selected in the seven-round draft were the most taken from an Arkansas roster since 2008, when first-round picks Darren McFadden and Felix Jones led a group of six Razorbacks in that year's draft.
The Washington Redskins got busy taking former Razorbacks, selecting linebacker Martrell Spaight in the fifth round and defensive back Tevin Mitchel in the sixth round.
Mitchel's selection at No. 182 overall was the first of three Razorbacks taken in the sixth round. He was followed by defensive tackle Darius Philon, who was picked No. 192 by the San Diego Chargers, and tight end AJ Derby, a converted quarterback who went to the Patriots at No. 202.
Flowers, speaking to Patriots reporters, said his status as a "tweener" who could play outside linebacker or end, proved valuable.
"I think it does me very well to show that versatility on tape," he said. "That was one of the plans. ... Defensive coordinator, Coach [Robb] Smith, told me he's going to put me in the best position to make plays and he did just that. I'm glad I put that on tape."
NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock called Flowers an underrated player and complimented the "triangle" trio of Arkansas defenders Flowers, Spaight and Philon who declared early after his redshirt sophomore season.
"I thought all three of these guys were outstanding football players," Mayock said.
"Very stout against the run," NFL Network's Charles Davis said of Flowers. "He'll hold up very well in their base defense."
Flowers, 21, was a team captain of the Arkansas defense in 2014. The Huntsville, Ala., native led the Razorbacks with 15.5 tackles for loss and 6 sacks. His career total of 47.5 tackles for loss is second behind Billy Ray Smith Jr.'s 63, and his 18 sacks are tied for seventh.
Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema, serving as a draft analyst on the NFL Network set in Chicago, was able to comment on Flowers during the broadcast.
"Just an incredible kid," Bielema said. "He's never redshirted. Very versatile. He can stand up and he can play a rush end, can play the interior on third down."
Flowers was Arkansas' fifth selection of the fourth round in the last four years, joining wide receivers Joe Adams, Jarius Wright and Greg Childs in 2012 and quarterback Tyler Wilson in 2013. He is the highest draft choice from the Arkansas defense since the Patriots selected defensive end Jake Bequette with the 90th pick in 2012.
Bielema said he got a call from a member of the Patriots to inquire about Flowers.
"I knew they had some interest in Trey, who is a great fit for their organization," Bielema said.
NFL scouts called Flowers a sound technical player and good student of the game. NFL.com's analysis pointed out Flowers' strong showing against Texas A&M tackle Cedric Ogbuehi, who the Bengals took with pick No. 21 in the first round.
Spaight, 21, was a first-team All-SEC choice in 2014 after leading the league with 128 tackles.
Spaight and Mitchel were the second and third Razorbacks drafted in the last two years by the Redskins, who used their seventh-round pick last year on kicker Zach Hocker.
Spaight, of North Little Rock, cited his devotion to film study for helping him have a breakout season after accounting for 22 tackles in 2013, his first season after transferring from Coffeyville (Kan.) College.
Spaight and Mitchel give the Redskins three former Arkansas defensive players, joining defensive lineman Robert Thomas, who signed as a free agent last year and remains on Washington's roster.
Mitchel, 22, started 29 games with the Razorbacks, remaking himself as a nickel back in 2014 after struggling at cornerback in 2013.
Mitchel is the son of former University of Oklahoma running back and quarterback Eric Mitchel, who was drafted in the sixth round by the New England Patriots in 1989 and went on to have a career in NFL Europe and the Canadian Football League. Tevin Mitchel finished with 157 career tackles, 18 pass breakups and 4 interceptions. He tied for the team lead with two interceptions in 2014.
Philon made rapid improvement, from nearly quitting the team in Bielema's first winter to becoming a sixth-round draft pick. The 21-year-old from Prichard, Ala., who signed with Arkansas only after Alabama asked him to gray shirt, or pay his own tuition in the fall of 2012, had two big seasons.
Philon had 46 tackles and 4.5 sacks and led the Razorbacks with 3 fumble recoveries. He scored a touchdown on a 14-yard fumble return against Northern Illinois and brought another fumble back to the 1-yard line against Ole Miss.
Philon posted 92 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in his two seasons.
Derby, 23, had an impressive first year at tight end after passing for 178 yards as Brandon Allen's backup in 2013. The Iowa City, Iowa, native had 22 catches for 303 yards and 3 touchdowns, with the highlight being a 54-yard catch-and-run score against Alabama on which he outran cornerback Eddie Jackson to the end zone.
Derby had minor knee surgery late in the season that kept him out of Arkansas' final two games, and had to have a stress fracture in his foot repaired after his pro day.
Sports on 05/03/2015