Dezmin Lewis had to wait Saturday, but the former Central Arkansas wide receiver was finally selected in the NFL draft.
The first-team All-Southland Conference player was taken by the Buffalo Bills with the 17th pick in the seventh round, No. 234 overall, on Saturday.
Lewis, who caught 64 passes for 945 yards and 9 touchdowns last year, is the eight player from UCA to be drafted, the first since linebacker Markell Carter was taken by the New England Patriots in 2011 and first wide receiver taken since Tyree Davis was picked by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1993.
Lewis, who caught 197 career passes for 2,668 yards and 24 touchdowns, impressed scouts at the Senior Bowl in January and at pro day in March when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds and recorded a 36-inch vertical jump and a 10-4 broad jump, all of which were better than his NFL Combine numbers from February.
A CBSSports.com report listed Lewis as a fourth-round prospect last week, and FoxSports.com projected him as going in the sixth round.
Lewis, who visited Buffalo during the evaluation process, was the 21st wide receiver selected and the second from a Football Championship Subdivision school.
Lewis, 6-4, is the tallest wide receiver on the Bills roster.
“When I watch him on tape, he was so much fun to watch,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “Look at how long he is. [He] can stride it out and beat you over the top. A little nifty after the catch, too, for such a long, tall receiver.”
— Arkansas Democrat-Gazette