Valdes-Scantling & Senat Selected In NFL Draft
TAMPA, APRIL 28, 2018 – USF wide receiver
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (St. Petersburg) realized his dream when he was selected in the fifth round with the 174
th overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers on Saturday.
Valdes-Scantling joined defensive tackle
Deadrin Senat (Immokalee), selected in the third round by the Atlanta Falcons on Friday, to give USF two selections in the 2018 Draft. He will join former teammate Kofi Amichia in Green Bay. The former Bulls' offensive tackle was selected in the sixth round by the Packers last season.
The two Bulls selected in the draft were part of an American Athletic Conference record 18 players selected in 2018, a mark that bettered the record of 15 set last year.
USF saw its third straight season with multiple selections in the NFL Draft and had its total number of NFL Draft picks rise to 30 in 21 years of the program, 19 of those selected in the last seven drafts.
Valdes-Scantling became the second straight USF wide receiver selected in the NFL Draft and the fourth overall. His selection comes on the heels of wide receiver Rodney Adams being taken in the fifth round by the Minnesota Vikings last year. Both Bulls displayed tremendous speed at the NFL Combine with Valdes-Scantling running a 4.37 40-yard dash in 2018 and Adams a 4.44 in 2017.
Valdes-Scantling (5th Round, Pick No. 174): Valdes-Scantling led USF with 53 receptions for 879 yards and six touchdowns in 2017 while averaging 16.6 yards per catch. His 879 receiving yards set a new program season mark as he posted three 100-yard receiving games, including 133 yards and a touchdown on just three catches in the Bulls' Birmingham Bowl victory over Texas Tech. He set a USF career record averaging 17.3 yards per catch in his two seasons and owns two of the top five receiving yardage games in USF history, including 186 yards on 10 catches vs Houston. Valdes-Scantling's 95-yard touchdown reception at UConn last year is tied for the longest reception in USF history and he also posted a 75-yard touchdown run at ECU. A transfer to USF after playing two seasons at N.C. State, Valdes-Scantling finished his collegiate career with 119 receptions for 1,832 yards and 12 touchdowns. The 6-5, 207-pounder was one of the fastest players at the 2018 NFL Combine posting a blazing 4.37 in the 40-yard dash.
Deadrin Senat (3rd Round, Pick No. 90): Senat's selection with the 90
th pick overall was the highest for a Bull since Kayvon Webster was taken in the third round with the 90
th overall pick by the Denver Broncos in 2013. He is the sixth Bulls' defensive lineman to be selected in the NFL Draft and the first since Aaron Lynch was selected in the fifth round by the San Francisco 49ers in 2014. Senat is USFs' highest defensive lineman selected since Terrell McClain was taken in the third round with the 65
th overall pick by the Carolina Panthers in 2011.
A two-time all-conference selection,
Senat earned first team honors in 2017 after a career-best year in which he posted 10.5 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks to go with his 66 tackles, which ranked second on the team. The powerful defensive lineman averaged 7.4 tackles per game over his final eight games and capped his career with three sacks vs. Texas Tech in the Bulls' Birmingham Bowl victory. A three-year starter for the Bulls with 36 career starts at defensive tackle, Senat finished his USF career with 179 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks.
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
USF posted its second straight 10-win season in 2017 (10-2) by winning its second straight Birmingham Bowl with a 38-34 victory over Texas Tech. USF is one of just 14 teams nationally to win 20-plus games in the last two seasons (21-4) and has spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the top 25, reaching as high as No. 13 in Week 8 of the 2017 season. The Bulls have won five of their last six bowl appearances and made nine (6-3) total bowl appearances in 21 seasons, including a current run of three straight bowls. USF won a program-record 11 games in 2016 (11-2) and has posted 14 winning seasons. The USF program, which first took the field in 1997, reached No. 2 in the rankings in 2007 and has seen 28 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and had 32 first-team all-conference selections.
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