NEW YORK - University of South Florida DB Mistral Raymond was selected 170th overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He becomes the Bulls 10th NFL Draft pick over the last three years and 18th overall in the program's 14-year history. Raymond is the first Bull to be selected by the Vikings.
"It has been a long journey and I'm so grateful to everyone that has helped me along the way," said Raymond. "I've worked extremely hard with this goal in mind, and now that it is real, I'm just excited to represent my family and USF as I move on to the NFL. I had great visits with the Vikings and I knew there was a chance they'd take me. I'm glad they did and I'm going to work as hard as I can to help them win games in the future."
With the selection, Raymond becomes the fifth Bulls' defensive back to be selected in the last three NFL Drafts and the seventh defensive back overall. Last season, Nate Allen was drafted in the second round by the Philadelphia Eagles and Jerome Murphy went in the third round to the St. Louis Rams. In 2008, Mike Jenkins was drafted with the 25th overall pick by the Dallas Cowboys and Trae Williams went in the fifth round to the Eagles.
"Mistral is a great success story," said USF head coach Skip Holtz. "He walked-on and really earned his way into this position and I'm excited about the opportunity he has. He'll bring a lot of flexibility to the Vikings because he can play corner and safety. He has great range, and when you combine it with his work ethic, he'll definitely have a chance to succeed at the next level."
Raymond played in 25 career games, starting 15, during his two-year playing career with USF that saw him go from walk-on to starter and captain. He tallied 96 tackles, 6.5 TFL, two INTs and seven PBU. Last season, Raymond earned second-team All-BIG EAST honors after posting 56 tackles, 4.5 TFL, an INT and seven PBU.
"I'm so happy for Mistral," said defensive backs coach Rick Smith. "I know this is a dream come true for him. He was a wonderful young man to coach and he did everything we asked him to do. He's an old-school type player and he's got so much passion for the game, which is going to help him be successful in the NFL."
