By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer
Friday, April 29, 2011
The "Dancing Bear" is now a Carolina Panther.
USF DT Terrell McClain, who carried the nickname throughout his four years with the Bulls, was picked by Carolina with the opening pick of the third round of the draft Friday.
"I'm really excited to go to Carolina," McClain told USF's official website, GoUSFbulls.com. "I had a great time there when we played in the bowl game at the end of last season. This is a dream come true, and I can't wait to get my career started."
McClain was part of the Bulls team that beat Clemson in December's Car Care Bowl.
"It's a blessing just to get drafted. And then being drafted by one of the teams I was looking forward to playing with, it's truly a blessing," McClain said. "The whole stadium is beautiful. With the hotel we stayed at, I got to walk around. It's a great environment for football."
The Pensacola native drew strong interest from several teams, at USF's pro day in March and amid a busy schedule of personal workouts and visits since.
McClain said Carolina's coaching staff gave him a clear indication of what it wants from him.
"Being disruptive," McClain said. "I'm going to make as big of an impact as I can. I'm going to come in and be one of the hardest workers out there."
McClain is the third USF defensive lineman selected in the past two drafts after Jason Pierre-Paul (first round by the Giants) and George Selvie (seventh round by the Rams).
From the get-go: Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher believes G/C Rodney Hudson, picked in the second round by the Chiefs, can contribute right away.
"He's one that's going to come to work every day," Fisher said of Hudson, who is expected to play center for Kansas City. "He's extremely smart and totally committed to playing football and has a passion to be great."
THIS AND THAT: TE Robert Housler, taken in the third round by the Cardinals, is the second Florida Atlantic player ever drafted. QB Rusty Smith went in the sixth round to the Titans last year. … In the second round, the Broncos took G Orlando Franklin, the first pick out of Miami, which went without a first-round pick for the third year in a row.
Information from Times wires was used in this report.
