rimingtontrophy.com

The 2009 NFL Draft was a kind one to Rimington Trophy alumni.

A total of six players from the 2008 Watch List were drafted in rounds one thru seven during last weekend’s annual event, including A.Q. Shipley and Jonathan Luigs, the 2008 and 2007 trophy winners, respectively.

Shipley, who was picked by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, told the Beaver County Times he was elated to hear his name called.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling. As a Steeler fan growing up, especially with me being from the Pittsburgh area, it meant the absolute world to me when I finally got the call and coach (Mike) Tomlin got on the phone,” said Shipley.

Shipley is a native of Coraopolis, PA who at one point shared the field at Moon Area High School with the son of former Steelers great Mike Webster. Among Shipley’s treasures is a handwritten letter Webster wrote encouraging him to excel at the center position.

Former Arkansas center Jonathan Luigs was selected in the fourth round by the Cincinnati Bengals. While the man in the middle for the Razorbacks will no doubt be missed in Fayetteville, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, he is pleased to have a quality player like Luigs.

“He is a big, strong guy – very, very smart. He was a pleasure in the time we spent with him in Indianapolis, and he was also in Mobile at the Senior Bowl, so we have been around him quite a bit,” said Lewis.

Luigs is scheduled to compete for the starting center position.

Finalists from the 2008 campaign were also rewarded.

University of California center Alex Mack was the first at his position to be selected in the draft, as the Cleveland Browns swooped him up after trading down from the number five slot.

Mack, who was made the 21st overall pick of the draft, impressed the Browns with his combination of athleticism and intelligence.

“They put me through a lot of meetings, had me meet a lot of people and coach (George) Warhop even had an o-line test for me after he tried to teach me some stuff. They were definitely really interested to see how well I actually learned the material,” said Mack, during his introductory press conference yesterday.

Soon after Mack, Louisville center Eric Wood followed suit and was selected No. 28 overall by the Buffalo Bills.

Wood’s reputation as a tough and durable player made him an attractive option for the Bills.

“We’re very optimistic about him. I really like his demeanor and his toughness and intelligence. He gives us depth at two positions at the very least because he has played center and we believe he can play guard,” head coach Dick Jauron told Bills.com

In the second round, Oregon center Max Unger was taken by the Seattle Seahawks.

Unger, also a finalist in the 2008 campaign, will get the opportunity to stay relatively close to his native Hawaii.

TCU’s Blake Schlueter was picked by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round.