Julie'n Davenport Likely to Become Bucknell's First NFL Draft Pick Since 1969

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- NFL Draft day has arrived, and Bucknell football fans will be keyed in on the proceedings hoping to see one of their own selected for the first time in 48 years. Julie'n Davenport, a consensus All-America left tackle who will graduate in a few weeks with a degree in political science, is projected by most national pundits to be taken somewhere in rounds 2-5.

The NFL Draft gets underway Thursday evening with the first round starting at 8 p.m. The second and third rounds will be Friday at 7 p.m., followed by the fourth through seventh rounds on Saturday starting at noon. The entire draft will be televised on ESPN and the NFL Network, and it will also be online via WatchESPN.

Since the Bison football season ended last November, Davenport has participated in the prestigious Reese's Senior Bowl as well as the NFL Scouting Combine. He has worked out for numerous NFL teams both privately and at a pro day at Bucknell last month. Standing 6'7" and weighing in at 318 pounds, Davenport's measured arm length of 36.5" and his wingspan of 87.5" are among the longest in the draft.

A four-time All-Patriot League selection and a two-year team captain, Davenport started all 44 games at left tackle in his Bucknell career. This past year, Davenport earned All-America honors from STATS, Walter Camp Football Foundation, Associated Press and AFCA.

Bucknell has had six players selected in the NFL Draft, most recently Sam Havrilak, who was taken in the eighth round (207th overall) by the Baltimore Colts in 1969. Havrilak, a quarterback at Bucknell who played wide receiver in the NFL, spent five seasons with the Colts and another with the New Orleans Saints. He caught 51 passes and scored seven touchdowns in his pro career. He won a Super Bowl as a member of the Colts.

Bucknell's highest NFL Draft selection is George Kiick, who was a third-round choice of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1940 (the team would be renamed the Steelers prior to the start of the 1940 season).

Here is a complete list of Bucknell players taken in the NFL Draft:

1969 - Sam Havrilak (8th round, Baltimore Colts)
1953 - Brad Myers (9th round, Los Angeles Rams)
1947 - Tom Rodgers (29th round, Boston Yanks)
1944 - Walter Szot (18th round, Chicago Cardinals)
1940 - George Kiick (3rd round, Pittsburgh Pirates)
1939 - Lou Tomasetti (11th round, Pittsburgh Pirates)

It should also be noted that Tom Mitchell, Bucknell's star wide receiver from the 1960s, was a third-round selection by the Oakland Raiders in the 1966 AFL Draft. Mitchell went on to play 11 seasons with the Raiders, Colts and San Francisco 49ers. He was teammates with Havrilak on the Colts' Super Bowl-winning team in 1970.

Bucknell has had other alumni make it in the NFL as undrafted free agents, most recently Sean Conover, who played with the Tennessee Titans in 2006 and 2007 and later was on the practice squads with the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions. A total of 42 Bucknell alumni have suited up in an NFL game.

Davenport has generated quite a bit of buzz leading up to the NFL Draft. Below are some links to articles and videos from the last several weeks.

Might @Bucknell_Bison OT Julie'n Davenport be the Bucs' next small-school sensation? My one-on-one with him here: https://t.co/DIT361r8DJ
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) April 11, 2017