Wake Forest Athletics
Nine Deacons Headed To The NFL
4/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 29, 2007
New York, NY - Two Deacons were taken in the 2007 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York on Sunday. Safety Josh Gattis was selected by Jacksonville in the fifth round (150th overall) and offensive guard Steve Vallos was drafted in the seventh round (232nd overall) by Seattle.
It marks the first time since 2003 that multiple Demon Deacons were taken in the draft. That year, Calvin Pace, Ovie Mughelli and Montique Sharpe were selected in the first, fourth and seventh rounds, respectively.
Gattis becomes the third Wake Forest player to become a Jacksonville Jaguar, following offensive guard Ben Coleman (1995-99) and long snapper Joe Zelenka (2001-present).
Gattis is the highest Wake Forest draft pick since Mughelli was taken in the fourth round of the 2003 draft by Baltimore. Gattis' former secondary teammate Eric King was also a fifth-round pick (154th overall) in 2005.
Gattis is familiar with Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, the Jaguars' home field. Wake Forest won the 2006 ACC Championship in Jacksonville, Fla., on December 2. Gattis made three tackles in that game and broke up a pass.
For the second straight year, the Seahawks used their seventh-round pick on a Demon Deacon. Last year, it was punter Ryan Plackemeier. This year, it was Vallos.
Fourteen years ago, in 1993, the Seahawks used their seventh round choice on Wake Forest defensive end Mike McCrary who went on to become a Pro Bowl performer. Vallos becomes the fifth former Demon Deacon to play for the Seahawks, joining Ed Bradley (1976), Ricky Proehl (1995-96), McCrary (1993-96) and Plackemeier (2006-current).
A 2006 honorable mention Sports Illustrated All-American, Gattis was the second-leading vote-getter for the All-ACC team behind only first round pick Gaines Adams.
A native of Durham, N.C., Gattis was the vocal and emotional leader of Wake Forest's defense. He was named ACC Defensive Back of the Week on October 16 and October 30, the only player in the ACC to win the award twice in 2006. Gattis was the only player in the ACC with both five interceptions and 70 tackles. He tied for third in the ACC with five interceptions and tied for sixth in the ACC with 12 passes defended.
A true play-maker, Gattis third on the team in tackles, had seven pass breakups, five interceptions, 5.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He intercepted passes in four straight games against Clemson, NC State, North Carolina and Boston College. The pick against NC State clinched a Deacon victory.
Vallos, a native of Boardman, Ohio, was the vocal and emotional leaders of Wake Forest's offense. Vallos was named a first team All-American by Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News. He was a first team All-ACC pick and one website even selected him as the conference's Player of the Year. Vallos won the ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week award twice and graded out at 90 percent for the season, the best final score of his career. He had 92.5 knockdown blocks, 23 more than any other teammate.
Vallos enjoyed one of his best career games with an ACC Championship game berth on the line at Maryland when he earned a career-best 96 percent to go with 10 knockdown blocks. Vallos had eight 90 percent performances as a senior.
Vallos played both tackle and both guard sports during his four years. He started all 48 games in his career, the most by a Wake Forest player in history.
