Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons in the NFL Draft
5/7/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
May 7, 2014
By Currie McFayden, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeFB)
NEW YORK CITY - With the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft set to kick off on Thursday night at 8 p.m. inside the Radio City Music Hall, several Demon Deacons will be looking to hear their names called during the three-day event.
Wake Forest had one player selected during the 2013 draft as fullback Tommy Bohanon went in the seventh round (215th overall) to the New York Jets. Despite being a late pick, Bohanon quickly established himself and was the starting fullback for the squad for the entire season, rushing 17 times for 62 yards and hauling in 11 catches for 69 yards out of the backfield.
Following is a player-by-player look at the Wake Forest hopefuls heading into the draft:
WR Michael Campanaro
Wake Forest's all-time leader in receptions, Campanaro was a staple of the Demon Deacon offense throughout his career. Despite playing in just eight games during his senior season, he made 67 catches to end his highly-decorated career with 229 grabs, topping the previous school record held by Desmond Clark.
Campanaro currently holds the ACC record for receptions in a single game with 16, a mark that he achieved twice while donning the old gold and black. The first came in a 28-14 victory over Boston College on Nov. 3, 2012, while the second was in a hotly-contested 21-19 setback against Louisiana-Monroe on Sept. 14, 2013. The shifty receiver earned Second Team All-ACC honors following his junior and senior seasons.
He also shined at the NFL Combine in February with an impressive 20 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, just three shy of the top mark at the event despite coming off a broken collarbone in early November. The former Demon Deacon also starred in the 40-yard dash with an official time of 4.46, putting him right on par with likely first-round picks Odell Beckham and Sammy Watkins, each of whom ran a 4.43.
RB Josh Harris
A mainstay in the backfield for the Demon Deacons over the last four years, Harris is a powerful runner who finished his career with 489 carries for 2,230 yards, the eighth-most in school history. He is also one of just 11 Wake Forest running backs to cross the 2,000-yard threshold for his career.
Harris might be best known for his explosive game against Virginia Tech on Oct. 16, 2010, during his freshman season. In his first career start, he turned 20 carries into 241 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including an 87-yard run that stands as the third-longest offensive play in Wake Forest history. Following the 2010 season, Harris earned Honorable Mention Freshman All-America accolades from College Football News.
The former Deacon wrapped up his collegiate career with 19 rushing touchdowns, tying him with Anthony Williams and the legendary Brian Piccolo for seventh all-time at Wake Forest.
DL/FB Nikita Whitlock
One of the top defensive linemen in the ACC, Whitlock became just the seventh Demon Deacon to earn First or Second Team All-ACC honors three times, capped by a First Team selection following the 2013 season.
Whitlock was a stalwart player on the interior of the defensive line, racking up 20 sacks in just 46 appearances over his four years in the old gold and black. While he was certainly a solid player in his first three seasons, the former Demon Deacon truly broke out during his senior campaign in 2013, recording 82 tackles (19 for loss), nine sacks and a pair of forced fumbles.
During the offseason, he has been working as a fullback and participated in the drills for the position at Wake Forest's Pro Day in March, looking strong as a pass catcher coming out of the backfield.
DE Kristopher Redding
A consistently disruptive presence breaking into the backfield, Redding finished his career at Wake Forest with 64 tackles (8.5 for loss) and four sacks across 41 games for the Demon Deacons.
Redding was selected to play in the Medal of Honor Bowl in Charleston in January and has been training at Atlanta's Chip Smith Performance since then. At Wake Forest's Pro Day, the defensive end posted strong marks of 26 reps on the bench press, 32.5 inches on his vertical leap and 9'6" on his broad jump, flashing his explosive athletic ability.
QB Tanner Price
A four-year starter and one of the most decorated quarterbacks in Wake Forest history, Price finished his career with 8,899 yards on 824-of-1,451 passing for 52 touchdowns, all marks that are second in school history to only Riley Skinner.
Price led the Demon Deacons to the 2011 Music City Bowl, pairing with Chris Givens and Michael Campanaro to form a potent aerial attack on offense. That season, he became only the second quarterback in school history after Skinner to cross the 3,000-yard mark through the air, finishing with 3,017 passing yards.
Again following in the footsteps of Skinner, Price became just the second quarterback to lead Wake Forest in passing yards for four consecutive seasons (2010-13).
