NFL Draft Recap: Round Two
By Christopher Lyke
Texas HS Football Chief Editor

NEW YORK - Round two of the 2005 NFL Draft was all about the defense when it came to Texas and Louisiana players. Five of the six selected players from the two states in round two came on defense. Most notably the defensive backfield positions at cornerback and safety.

The Cleveland Browns, who are looking to improve its struggling defense, came into the 34th pick overall looking for whatelse, defensive help with defensive minded head Romeo Crennell now at the helm. Their selection was former Houston Westbury star Brodney Pool. Pool has been considered as the best defensive back in the Big 12 since Roy Williams surfaced on the scene.

In 39 games with the Sooners, Pool registered 171 tackles (113 solos) with two sacks for minus-14 yards and 15 stops for losses of 40 yards. He deflected 15 passes and gained 121 yards on nine interception returns and also caused two fumbles. At Westbury, Pool played both sides of the ball as a running back and free safety. He recorded 75 tackles and 11 interceptions as a senior and made 114 stops and four interceptions during his junior year. Pool also rushed for 159 yards on 40 attempts with two touchdowns and caught three passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns in his senior season.

Stanford Routt was better known for his track prescence at Houston than his football spotlight. But don't tell that to the Oakland Raiders, who selected Routt as the 39th overall pick in the 2005 draft. At Houston, he started 27 of the 47 games he played in, producing 136 tackles (111 solos) with three stops for losses of 15 yards, seven interceptions for 96 yards in returns, 23 pass breakups, a fumble recovery, a blocked kick and three kickoff returns for 36 yards (12.0 avg.).

Routt was a unanimous all-district selection at Pflugerville Connally High School, where he grabbed All-America honors in track. He ran the ninth-fastest time in the 200 meters nationally as a junior and was a state qualifier in both the 200-meters and 4x400-meter relay team. His football skills didn't reach its peak until after Routt dropped track in his junior year at the University of Houston.

Former Saint James football and basketball standout Corey Webster was taken 43rd overall by the New York Giants, who did not have a pick in the draft until Webster's selection. Webster became one of the most decorated defensive backs in LSU history. A two-time first-team All-American at cornerback for the Tigers, he was also a three-time first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection and was twice named a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award, which goes to college football's top defensive back.

Webster closed out his Tigers career with 117 tackles (88 solos), a 5-yard sack, 5½ stops for losses of 19 yards, a fumble recovery and three forced fumbles. He gained 181 yards on 16 interception returns and deflected 51 passes.

The Denver Broncos took Darrent Williams at 56th overall. Williams was listed by the Dallas Morning News on the area top-100 list and was named all-district three times at O.D. Wyatt (Fort Worth, Texas) High School. He was the Class 7-4A Defensive Most Valuable Player as a senior in football and also was named an All-America by Track and Field News.

Williams finished his Oklahoma State career with 173 tackles (132 solos) with eight stops for losses of 30 yards, a fumble recovery for a 53-yard return, three forced fumbles and 37 pass breakups. He gained 282 yards on 11 interceptions (25.6 avg.) and five touchdowns. His five scoring returns set school and conference career records. In addition, Williams returned 22 punts for 482 yards (21.9 avg.) and three touchdowns, adding 83 yards on four kickoff returns (20.8 avg.).

Two picks after Darrent Williams was selected, the Green Bay Packers went wide receiver after being surprised with QB Aaron Rodgers sitting at the 24 spot in the first round. Terrence Murphy was named Offensive Most Valuable Player in District 15-4A as a quarterback at Chapel Hill High School. He passed for 1,149 yards and 11 touchdowns while completing 65 of 158 passes and also rushed for 512 yards and seven touchdowns on 92 carries as a senior.

Murphy finished his Texas A&M career with 29 starts in 45 games. He caught 172 passes for 2,600 yards (15.1 avg.) and ten touchdowns. He shattered the previous school career records of 117 receptions for 1,740 yards by Bethel Johnson (1999-2002). Murphy also gained 209 yards on 17 carries (12.3 avg.) with a score and returned 31 kickoffs for 761 yards (24.5 avg.). Only Carl Roaches (1,087, 1972-75), Leeland McElroy (1,099, 1993-95) and Rod Harris (1,209, 1985-88) had more yards on kickoff returns in a career at Texas A&M.

The very next pick the Atlanta Falcons selected a defensive tackle who came from a school that no longer exists. Jonathan Babineaux of Port Arthur Lincoln, played linebacker and end on defense along with fullback on offense, and handled punting duties (averaged 40 yards per punt). He also played on the Lincoln basketball team which was ranked number one in the state of Texas and also lettered in baseball.

Babineaux played in 42 games for the Hawkeyes, including 32 contests on defense. He recorded 131 tackles (84 solos) with 19 sacks for minus-99 yards, 39 stops for losses of 151 yards, 24 quarterback pressures, four fumble recoveries, five forced fumbles, an interception and two pass deflections.

In his final year at Iowa, he collected 55 tackles (41 solos) as he led the Big Ten and ranked 11th in the nation with 11 sacks. He led the conference and ranked second in the nation with 25 stops behind the line of scrimmage, registered 12 pressures with three fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles. His 25 stops for losses also set a school single-season record.