It was a long nine hours Saturday for LSU football players Bradie James, Domanick Davis, LaBrandon Toefield and Norman LeJeune as the first three rounds of the 2003 NFL Draft passed before them without calling their names.
But neither Davis, James or Toefield had to wait long Sunday to join the ranks of the professionals as they were all picked in the fourth round — Sunday’s first round. Norman LeJeune joined them three rounds later.
Domanick Davis, running back – 101st pick, 4th round
Davis became the first LSU player selected in the 2003 draft when the Houston Texans selected him as the fourth pick of the fourth round (101st overall). He is the first LSU running back selected since the Green Bay Packers drafted Rondell Mealey in 2000.
He holds two Southeastern Conference records — 2,120 single-season all-purpose yards and 3,294 career return yards — and ranks second on the all-time SEC list with 5,743 all-purpose yards.
Davis joins Louisiana native and former Ohio State standout Jonathan Wells, James Allen and Stacey Mack in the Texans’ backfield.
Wells led the Texans with 529 rushing yards last season, followed by Allen with 519 yards.
The Texans will use Davis mainly as a return specialist and third down back but hope he can compete for the starting job.
Bradie James, linebacker – 103rd pick, 4th round
The Dallas Cowboys picked Bradie James two picks later (103rd overall) to help fill the hole left by Kevin Hardy’s departure in its linebacking corp.
Projected as a second- or third-round pick, James slid to the fourth round and became the first LSU linebacker to be drafted since 1989.
James holds the LSU record with 154 tackles in one season and ranks second in LSU history with 418 tackles.
The All-American joins a Cowboys’ draft class with fellow First team All-America selection and Jim Thorpe winner Terence Newman of Kansas State.
LaBrandon Toefield, running back – 132nd pick, 4th round
With the 132nd pick in the draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Toefield.
This marks the first time two LSU running backs were selected in the same draft since Dalton Hilliard and Garry James both were picked in 1986.
Most analysts and football publications, including The Sporting News, believed Toefield would have been a first- or second-round pick if he had not been through two reconstructive knee surgeries and one arm surgery.
Ironically, Toefield joins a backfield with an injury-prone running back, Fred Taylor.
In five years with the Jaguars, Taylor played a complete season only once (2002) and has missed 24 games because of injuries in his short career. But last season, Taylor led the Jaguars with 1,314 yards and eight touchdowns.
Norman LeJeune, safety – 244th pick, 7th round
LeJeune became the fourth LSU player selected in the draft when the Philadelphia Eagles picked him in the seventh round with the 244th pick.
LeJeune joins arguably the best defensive backfield in the league — safeties Michael Lewis and Brian Dawkins and cornerbacks Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor.
“I like this guy,” said Gil Brandt, NFL analyst for nfl.com. “He’s a safety that can also play as the third corner. He was my fifth-round safety.”
Eagles’ coach Andy Reid held a press conference after the draft and said selecting LeJeune will add depth to the safety position after the release of safety Blaine Bishop.
LeJeune was the first LSU safety drafted since Mark Roman in 2000.
The Tigers have had nine players drafted in the past two years. Five LSU players were selected in last year’s draft — Josh Reed, Rohan Davey, Jarvis Green, Robert Royal and Howard Green.
Before that, no more than three LSU players were selected in the same draft since seven were picked in 1990.