April 28, 2007
LAS VEGAS - Cornerback Eric Wright, the first UNLV football player to ever leave school early to play professionally, went higher in the NFL Draft on Saturday than any Rebel since iconic running back Ickey Woods in 1988.
Wright (5-11, 190) was selected with the 21st pick in the second round by the Cleveland Browns, which put him 53rd overall.
The graduate of Riordan High School in San Francisco was selected earlier than any Rebel since Woods became the highest-ever pick from the school at No. 31 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals. The only other UNLV player to go higher in the draft's history was quarterback Randall Cunningham, who went 37th overall to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1985.
Wright, who was the fifth cornerback selected this year, is the first UNLV player to go as high as the second round since Anton Palepoi in 2002 went 60th to the Seattle Seahawks. This marked only the second time in history that a Rebel was drafted by the Browns, joining defensive end Ron Crews way back in 1980's fourth round (99th overall).
Wright spent two years at UNLV after transferring from USC. He redshirted 2005 and then last fall played in nine of 12 games at cornerback en route to earning second team All-Mountain West Conference honors. He was leading the league in passes defended with 2.0 per game before missing three straight games (Colorado State, New Mexico and BYU) because of a lingering knee injury from a previous season. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on Oct. 9 and made his return at Utah on Oct. 28, playing in the last five games and finishing with nine passes defended.
Wright totaled 29 tackles in 2006 along with one forced fumble and one interception, which he returned 32 yards at Iowa State. Also a speed-burner on special teams, he ranked second in the conference in kickoff returns with a 23.9-yard average. He also became a two-way player vs. TCU for the first time when he lined up on offense as both a wideout and quarterback vs. the Frogs. He finished the season with two carries for 36 yards rushing.
