OMAHA, Neb.—Nebraska’s Matt Slauson heard a voice from the past when the New York Jets called to tell him they had taken him in the sixth round of the NFL draft.
It was none other than former Cornhuskers coach Bill Callahan on the other end. Callahan became the Jets’ assistant head coach and offensive line coach after getting fired at Nebraska in December 2007, and he wanted to congratulate Slauson on his big day.
“He said I’m a great, great player and he’s lucky to have me,” Slauson said Sunday night. “I said, ‘No, I’m the lucky one. I’m going to come in and work as hard as I possibly can.'”
Slauson was one of three Huskers drafted, the same number as last year.
Linebacker Cody Glenn was the first to go, as a fifth-round pick of the Washington Redskins. After Slauson went in the sixth round, fellow offensive lineman Lydon Murtha was taken by the Detroit Lions in the seventh.
Among Nebraska players who went undrafted were defensive end Zach Potter, running back Marlon Lucky, quarterback Joe Ganz and receiver Nate Swift.
Slauson said he was feeling antsy as the draft progressed Sunday. He said it crossed his mind that he might go to the Jets because of his connection with Callahan.
“Sure enough, he called me,” Slauson said. “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have been at Nebraska. He took a shot on me when I was a no-name guy, and he took a shot on me now. I won’t let him down.”
Slauson’s take on Callahan Sunday was a bit different than it was last fall.
Slauson told reporters in October that he felt as if he were a “side of beef” who was “used and abused” in a football-as-a-business culture that took root during the Callahan era at Nebraska.
Reminded of those comments Sunday, Slauson said, “I won’t get into it a whole lot.”
Slauson, from Colorado Springs, Colo., said he owes a debt of gratitude to Callahan for bringing him to Nebraska just before fall camp started in 2005.
“I’ve said time and time again, everyone knows I know coach Callahan is one of the best offensive line coaches in the business,” Slauson said. “I couldn’t be more happy that I get to play for him. You know what, he has pretty much saved my career twice now. He has done great things with the offensive line with the Jets in just the past year, and now I get the opportunity to be part of that.
“They have a great starting five, but I have the chance and opportunity to slip in as a backup guy. This is going to be great.”
Some 157 players were drafted before Glenn was taken in the fifth round.
Not since 1970 had it taken so long for a Nebraska player to be selected. Still, when Glenn’s phone rang, it took him by surprise.
Glenn, a running back until his senior season, played just nine games as a linebacker before getting suspended for the rest of the season for an undisclosed violation of team rules. Given his lack of experience at the position, Glenn said, he never dreamed of being a mid-round pick.
“I can’t put into words how excited I am,” Glenn said from Lincoln, where he was watching televised draft coverage with current Huskers Ndamukong Suh and David Harvey. “I was thinking I’d go in the sixth or seventh round, or maybe as a free agent.”
The drafting of Glenn marked the end of the longest wait for a Nebraska player to be selected since tight end Jim McFarland was the 164th pick (seventh round) by the St. Louis Cardinals 39 years ago.
The 6-foot, 244-pound Glenn, from Rusk, Texas, spent most of last season at weakside linebacker. But he moved to the middle for the Kansas game and was the team’s third-leading tackler at the time of his suspension.
Linebacker was a major need for the Redskins after the February departure of Marcus Washington, and they drafted Glenn and Robert Henson of TCU. Both are projected as candidates for special teams initially.
“If they put me in at linebacker, I’m up for the challenge,” Glenn said. “I really just need a better overall understanding of the position. I have quite a bit to learn.”
Glenn said he knew the Redskins had been interested in him. He met with coach Jim Zorn and defensive coordinator Greg Blache at the NFL scouting combine in February, and the team had been in contact with his agent in recent weeks.
“I’m ready to play right now,” Glenn said. “It’s been a while.”
The 6-7, 306-pound Murtha, from Hutchinson, Minn., teamed with Slauson to form an impressive right side of the Nebraska line. Murtha started games each of his four seasons at Nebraska, but his lengthy injury history took some of the shine off the excellent marks he posted in physical testing at the scouting combine.
Murtha will be joining a moribund team that won no games last year.
“I know they struggled last year and got a new staff, so that’s going to be exciting to be a part of,” he said. “It could work out as a perfect opportunity for me, because maybe there’s a better chance of me going in there and contending than maybe with a team that’s already set.”
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