Bears talk about Johnny Knox / Knox drafted by Chicago Bears / Bears' area scout talks about Knox
Bengals talk about Bernard Scott / Transcript of Scott interview with Cincinnati media
ABILENE -- Johnny Knox was so excited to have been selected by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round of Sunday's NFL Draft that he did something he hasn't been able to do very much over the course of the last few months of training.
He took a nap.
Worn out from the demands of scouts, coaches, a ringing cell phone and constant workouts in preparation for the draft, the former ACU all-America wide receiver basically collapsed Sunday afternoon after he learned the Bears had taken him with the 140th pick of the 2009 draft.
"I've been so tired the last few weeks, but it's all worth it now," Knox said from his home in Houston where he watched the draft coverage with family and friends, his girlfriend and daughter. "After the Bears drafted me and I talked to them for a little while, I had to take a nap."
Knox, though, wasn't the only former Wildcat enjoying the second day of the draft as former all-America running back and 2008 Harlon Hill Award winner Bernard Scott heard his name called in the sixth round (209th pick) by Cincinnati.
"The wait was pretty nerve-wracking, but it's all worth it," Scott said from a relative's home in Arlington where his family gathered for a draft-watching party. "I really didn't watch too much of the draft, to be honest. I let my mom watch it and keep track of it. I tried to keep my mind off it for as long as I could."
Knox became the first Wildcat to be drafted since 2006 when the Bears made former all-America defensive back Danieal Manning their first pick of the draft (second round, 42nd overall pick). Knox said he had already talked to Manning and was excited about the prospect of joining the former Wildcat in the Windy City.
"I'm really excited to be joining the Bears, and I'm really excited that I'll have a chance to play on the same team with a former ACU guy," Knox said. "We talked for a little while and he told me I was going to be in a great situation with a great organization."
As for Scott, the Bengals were one of the teams he had talked to before the draft, and he joins a team that lacked a consistent running game in 2008. Former No. 1 draft choices Cedric Benson and Chris Perry combined for just 1,016 yards and four touchdowns on the ground last season.
"He's had an outstanding career," Cincinnati running backs coach Jim Anderson said. "He's been a really good football player, and he's dominated the competition. I expect him to come in here and be a productive player for us for many years to come."
Scott, of course, had to answer questions about his past, which includes multiple arrests and being enrolled at four different colleges and universities.
"I'm not bothered by those questions," Scott said. "I'm willing to fess up to those things and answer those questions. I wouldn't change anything that's happened to me, because I believe all of those experiences have made me the person I am today. I can't worry about what people say or write. I know who I am today, and I know what kind of person I am."
For his part, Anderson defended Scott's past to the assembled media in Cincinnati.
"He's had a little bit of a troubled past, but that was when he was a young guy," Anderson said. "I had a chance to visit with him at the combine and during the course of this entire process. I thoroughly investigated a lot of the things that happened to him, and I feel comfortable with him.
"Give the kid a chance," he said. "Let him come in here and do what he can do. He's a young guy and he's learned a lot. Because of his talent level, maybe he didn't merit being picked this low. Maybe he should have been picked higher. But I think he'll come in here and be a heck of a citizen. We're glad he's with us."
Both Wildcats will be going to teams with young franchise quarterbacks: Carson Palmer in Cincinnati and newly acquired Jay Cutler in Chicago.
"I'm excited about getting to Chicago and getting on the field with Cutler," Knox said. "I've obviously seen him play on television, and I'm looking forward to having the chance to play in the NFL with a quarterback of his ability."
The Bears -- whose leading receiver last year was running back Matt Forte with 64 catches for 484 yards and two touchdowns -- drafted receivers Juaquin Iglesias of Oklahoma in the third round, Knox in the fifth round and Derek Kinder of Pittsburgh in the seventh round.
Knox, who ran a hand-timed 4.25 at the NFL Combine in February, could give the Bears another element of speed to complement defensive back-turned-receiver Devin Hester, who caught 52 passes for 665 yards and three touchdowns in 2008.
The Bears -- who took Manning early in the 2006 draft and have seen him play in 47 games with more than 30 starts in the three seasons since -- had no qualms about taking another player from an NCAA Division II institution.
"He comes from a smaller level of competition, but the physical skills really stand out," Chicago's Director of College Scouting Greg Gabriel said. "He's going to have a bit of a learning curve, but the physical tools really stand out. The athletic skills and the speed were just too good to pass up."
Both players will report to their respective teams later this week for each team's rookie camps, which begin Thursday.
OTHER NFL DRAFT NOTES
* Sunday marked the first time since 1983 that ACU has had multiple players selected in the same NFL Draft.
The last time ACU had more than one player drafted was 1983 when center Grant Feasel went to the Colts in the sixth round and wide receiver Steve Parker went to the Patriots in the 11th round. The 2009 draft marks the ninth time that ACU has had multiple players selected with the record being three players picked in both the 1956 and 1977 drafts.
In 1956, the San Francisco 49ers selected end Charley Smith in the eighth round, back Gene Boyd in the 15th round and back Paul Goad in the 25th round. In 1977, Johnny Perkins was selected by the Giants in the second round, while running back Wilbert Montgomery went to Philadelphia in the sixth round and placekicker Ove Johansson went to the Houston Oilers in the 12th round.
* Knox became ACU's all-time leader in touchdown receptions in 2008, finishing his two-year career with 30 TD receptions. He also finished in the top 10 in ACU history in catches and receiving yards.
* Scott, the 2008 Harlon Hill Award winner as the top player in NCAA Division II football, became ACU's all-time leading rusher in just two seasons, piling up 4,321 yards in just 25 games (172.8 yards per game). He topped the 2,000-yard mark twice, becoming the only player in LSC history to put together multiple 2,000-yard rushing seasons. His 63 rushing touchdowns are second in ACU history, and his 73 total touchdowns are second in both ACU and LSC history.
* Former West Texas A&M quarterback Keith Null was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the sixth round (196th pick).
* Six NCAA Division II players were selected in the 2009 NFL Draft: Stillman defensive tackle Sammie Lee Hill (third round, Detroit); St. Paul's cornerback Greg Toler (fourth round, Arizona); Knox (fifth round, Chicago); Nebraska-Omaha tight end Zach Miller (sixth round, Jacksonville); Null (sixth round, St. Louis); and Scott (sixth round, Cincinnati).
* ACU quarterback Billy Malone said Sunday night that the Bengals were among the teams that called him after the draft to discuss his interest in signing a free-agent contract. The Lone Star Conference's all-time leading passer said he would know something Monday from the Bengals, who earlier this spring sent quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese to Abilene for a private workout with Malone.
