Fresno State Athletics
Mankins Selected in First Round of NFL Draft
4/23/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 23, 2005
FRESNO, Calif. - Bulldog offensive tackle Logan Mankins, the 2004 Fresno State team MVP, was selected in the first round of the NFL draft today by the New England Patriots. Mankins is projected to play guard in the NFL. He was the 32nd player selected overall.
"I'm so proud of Logan," said Fresno State coach Pat Hill. "He worked so hard from the first day he stepped on campus and to have him become an NFL first-round pick is a testament to his ability and work ethic. As I said before, he is the best college lineman I've ever coached and to be the fourth linemen taken in the NFL draft shows how special a player he is."
Mankins, a first-team All-Western Athletic Conference selection, stamped himself as one of the best linemen in Fresno State history during his stellar career. During his senior season, he was one of the premier lineman in the nation and selected to play in the East-West Shrine game and the Senior Bowl. Mankins had over 80 pancake blocks for the season and graded out higher then 90% for the entire season, a coaching grade given out. That percentage is 10% higher than the normal standard for offensive line play. He was first Bulldog offensive lineman to ever win the team MVP award.
Logan Mankins Career Highlights
- Started 40 consecutive games in which he's been in uniform at left tackle (Missed all of 2003 with a knee injury).
- Did not allowed a sack in 387 consecutive pass plays to end his career
- Allowed just three QB sacks in 40 career games
- Was an integral offensive cog in the 2001 Bulldog offense that became the first in NCAA history to produce a 4,000 passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and two 1,000-yard receivers
- Protected David Carr's blindside as a redshirt freshman, earning first-team Freshman All-America honors
- Selected second-team All-America as a senior leading Fresno State to a No. 22 national ranking
- Paved the way for the Bulldog offense that averaged 40.2 points per game, fifth-best in the NCAA
Fresno State's football program continues to produce players for the NFL draft on a regular basis. Mankins is the second first-round pick in four years for Fresno State. Former Bullldog David Carr was the top pick of the 2002 draft. Last season receiver Bernard Berrian was chosen in the third round by the Chicago Bears.
Mankins is the 11th Bulldog to be selected among the top 100 picks since the Bulldogs joined the WAC in 1992. That figure is more than any other non-BCS school. He is the fourth Bulldog to be taken in the first round since 1990.
Last season, 15 former Bulldogs were on NFL rosters on the opening weekend, the second-highest total of any non-BCS school and the best-most among western non-BCS schools. Fresno State's total ranks as high or higher than several notable BCS programs such as Iowa, Oregon, Virginia, Arkansas, Clemson, North Carolina State, Oregon State, Oklahoma State, Minnesota, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Missouri and Kentucky. Leading the non-BCS schools is Southern Mississippi with 16 NFL players, followed by Fresno State with 15.
Since Fresno State joined the WAC, the Bulldogs have had 23 players selected in the NFL Draft. For four consecutive years, the Bulldogs have had at least one player taken among the top 100 selections, which primarily encompasses the first three rounds. Those are the best figures of any current WAC program and more than several notable non-BCS schools.
