Keep Hoop Alive: First-Rounder Kendall Wright Joins Select Circle

Baylor wide receiver Kendall Wright, a basketball player in college before concentrating solely on football, was rumored to have his NFL draft stock falling. But Wright, standing his ground as if he was taking a charge, was chosen in the first round (20th selection overall) by the Tennessee Titans.

Wright collected 10 points and 6 rebounds in 13 basketball games as a freshman in 2008-09. He finished his collegiate career as the most prolific receiver in Baylor history, setting or tying 16 school records. Wright led the Bears with 108 receptions for 1,663 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior in 2011. He had two games with more than 200 yards - Kansas State and Oklahoma (including an 87-yard TD from Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III). The Titans had a similar ex-hoopster wide receiver in the NFL playoffs following the 2008 campaign when Justin Gage (Missouri) caught 10 passes in a 13-10 loss against the Baltimore Ravens.

Historically, the first 15 NFL drafts from 1936 through 1950 had a former college basketball regular selected among the top 10 picks. Four of the top six choices and five of the top 11 in the 1957 draft were ex-college hoopsters. In 1963, five of the top 22 picks, including four from schools that have always been or subsequently became members of the Big Ten Conference, were in the same category.

Wright, who broke the Texas Bowl record with 12 catches vs. Illinois in 2010, is the fourth ex-Baylor hoopster to become an NFL first-round draft pick. He joins the following alphabetical list of NFL first-round draft choices who played varsity college basketball for a major university:

*Bechtol played in the AAFC, where he was a second-round pick (9th overall).