By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Tying a school record for most selections in a seven-round NFL Draft, Baylor football had four players picked in the first three rounds and six overall with Saturday's Day 3 picks of running back Trestan Ebner by the Chicago Bears and cornerback Kalon "Boogie" Barnes by the Carolina Panthers.
            After a busy second day that saw safety Jalen Pitre (Houston Texans) and wide receiver Tyquan Thornton (New England) drafted in the second round and safety JT Woods (Los Angeles Chargers) and linebacker Terrel Bernard (Buffalo) picked in the third round, the Bears took Ebner in the sixth round with the 203^rd overall pick and the Bills grabbed Barnes in the seventh round at No. 242 overall.
            Baylor also had six players drafted in 2016, including wide receiver Corey Coleman to the Cleveland Browns in the first round. That year, cornerback Xavien Howard, defensive tackle Andrew Billings, offensive tackle Spencer Drango and long snapper Jimmy Landes were also picked off a 10-win football team, while the Dallas Cowboys took Rico Gathers as a tight end off the men's basketball team.
            Ebner was the only running back that Chicago selected in an 11-player draft class, the Bears' most selections in 14 years. Former Iowa State running back David Montgomery lead Chicago in rushing last season with 849 yards, while kick returner Jakeem Grant signed an offseason deal with the Cleveland Browns.
             The 2021 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year, Ebner set Baylor's career record with 61 games played and finished second all-time with 4,542 career all-purpose yards. As a senior, he rushed for a career-high 799 yards, added 284 yards on 28 catches and had a combined 665 yards on punt and kickoff returns.
            During last month's Baylor Pro Day, Ebner said the scouts gave him "some feedback that I can continue working on helping my game, but overall, I think I earned a lot of money today."
            Barnes earned his money at the NFL Combine, when he was clocked at a mind-blowing 4.23 seconds in the 40-yard dash, the fastest at this year's Combine and the fastest ever recorded by a defensive back.
            The last pick by former Baylor head coach Matt Rhule, Barnes was clumped in with a "bunch of really athletic, almost freaking guys" left on the Panthers' draft board, general manager Scott Fitterer said.
            Initially recruited to Baylor by Rhule, Barnes said Saturday was a long day, but "I trusted the process . . . like Coach Rhule always told us. Waited my turn,w anted for my name to be called."
            Barnes will also be reunited with defensive coordinator Phil Snow and defensive backs coach Evan Cooper, who were part of Rhule's staff at Baylor.
            "We brought Boogie here not because I coached him," Rhule said, "but because he can flat fly. So, put him in a room with guys like Jaycee Horn and Dontae Jackson and let him really learn his craft. I think he can potentially emerge as a player."
            While Barnes has to feel at home in being reunited with a familiar coaching staff, Pitre is literally going back home with his hometown Houston Texans as the 37^th overall selection. He was a second-team All-Greater Houston pick and District 12-4A Defensiv e Player of the Year as a senior at Stafford High School.
            "It was an emotional experience just being able to stay home with a team I've been following my whole life," said Pitre, a consensus All-American in 2021 who was the only player in the FBS division to record at least three fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles and two interceptions. "I'm ready to get to work."
            NFL draft analyst Stephen Muench said it wasn't a surprise the Texans drafted a safety early with Justin Reid signing with the Kansas City Chiefs and Terrance Brooks at 30 years old. "Pitre is versatile enough to play in the Texans' two-high looks, and you can expect coach Lovie Smith to play him over the slot a lot."
            Selected by New England in the second round with the 50^th overall pick, Thornton said he is excited about the chance to play for legendary Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
            "He's a big process guy," Thornton said. "He's a big process guy. That's all we spoke about at Baylor, staying true to the process, and I'm very excited to get to work for him."
            Woods, who led the Big 12 with six interceptions last season, joins the Los Angeles Chargers as a third-round selection with the 79^th overall pick. He also returned both an interception and a fumble for touchdowns last year and had nine picks over his final two seasons.
            Chargers head coach Brandon Stanley said Woods' game speed impresses him, "he's running over 21 mph."
            "But, it's the speed plus the way he processes," Stanley said. "He's really smart. So, if you put the physical speed with that mental speed, you're getting a real high-end secondary player."
            Going to the Buffalo Bills 10 picks later, Bernard said "it was a dream come true, celebrating with my family."
            The All-Big 12 linebacker said he can bring "just another hard-working piece" to the Chargers.
            "I'm willing to play anywhere I can, special teams, fighting for a roster spot," he said. "I'm super excited. I can't wait to get up there."
            In addition to the six drafted players, Baylor had four others officially sign as undrafted free agents – running back Abram Smith (New Orleans Saints), wide receiver Drew Estrada (Houston Texans) and defensive backs Raleigh Texada (Green Bay Packers) and Jairon McVea (Los Angeles Rams).
            As of Sunday, the Tennessee Titans had not announced their free agent signings, but offensive guard Xavier Newman-Johnson tweeted that he was "forever grateful" after signing with the Titans.
 

WACO, Texas – Baylor football's duo of running back Trestan Ebner (203^rd overall) and cornerback Kalon Barnes (242^nd overall) were selected on Saturday's final day of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Ebner was picked by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round, while Barnes was grabbed by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round, moving BU's total to six selections in this year's draft and tying a program record for picks in a seven-round draft. The Bears also had six picks in 2016, which included WR Corey Coleman, CB Xavien Howard, DT Andrew Billings, OT Spencer Drango, LS Jimmy Landes and former Baylor basketball player TE Rico Gathers.

Ebner is the 10^th player drafted by Chicago in the modern era (1970-present) and first since Albert Fontenot in 1993. The 2021 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year joins Jay Finley, Terrance Ganaway and Lache Seastrunk as Baylor running backs to be picked in the last 25 years. This season, the Henderson, Texas native became the seventh BU player to surpass 4,000 career all-purpose yards and reached second on the program's all-time leaderboard with 4,542. He capped off his collegiate career with five touchdowns and 1,775 all-purpose yards, including a 98-yard kick return for a TD. Ebner is Baylor's all-time leader in career games played with 61

Barnes became the sixth Baylor product selected by Carolina since 1970 and second in the last three drafts, joining Bravvion Roy (6^th round, 2020). The Silsbee, Texas native started 10 games for the Bears in 2021, recording 23 tackles, five pass breakups, an interception and a fumble recovery. Barnes clocked the fastest 40-yard dash time for a defensive back in NFL combine history with a 4.23 mark, the second-fastest overall time in combine history. He is the 28^th defensive back taken out of Baylor and the third this year, joining Jalen Pitre and JT Woods.

For the latest news on the Baylor football team all season long, follow its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BUFootball.

BAYLOR RB'S IN THE NFL DRAFT (Since 1970)
1975, Steve Beaird – 7^th Rd (177), St. Louis
1975, Phillip Kent – 7^th Rd (179), Miami
1976, Pat McNeil – 17^th Rd (472), Kansas City
1977, Cleveland Franklin – 8^th Rd (202), Philadelphia
1979, Greg Hawthorne – 1^st Rd (28), Pittsburgh
1979, Steve Howell – 4^th Rd (107), Miami
1980, Frank Pollard – 11^th Rd (305), Pittsburgh
1982, Walter Abercrombie – 1^st Rd (12), Pittsburgh
1982, Dennis Gentry – 4^th Rd (89), Chicago
1984, Alfred Anderson – 3^rd Rd (67), Minnesota
1984, Allen Rice – 5^th Rd (140), Minnesota
1994, Robert Strait – 6^th Rd (171), Cleveland
2011, Jay Finley – 7^th Rd (246), Cincinnati
2012, Terrance Ganaway – 6^th Rd (202), New York
2014, Lache Seastrunk – 6^th Rd (186), Washington
2022, Trestan Ebner – 6^th Rd (203), Chicago

BAYLOR DB'S IN THE NFL DRAFT (Since 1970)
1973, Ira Dean – 9th Rd (227), Detroit
1977, Gary Green – 1st Rd (10), Kansas City
1977, Mike Nelms – 7th Rd (170), Buffalo
1978, Milton Reed – 11th Rd (293), Atlanta
1980, Kirk Collins – 7th Rd (176), Los Angeles
1980, Howard Fields – 12th Rd (329), Philadelphia
1982, Vann McElroy – 3rd Rd (64), Oakland
1983, Bo Scott Metcalf – 4th Rd (106), Pittsburgh
1986, Reyna Thompson – 9th Rd (247), Miami
1987, Ron Francis – 2nd Rd (39), Dallas
1987, Thomas Everett – 4th Rd (94), Pittsburgh
1987, Johnny Thomas – 7th Rd (192), Washington
1989, Ray Crockett – 4th Rd (86), Detroit
1990, Robert Blackmon – 2nd Rd (34), Seattle
1991, Charles Bell – 9th Rd (243), Washington
1992, Frankie Smith – 4th Rd (104), Atlanta
1996, Adrian Robinson – 7th Rd (232), Indianapolis
1997, George McCullough – 5th Rd (143), Tennessee
2001, Gary Baxter – 2nd Rd (62), Baltimore
2006, Willie Andrews – 7th Rd (229), New England
2007, C.J. Wilson – 7th Rd (226), Carolina
2011, Mikail Baker – 7th Rd (216), St. Louis
2014, Demetri Goodson – 6th Rd (197), Green Bay
2014, Ahmad Dixon – 7th Rd (248), Dallas
2016, Xavien Howard – 2nd Rd (38), Miami
2022, Jalen Pitre – 2nd Rd (37), Houston
2022, JT Woods – 3rd Rd (79), Los Angeles
2022, Kalon Barnes – 7th Rd (242), Carolina

BAYLOR'S 2022 NFL DRAFT SELECTIONS
Jalen Pitre, S – Houston Texas (2^nd Round, 37^th overall)
Tyquan Thornton, WR – New England Patriots (2^nd Round, 50^th overall)
JT Woods, S – Los Angeles Chargers (3^rd Round, 79^th overall)
Terrel Bernard, LB – Buffalo Bills (3^rd Round, 89^th overall)
Trestan Ebner, RB – Chicago Bears (6^th Round, 203^rd overall)
Kalon Barnes, CB – Carolina Panthers (7^th Round, 242^nd overall)