University of Houston Athletics
#HTownTakeover Duo Drafted Saturday
4/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
HOUSTON â€" Elandon Roberts and Demarcus Ayers followed the path set by William Jackson III on Thursday night when they were selected Saturday in the sixth and seventh rounds of the 2016 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively.
The three selections in the NFL Draft give the Houston Program its most NFL Draft selections since 1997 when four members of the Houston program were drafted, led by running back Antowain Smith with the 23rd overall pick to the Buffalo Bills.
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Roberts became the second member of the Houston Football program to be selected when the Patriots selected the linebacker with the 39th pick of the sixth round. He'll join two Houston alums within the Patriots organization in offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer and wide receivers coach Chad O'Shea. He is the sixth Houston player to be drafted by the Patriots and the first since Vollmer was selected in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
Ayers was the next to come off the board when the receiver was selected by the Steelers with the eighth pick of the seventh round. Saturday marked the ninth time Pittsburgh has selected a Houston alum as Ayers became the first since defensive end Craig Veasey was selected in the third round of the 1990 NFL Draft.
The two followed in the footsteps of Jackson who became Houston's 13th first-round NFL Draft pick when he was selected 24th overall by Cincinnati Thursday night.
A Port Arthur, Texas, native, Roberts led the nation with 88 solo tackles in 2015 while ranking fourth nationally and leading The American with 142 total tackles. He also had five pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a pivotal fourth-quarter interception of Memphis' Paxton Lynch in Houston's comeback win in November.
A team captain and emotional leader, Roberts started all 14 games at middle linebacker for Houston and was invited to the NFLPA Bowl following the season. He had double-digit tackles in seven games including Houston's win over Florida State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl where he finished with 10 stops including two for a loss.
In three seasons at Houston, Roberts saw action in 34 career games and finished his career with 175 tackles including 23.5 for loss and seven sacks. He transferred to Houston after one season at Morgan State where he finished 11th in the Jerry Rice Award, given to the nation's top freshman on the FCS level, after totaling a team-best 107 tackles.
A three-year member of the Houston program, Ayers started 25 games for the Cougars including the final 22 games of his career. Named to The American's first team in 2015 as both a receiver and return specialist, Ayers led The American and ranked sixth nationally with 98 receptions while ranking 18th nationally with 1,222 yards. He also added 28 punt returns for 290 yards (10.4 average) and a touchdown.
Ayers closed out his Houston career third on the UH chart for career kickoff return yards with 1,613 while his 98 receptions in 2015 ranked eighth on the UH single-season charts while his 1,222 yards ranked ninth. He was also named The American's Special Teams Player of the Year in 2013.
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