MEAC, SWAC Grab Some NFL Draft Sportlight

CHICAGO, Illinois -- - The two FCS conferences for historically black colleges and universities have developed a spotlight for both the start and end of the 2015 season.

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Southwestern Athletic Conference also grabbed some of the FCS spotlight on the final day of the three-day NFL Draft on Saturday.

Each conference boasted a fourth-round selection, the only two from the FCS taken in the round on the day the bulk of players from the lower half of Division I college football were gulped up.

The Arizona Cardinals traded up seven spots to use the the 116th overall selection on Delaware State defensive lineman Rodney Gunter and the Baltimore Ravens picked Texas Southern cornerback Tray Walker in a surprising final pick of the fourth round at No. 135.

The 6-foot-5, 305-pound Gunter is an athletic run stopper in the interior who also can play on the edge to get after quarterbacks. Walker, at 6-2, 180, is strong in press conference and has the longest arms and largest wingspan of any cornerback in the draft class.

The two HBCU conference will open the season with the annual MEAC-SWAC Challenge on Sept. 6. This season, their conference champions will square off in the new Celebration Bowl on Dec. 18.



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