The New York Giants selected Morgan State University tight end Visanthe Shiancoe as their third pick in the NFL Draft Saturday night. He was the 91st selection in the third-round.
NFL scouts had targeted Shiancoe to be selected on Day Two of the draft, however Shiancoe's stock rose soon after his performance at the NFL combine in Indianapolis. It was hard to resist selecting a player with his kind of size, along with 4.6-forty speed.
"Shiancoe proves the point that hard work, discipline and character pays off," said MSU head coach Donald Hill-Eley. "This is one great step for him, and one giant step for the program."
Shiancoe will likely be developed as a complement to Jeremy Shockey, last year's top pick by the Giants, and one of the NFL's premier tight ends. In the 6'4, 250-pounder, Giants head coach Jim Fassel will have a player with speed who has great hands and a tremendous upside. Along with the 26 receptions for 502 yards he had last season for Morgan State, Shiancoe also brings a strong work ethic.
"The Giants will be getting a future NFL Pro-Bowler who will be coming to uphold the tradition set by NFL Hall of Famer Roosevelt Brown," said Hill. "Brown has been with the Giants for 50 years and this situation will be similar to a passing of the torch."
The Silver Spring, MD native averaged 19.3 yards per catch and scored five touchdowns as a senior for the Bears. He helped lead Morgan State to a 7-5 record last year, its first winning season in 23 years. Shiancoe was named First Team All-conference and also earned Black College All-American honors.
The last time Morgan State had a player selected in the NFL draft was in 1981 when Mike Holston was drafted to the Houston Oilers as a wide receiver. Holston was the Oilers' first pick in the second-round.
