University of Connecticut Athletics
Tyvon Branch, Donald Thomas Taken In NFL Draft
4/27/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
STORRS, Conn. (April 27, 2008) - University of Connecticut corner back Tyvon Branch and offensive guard Donald Thomas were both selected on Sunday in the NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Branch was picked with the first pick of the fourth round (100th overall) by the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders traded up in order to select Branch. Thomas went at 195th overall to the Miami Dolphins with the 29th pick of the sixth round. Curiously, the 195th selection in the 2007 draft was also a Husky as the Dallas Cowboys picked fullback Deon Anderson at that position.
This marks the fifth time that UConn has produced a pair of NFL Draft picks in the same season and the first since 2005 when Alfred Fincher was taken in the third round by New Orleans and Dan Orlovsky went to Detroit in the fifth round.
Branch played in 48 games for the Huskies with 31 starts, mainly at cornerback with one at safety. He also made a significant impact on special teams. Branch led the BIG EAST in kick returns in 2007 with a 28.9 average after becoming the first player in UConn history to return two kickoffs for a touchdown in the same season. Branch is one of seven players in BIG EAST history to accomplish this feat. Branch made 230 tackles over his Husky career, capping it in style with a team-high 10 stops in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, including a tackle for loss, while also breaking up a pass and returning three kickoffs for 109 yards. A 2007 second-team All-BIG EAST selection, Branch played in the Hula Bowl in January and was invited to Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine where his 4.31 second 40-yard dash led all defensive backs.
Branch becomes the first Husky ever to have any affiliation with the storied Raider franchise. As the 100th overall selection, Branch is the third-highest Husky draftee of the past 60 years. Alfred Fincher went to the New Orleans Saints at No. 82 overall in 2005 while John Dorsey was made the 99th overall pick of the 1984 draft by the Green Bay Packers.
"It's great for Tyvon and great for our program," UConn head coach Randy Edsall said. "It's also exciting to see the Raiders trade up to draft him because it shows that they really want Tyvon. It is exciting to see him selected by a franchise with such a great history and tradition and I'm sure he'll do well with the Raiders. "Tyvon is a young man who had one Division I-A offer coming out of high school and he is a great example of the good things that can happen if you work hard and take advantage of your opportunity. He has shown that hard work can pay off. "To graduate in three and a half years and get drafted is a great testament to Tyvon. He has had a fulfilling career here at UConn with a BIG EAST Championship and two bowl games. I couldn't be happier for him. The Raiders are getting a young man of very high character in Tyvon."Thomas took a circuitous route to the UConn program, enrolling at the University as a regular student before befriending linebacker Danny Lansanah who encouraged him to walk onto the team. Thomas started every game at right guard as a senior in 2007, one of three Huskies to start all 13 contests on the offensive line en route to the BIG EAST Championship and a berth in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. He played in 10 games in 2006 with one start while appearing in all 11 games of the 2005 season, mostly as the centerpiece of the wedge on kickoffs.
After the 2007 season, Thomas played in both the Hula Bowl and the East-West Shrine Game. He was invited to the NFL's Scouting Combine in Indianapolis where he was second-fastest amongst offensive linemen in the 40-yard dash (5.00) and, more importantly for a lineman, had the fastest 10-yard split (1.72) and third-fastest 20-yard split (2.89). He also was tied for 12th in the bench press with 28 reps.
Two Huskies have played for the Dolphins before in kicker Booth Lusteg (1967) and running back Nick Giaquinto (1980-81).
“This is the culmination of a tremendous story for Donald to be drafted 195th, Edsall said. "He never played high school football and didn’t start to play until his sophomore year in college. You couldn’t ask for a better story.
“The Dolphins are a team that obviously needs a lot of help and it’s an organization filled with New Haven people in (head coach) Tony Sparano, (tight ends coach) George DeLeone and (defensive coordinator) Paul Pasqualoni along with (offensive line coach) Mike Maser who I worked with at both Boston College and with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“Donald will fit in well there. He is one of those tough, hard-nosed guys that coach Parcells looks for. He has a tremendous opportunity in Miami if he continues to work hard.
“Overall, I am excited to see this happen for Tyvon (Branch) and Donald today. I can guarantee that neither of them were in anyone’s Top 195 coming out of high school. I think it is a tremendous credit to our coaches, strength and conditioning staff, and especially the players themselves who ultimately made all of this happen. It is a real feather our cap as a program and shows that we can develop our people well once they get here.”
