Weatherspoon selected by Falcons
He became Missouri's third first-round draft pick in the last two years.
Published April 23, 2010
The chants of "Spooooon" will soon be traveling from Columbia to Atlanta.
Former Missouri linebacker Sean Weatherspoon was chosen 19th overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL Draft Thursday night in New York.
Weatherspoon became the third Tiger taken in the first round of the draft the past two years, joining Jeremy Maclin (No. 19) and Ziggy Hood (No. 32), who were taken in last year's draft.
The Jasper, Texas native is coming off a season in which he led the Tigers in tackles with 111 and was first team All-Big 12. Weatherspoon was also finalist for the Butkus Award, an honor that goes to the nation's top linebacker.
Weatherspoon played weak-side linebacker for the Tigers, where he made himself known for his speed and explosive tackling. Cracking the defensive starting lineup as a sophomore, Weatherspoon became a fixture at linebacker the next three seasons. His 155 tackles in 2008 were second overall in Missouri history.
Weatherspoon made himself into an emotional leader for the Tigers and his vocal nature in practice and games made he sure he never went unnoticed.
"This is a guy we targeted and all the contemplation went out the window when we had this guy in our sites," Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff said on atlantafalcons.com.
Weatherspoon's selection was part of a busy first round for the Big 12. Nine players were taken in the first round, including the first four selections and five of the first six.
The NFL Draft continues Friday night with rounds two and three.