ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, April 22, 1996 TAG: 9604230176
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
Wide receiver Patrick Jeffers is almost certain now to leave Virginia with more offers than he had when he came.
Jeffers, who arrived in Charlottesville as a walk-on, was selected by Denver on Sunday in the fifth round of the NFL draft.
It marked the 13th consecutive year at least one Cavalier has been drafted, although it was the first time since 1988 that only one UVa player was chosen.
``I was thrilled to death,'' said Jeffers, whose 108 receptions rank fourth on Virginia's all-time list. ``If somebody had forced me to make a list, Denver would have been up near the top.''
Jeffers, a 6-foot-5, 220-pounder, said the Broncos were not among the teams that showed the most interest in him. However, a Denver official had called Sunday morning to inquire about his physical status.
``It was nerve-wracking watching the picks go by,'' said Jeffers, from Fort Worth, Texas, ``but [the fifth round] was where I had heard all along that I would be drafted, so it wasn't a big surprise.''
Jeffers said it was a ``thrill in itself'' to be selected by a team with a quarterback such as John Elway, a likely Hall of Famer, and to have the opportunity to learn from wide receivers Anthony Miller and Mike Pritchard.
``I didn't give the NFL any thought till my junior year and scouts started coming around to see Tyrone Davis,'' Jeffers said. ``When I was young, I always put NFL players up on a pedestal.
``I really can't put into words how I feel. It never entered my mind that I might play in the NFL. It wasn't a realistic goal. I never thought I'd be a football player when I grew up.''
LENGTH: Short : 38 lines Type first letter of feature OR type help for list of commands FIND S-DB DB OPT SS WRD QUIT QUIT Save options? YES NO GROUP YOU'VE SELECTED: QUIT NO login: cby CNB