Michigan State University Athletics
Duckett Selected By Atlanta In 2002 NFL Draft
4/20/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 20, 2002
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EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State running back T.J. Duckett, the Spartans' fifth all-time leading rusher with 3,379 career yards, has been selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of Saturday's (April 20) National Football League Draft. Duckett, the No. 18 pick overall, becomes the first Spartan running back to be drafted in the first round since 1988 when Lorenzo White went at No. 22 to the Houston Oilers.
"I'm shocked at being drafted by Atlanta," Duckett said. "I didn't work out down there and the Falcons really hadn't expressed a lot of interest, but I'm excited about my selection. I don't know a lot about the team but I know all about Michael Vick, Jamal Anderson and Warrick Dunn. I'm going to be all ears in training camp and hopefully, I can have an impact right away.
"I never looked back after making the decision to turn pro. The door to playing football in the NFL has been opened and now it's time for me to make the most of this opportunity. I'm looking forward to the challenge of proving myself at the next level. The bottom line is that I'll have to produce and make plays.
"I don't think being a first-round pick has really sunk in yet but perhaps it will when I arrive in Atlanta for the press conference."
Duckett, a second-team All-Big Ten selection by the media, rushed for 1,420 yards in 2001 - the fifth-best single-season total in Spartan history. The 6-foot-1, 249-pound running back finished third in the Big Ten in rushing, averaging 118.3 yards per game. As a junior, he accounted for 77 percent of Michigan State's rushing offense (1,420 of 1,854 yards) and scored 12 of its 19 rushing touchdowns.
The Kalamazoo, Mich., native played as well as anyone down the stretch in 2001, averaging 139.0 yards over his last seven games. Duckett recorded his seventh 100-yard rushing game of the 2001 season in MSU's 44-35 victory over No. 20 Fresno State in the Silicon Valley Football Classic, gaining 184 yards on 27 carries. He also scored on TD runs of 5 and 39 yards against Fresno State.
Duckett earned USAToday.com National Player of the Week and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors after producing a season-high 211 yards on 27 rushes in MSU's 26-24 upset victory over No. 6 Michigan. He became the first running back in 2001 to gain 100 yards against Michigan, which entered the game ranked first in the NCAA in rushing defense, allowing only 54.4 yards per game. Duckett also became the first back in Spartan history to record a 200-yard rushing game in the MSU-Michigan series. His 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter vs. Michigan gave the Spartans a 14-10 lead. Duckett also caught three passes for 19 yards vs. Michigan including the game winner, a 2-yard TD toss from Jeff Smoker as time expired.
Duckett finished his career ranked among MSU's all-time leaders in rushing touchdowns (tied for fourth at 29), total TDs (tied for fifth at 30), rushing attempts (sixth at 621) and all-purpose yards (10th at 3,530). He had 14 career 100-yard rushing games, including a career-high 248 yards against Iowa (30 attempts) in 2000.
"This is a great situation for T.J. Duckett," Michigan State head coach Bobby Williams said. "Atlanta has two veteran running backs in Jamal Anderson and Warrick Dunn, so there's no immediate pressure on T.J. Anderson and Dunn can take T.J. under their wings and help him develop. Remember, T.J. is still a young running back, who has really only played the position for two full seasons. T.J. is a real student of the game, so he'll benefit greatly from being around Anderson and Dunn.
"Obviously, Atlanta is looking for more firepower on offense and it found someone to help complement Michael Vick. T.J. gives Atlanta's backfield something it doesn't have right now and that's a running back with the combination of power, strength and speed.
"When T.J. was on top of his game last year, he played as well as any running back in the country," Williams said. "He showed a lot of toughness playing through injuries the last two years. I believe T.J.'s best days as a running back are ahead of him and he'll become an excellent NFL player."
Duckett and Boston College's William Green were widely recognized as the top two running backs in the 2002 draft. Several draft experts, including ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli and Pro Football Weekly's Joel Buchsbaum, rated Duckett as the No. 1 running back. Instead, Duckett, who elected to forgo his senior season, went two spots later than Green, who was taken at No. 16 by the Cleveland Browns.
"Sure, I was a little nervous after Cleveland selected William Green," Duckett said. "I didn't know how many other teams had a running back at the top of their list. I had been watching the draft for almost three-and-a-half hours and I wasn't sure how much longer I'd have to wait to hear my named called. It was a relief when Atlanta called."
"T.J. Duckett is definitely a unique player," Atlanta executive vice president of football operations and head coach Dan Reeves said. "He was a guy we simply couldn't pass up. I certainly expected him to be gone by this point in the draft and I never imagined him being available for our selection. You can't pass up a running back who weighs 250 pounds and runs like T.J. does. He is a heckuva running back and I hope he turns out to be another Jerome Bettis."
"T.J. Duckett is a Jerome Bettis-type running back," ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. said. "T.J. turned a lot of heads at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis when he reported at nearly 250 pounds and had only six-percent body fat. He had a great individual workout in East Lansing when he ran in the 4.4 range in the 40. T.J. hasn't even touched the surface of his potential yet as a running back. The sky is the limit for this guy."
Additional Spartan NFL Draft Notes
?T.J. Duckett becomes Michigan State's 33rd first-round selection in the 67-year history of the NFL Draft.
?T.J. Duckett is Michigan State's fourth first-round draft pick since 1999, joining defensive end Dimitrius Underwood (1999, Minnesota Vikings), wide receiver Plaxico Burress (2000, Pittsburgh Steelers) and linebacker Julian Peterson (2000, San Francisco 49ers).
?T.J. Duckett becomes only the second offensive player selected in the first round by the Atlanta Falcons since 1996, joining quarterback Michael Vick (2001).
