Auburn University (AU) Tigers Football Players Taken in the 2010 NFL Draft – Two Selected

There were two Auburn University (AU) Tigers football players taken in the 2010 NFL Draft that was held in New York City in April. The two men from the Alabama based campus selected by National Football League (NFL) Teams are:

• Ben Tate (running back) who was picked by the Houston Texans in the second round with the 58th overall pick

• Walter McFadden (cornerback), selected with the 138th overall pick in the 5th round by the Oakland Raiders

Ben Tate hopes to follow in the footsteps of other successfully Auburn running backs that have entered the NFL in the last few seasons. Most recently that list includes impact players Ronnie Brown of the Miami Dolphins and Carnell “Cadilac” Williams of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When football fans go further back in time they notice that the great Bo Jackson was actually a running back product of the Auburn football program.

Ben Tate, born is 1988, is listed as a 5’11” 218 pound back that has a desirable combination of power and speed. Originally from Woodbridge, Virginia Ben grew up in Maryland and attended Stephen Decatur High School where he set a high water mark for the state in terms of rushing yards for a single season with 2,886.

After earning all-state honors his junior season Tate transferred to Snow Hill High School (also in Maryland) for his senior year of high school. As the tailback for the Snow Hill Eagles he led the squad to a second place in the state finish for the football team. Tate chose to follow up his impressive prep football career with the Auburn Tigers after declining athletic scholarship offers from powerhouse football programs the University of Florida and Penn State just to name a couple.

Walter McFadden was selected by the Oakland Raiders to play cornerback and while Walter has no relation to Raiders running back Darren McFadden (a 2008 first round draft pick by Oakland) Walter does have an older brother in the NFL. The older brother of Walter also plays cornerback.

Walter is the younger sibling of Bryant McFadden who played his college football at Florida State University before being selected in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft to play cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bryant was on both Steelers teams that won Super Bowls after the 2005 and 2008 seasons.

The younger McFadden is a 6’0″ 177 corner with quick feet and an upside that the Oakland Raiders are excited about. The Raiders expect to find some versatility in Walter as an asset both on defense and on special teams during his rookie season.

You may also like...