Andrew Tiller’s selection ended the drought. More than 150 picks after Chandler Jones was taken in the first round of the NFL Draft, Tiller, an offensive guard, became the second Syracuse player selected.

Tiller was taken in the sixth round by the New Orleans Saints with the 179th pick. He is the first SU offensive lineman to be selected since Ryan Durand in 2009. He started all 25 games for Syracuse over the past two seasons, earning first-team all-Big East honors after the 2011 season.

And the 6-foot-5, 324-pound Tiller will now join a Saints organization that Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone was a part of before taking the helm of SU in 2009.

It was somewhat surprising that Tiller was the second Syracuse player off the board. Safety Phillip Thomas and tight end Nick Provo both projected ahead of him but went undrafted.

Tiller was one of four Syracuse players – along with Jones, Thomas and Provo – invited to the NFL Combine in February.

Syracuse players catch on as UDFAs

Phillip Thomas went undrafted, but the waiting period from the conclusion of the NFL Draft was very short. He was surprised to not hear his named called among the 253 players drafted from Thursday to Saturday but almost immediately after the last name was called, Thomas, a former Syracuse safety, received a call from the Philadelphia Eagles, who were interested in bringing him in as an undrafted free agent.

‘I didn’t sign yet,’ Thomas said Saturday night, ‘so tomorrow I’m going to talk it over with my agent Drew (Rosenhaus) and things like that. But they called me right after the draft. They want me to come up and sign.’

The Eagles announced the signings of 13 undrafted free agents, including Thomas, on Sunday.

Thomas is one of six Syracuse players who have caught on with teams since the draft ended. Tight end Nick Provo and wide receiver Dorian Graham signed on with the Baltimore Ravens, offensive tackle Michael Hay with the St. Louis Rams, cornerback Kevyn Scott with the Miami Dolphins and running back Antwon Bailey with the Washington Redskins, according to multiple reports.

Projected as high as a third round draft pick, Thomas’ slide out of the draft was a surprise, but he was grateful to join a team so quickly afterward.

Thomas and Provo were both invited to the NFL Combine in February, and both were projected to be drafted in the middle-to-late rounds. Graham, Hay, Scott and Bailey were not predicted to be drafted.

‘I was very surprised, but hey, it’s a business,’ Thomas said of not being drafted. ‘It’s a business, so I know I can’t do anything about it at all so just, whatever opportunity, I got to go and prove myself.’

mcooperj@syr.edu

Published on April 28, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Mark: mcooperj@syr.edu | @mark_cooperjr