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NASHVILLE — The news was almost more than William Hayes could take.


The Tennessee Titans had traded up in the fourth round Sunday to draft the defensive end from Winston Salem State, a small school with so little talent that he had to take part in a pro day at another college.

"It feels too good right now. I am really happy. That's where I want to be. I feel like I am at home now," Hayes said.

The Titans lost defensive ends Antwan Odom and Travis LaBoy in free agency and had lured back Jevon Kearse. They already had drafted end Jason Jones from Eastern Michigan in the second round to add depth to a line that was a key reason Tennessee ranked fifth in yards allowed in the NFL in 2007 and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2003.

But coach Jeff Fisher said the player nicknamed "Big Play" had been rising up draft boards, and the Titans didn't want to miss out.

So Tennessee made its second trade of the week but with not quite the splash of sending suspended cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones to Dallas. The Titans swapped their fourth-round pick at No. 124 and their fifth-rounder to Washington for the chance to move up to the 103rd pick overall and grab Hayes.

"We had William in, looked at William," Fisher said. "The entire scouting staff looked at William over the last couple of days and the coaches ... We feel like William can come in and help us immediately at the end position. Despite the fact that he came from a smaller school, he has some skills that are rare."

Scout Cole Proctor first noticed the 6-foot-3, 260-pound Hayes during two-a-days last July when it was 113 degrees in Winston-Salem. He returned in October and was given three games on DVD. The only DVD that worked showed Hayes in one game against Florida A&M.

"It was one of his best games. So I definitely had to get back and look at some more. ... I don't care what level he played on," Proctor said.

The Titans came into this draft determined to add offensive playmakers to help Vince Young, but they also added speed with their seven picks. Their top pick was running back Chris Johnson, the fastest player at the combine with a 4.24-second 40-yard dash. Receiver Lavelle Hawkins, their third pick in the fourth, turned in a 4.4 40 in his pro day.

Tight end Craig Stevens, their third-round pick, is fast enough Fisher believes he can help stretch the field as well as run block. Linebacker Stanford Keglar of Purdue, the third of three fourth-round selections, will play on special teams.

But Hayes wasn't invited to the combine. He had to work out for scouts at nearby Wake Forest, and that's where Proctor said Hayes had scouts pulling out their cell phones once the end ran the 40 in 4.61 seconds.

"I had a chip on my shoulder. I had to go out and prove that I could compete and that I could play just as good as anybody in the nation," Hayes said.

The end might have been higher on draft boards if not for grades that forced him to head to first Barber-Scotia College in Concord, N.C., before moving to Winston Salem State. He had visited Clemson, North Carolina and Notre Dame while in high school, and he even attended a camp where he got to work out with Kearse.

Hayes said that made him love Kearse even more determined to play like the end nicknamed the "Freak."

Kearse's advice?

"Always go hard and play the next down like it is your last one," Hayes said.

And now he'll be teammates with Kearse?

"It's crazy right now. I can't even tell you how I'm feeling,"

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.

WSSU's Hayes drafted in fourth round by Titans
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By John Dell | Journal Reporter

Published: April 27, 2008

William Hayes had no choice but to leave church early sunday morning.

"I didn't have any cell reception there so I went back home and waited," said Hayes, a defensive end from Winston-Salem State.

Shortly after arriving back home in High Point Hayes got the call from the Tennessee Titans that he was a fourth-round draft pick.

"One of their team officials said 'How would you like to be a Titan?' Hayes said. "And I started joking with him and said 'I thought I was going in the first round.' But it was just a big celebration here after that."

Hayes, who led the Rams in sacks this past season with 8.5 and was second on the team in tackles with 78, becomes the first WSSU player drafted since running back Richard Huntley was taken in the fourth round in 1996 by the Atlanta Falcons (117th overall). He also becomes the first recruit of Coach Kermit Blount of the Rams to be drafted in Blount's 15 years.

Hayes also made some history as the first player drafted in the NFL since WSSU moved from Division II to Division I-AA.

Robert Hayes Jr., who is William's father, said: "This is a great day for our family and we can't believe it. His uncle is here at the house with us and we all just kind of started jumping around when William told us the Titans had drafted him."

Hayes, who is listed at 6-2 and around 260 pounds, was the 103rd pick overall. He was the fourth player taken in the fourth round.

"I've been waiting for this day for a long time and there was a lot of work involved but I made it," said Hayes, a graduate of High Point Andrews.

According to NFL.com Hayes was a bit of a surprise to go that high in the draft, but the Titans need a defensive end after losing Antwan Odom to the Bengals in free agency. Hayes wasn't invited to the NFL Draft Combine, but had a good showing at the Wake Forest pro day in late March.

Hayes was the second defensive end taken by the Titans through four rounds. In the second round they took Jason Jones of Eastern Michigan, who is 6-5 and 273 pounds.

Hayes said that it will take him time to fully grasp what has happened.

"This is like a dream and I'm still having trouble realizing that I was actually drafted," Hayes said. "I'm just so happy at this point that it's hard to put into words what this means."

Coming out of high school Hayes was set on going to Clemson but didn't have the grades to play right away. Clemson wanted Hayes to go to a prep school, but Hayes had other ideas and signed with the Rams.

After a redshirt season at WSSU Hayes jumped into the starting lineup at linebacker. He played both linebacker and defensive end in his career at WSSU but was a lot more effective on the line.

Hayes thrived the last two seasons under defensive coordinator Mike Ketchum of the Rams.

Blount said that Hayes was one of those special players that don't come around too often.

"The first thing is I'd like to congratulate William and his family because this is a huge deal," Blount said. "The second thing this does is puts our university out there on a national level and that's something that can only help us with this football program and where we want to take it."

John Dell can be reached at 727-4081 or at jdell@wsjournal.com

http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2008/apr/27/wssus-ha...fourth-round-titans/

woohoo!

JOB WELL DONE...