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He didn’t come off the board quite as quickly as a lot of people thought he would, but Andre Dillard’s dream of being a professional football player finally came true when the Philadelphia Eagles selected the Washington State Cougars offensive lineman with the 22nd pick in the first round of the NFL Draft.
You better believe Dillard soaked it all in. Let’s relive it via the magic of Twitter.
First, he started the night with a shoutout to all of us.
Go Cougs!#GoCougs | @AndreDillard_ | @CoachMiller_ pic.twitter.com/OZjW2EJYTE
— Washington State Football (@WSUCougarFB) April 26, 2019
A few hours later, this finally happened.
The moment @AndreDillard_ became the 1st-round pick of the @Eagles #GoCougs | #ProCougs pic.twitter.com/VdHo6059jt
— Washington State Football (@WSUCougarFB) April 26, 2019
As Dillard came out on stage, he had a touching tribute to his friend and teammate, Tyler Hilinski:
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As you might imagine, he was rather relieved to finally be out of that green room.
#WSU’s Andre Dillard, of being drafted by Philly: “I was feeling every emotion in the book. I was anxious, I had to keep standing up. It was such an amazing moment to share with everybody. I’m speechless right now.” pic.twitter.com/4Y4XEHsZVo
— Theo Lawson (@TheoLawson_SR) April 26, 2019
Didn’t take him long to find some new friends.
Looks like Andre Dillard is going to fit right in with #EaglesEverywhere.#EaglesDraft | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/ugZbG1rexj
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) April 26, 2019
And he had a message for Eagles fans.
The newest Eagle Andre Dillard checking in from the #NFLDraft!#EaglesDraft | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/of0AIJ2WtZ
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) April 26, 2019
And he had a post-draft message for everyone, including Coug fans.
Former @WSUCougarFB left tackle Andre Dillard (@AndreDillard_) on representing the @pac12 and Washington State in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/wXHCO57s29
— Karthik Venkataraman (@KREMKarthik) April 26, 2019
The Eagles, for their part, appear to be pretty excited about having landed Dillard. The team’s top executive, Howie Roseman, said, “This is a guy we had ranked as one of the top 10 players in the draft. This was the best tackle in the draft.”
Here are the full remarks:
And analysis from the team’s commentators.
Everyone seems pretty happy!
NFL Draft continues tonight
Two other players who probably will be drafted this weekend, Gardner Minshew II and James Williams, remained on the board as expected. The second and third rounds will take place tonight starting at 4 p.m. PT, with the fourth through seventh rounds on Saturday starting at 9 a.m. PT.
It would be pretty surprising if either of them came off the board tonight, but you never know!
In the meantime, read this really cool story about Minshew from Theo Lawson at the Spokesman-Review. He traveled to Brandon, Mississippi, to put together nearly 6,000 words of crazy stories about our favorite quarterback.
Brandon man: Gardner Minshew has a whole town behind him as NFL draft arrives | The Spokesman-Review
Brandon, Mississippi, is supposed to be SEC country. So watching a school from the Pac-12 North infiltrate the pecking order last football season had to be unfamiliar and unprecedented – awkward and wholly gratifying – for the southern community of 23,000.
Everything Else
What They're Saying: Carson Wentz thrilled w/ Andre Dillard pick - Cougfan.com
Pundits are giving Philly major props for drafting Coug as first Pac-12 player taken.
NFL draft: Eagles trade up, select Andre Dillard with 22nd pick - Philly.com
The offensive tackle out of Washington State will be tasked with keeping Carson Wentz safe.
By choosing Andre Dillard, Eagles draft in the trenches but on Carson Wentz’s side | Jeff McLane - Philly.com
Jason Peters won't play forever, and this is the first step toward preparing his replacement to protect the franchise QB.
Eagles draft Andre Dillard: What the experts are saying about the Washington State offensive tackle - Philly.com
The Eagles traded their fourth- and sixth-round picks to move up three spots for Dillard. Will it be worth it?
NFL Draft 2019 Grades: Analysis of Every Team’s Round 1 Pick - Yahoo! Sports
22. Philadelphia Eagles (via Baltimore Ravens): T Andre Dillard - GRADE: B
Don't call him Hollywood: NFL prospect James Williams proud of Toledo roots | Toledo Blade
He is Hollywood shined, but Toledo made.
Then & Now: Running with a good crowd | | lmtribune.com
Black transcends tough environment, checkered past as Cougs’ newest star. This story originally ran Sept. 26, 1996, in the Lewiston Tribune.
Cougars Complete Conference Championships - Washington State University Athletics
The Pac-12 Championships come to an end for men's golf after three days of competition.
Cougars Continue Road Stretch at No. 2 Oregon State - Washington State University Athletics
The baseball series begins Friday in Corvallis.
T&F Set to Host Cougar Invitational Saturday - Washington State University Athletics
Schedule Changes Likely for Rowing’s Home Regatta - Washington State University Athletics
An official announcement will be made Friday afternoon.
Stanford Tops Cougars, 4-0, in Pac-12 Quarterfinals - Washington State University Athletics
WSU finishes regular season at 19-10, await NCAA Selection Show Monday.