 
Melton selected 105th overall by Chicago Bears in 2009 NFL Draft
April 26, 2009 Former Texas DE Henry Melton was chosen as the 105th overall pick by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft on Sunday. His selection gives the Longhorns at least three draft picks for the seventh consecutive year. "It's always been a dream to play in the NFL," Melton said. "Watching my uncle (Ray Crockett) play, I always wanted to follow in his footsteps. When (the Bears) called and said they were going to make me the pick, I kind of lost my mind. I'm still calming down a bit. I had heard I could go anywhere from late third round to never, so it is just a relief. I'm going to go buy some Bears gear so I can look right when I go up there on Thursday. I'm 100 percent excited about this." Combined with Brian Orakpo's selection in the first round by the Washington Redskins this year, it marks the second time in the last three years the Longhorns have had two defensive ends chosen in the same draft after Tim Crowder (second round, Denver Broncos) and Brian Robison (fourth round, Minnesota Vikings) were in 2007. Prior to that, it occurred in 1992 when Shane Dronett was selected in the second round by the Broncos and Tommy Jeter was chosen in the third round by the Philadelphia Eagles. "All of his football is ahead of him, because he played two years at running back, and then when we finally got him to the place he was most comfortable, he was an outstanding defensive end who was very productive this year for us as a pass rusher," Texas head coach Mack Brown said. Melton becomes the 25th Longhorn selected by the Chicago Bears in franchise history and the first since RB Cedric Benson was chosen as the fourth overall pick in the 2005 draft. "I really enjoyed my visit to Chicago," Melton said. "I got a chance to talk to the coaching staff. Coach (Rod) Marinelli stressed that he thought he could make me a better player. He said he saw some talent and wanted to get it out of me. I told him I wanted to work to get it out of me too. We really hit it off. He called after they drafted me and told me he was excited and I let him know I was excited to be a Bear." Melton is a former running back who switched to defensive end during the 2006 season. He played in 49 games at defensive end (24 games, 10 starts), running back (25 games, one start) and on special teams during his career and registered 40 tackles, four sacks, 11 TFL, 20 pressures, three PBD, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a blocked FG. "When I switched, Rak (Brian Orakpo) was one of the first people to explain to me how to get better at the position," Melton said. "He really worked with me and it helped a lot. I don't think I've reached my stride at defensive end. I've worked at it a lot, and as the season went along, I got more comfortable, I was just playing. When the season ended, I realized that I could get even better, so I feel like I can keep growing at my position." In 2008, he played in all 13 games, making 10 starts, and was tabbed honorable mention All-Big 12 by the league's coaches. He notched 29 tackles, four sacks, 10 TFL, 17 pressures, two PBD, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a blocked FG last season. "I've got to thank the coaching staff because they really stuck with me through the whole process," Melton said. "Coach Brown has been great, coach Muschamp really helped me by focusing on intensity and coach Giles stressed to me that I could get drafted and be a great player. I could go on and on. I also have to thank God. This is just a great feeling right now."
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