 
Ogbonnaya selected 211th overall by St. Louis Rams in 2009 NFL Draft
April 26, 2009 Former Texas RB Chris Ogbonnaya was chosen as the 211th overall pick by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft on Sunday. His selection gives the Longhorns at least four draft picks for the fourth consecutive year and six of the last seven seasons. "I'm really happy about being drafted," Ogbonnaya said. "It shows that hard work pays off, and I'm looking forward to helping the Rams and contributing. It's definitely an honor, and I'm excited about the next chapter. I've just started to calm down. About 20 minutes ago, it was a circus here." Ogbonnaya is the second Longhorns running back chosen in the last two years following Jamaal Charles in the third round by the Kansas City Chiefs last season, and the third in the last five years after Cedric Benson, who was fourth overall by the Chicago Bears in 2005. "I talked to the GM and head coach today and running backs coach Sylvester Croom," Ogbonnaya said. "They told me that I could come in and contribute on special teams and help spell their current running back Stephen Jackson. It sounded like I'd be able to help carry the ball a little and on third downs and help with my receiving ability. I think I can help them in that capacity. It will be a lot of fun learning under Stephen Jackson, who is such a great player." He is also the first Texas player chosen by the Rams since CB Taje Allen in 1997 and is the 15th overall selected by the franchise in its history, including the third since it moved to St. Louis from Los Angeles. "Chris Ogbonnaya is a guy who came in as a quarterback/wide receiver out of high school," Texas head coach Mack Brown said. "We played him at fullback, we played him at H-back, we played him at tailback, and he was one of our top special teams players. He's brilliant. He was our top academic person for football. At the same time, he can block as a third-down back, has outstanding hands and at 215 pounds, ended up being an outstanding running back for us." Ogbonnaya is a versatile, hard-running three-year letterman who appeared in 47 games at running back and on special teams and has the ability to play both tailback and fullback. He carried the ball 140 times for 597 yards (4.3 ypc) and eight TDs and made 75 receptions (No. 3 on UT's all-time list for RBs) for 792 yards (No. 3 on UT's all-time list for RBs) and three TDs in his career. "This is a great day for me and my family," Ogbonnaya said. "They've stuck with me through my entire career and I can't thank them enough. I had a great four years at Texas. Everyone there played such a pivotal role in my success. There are really too many to thank, but I appreciate everyone's support." Tabbed second-team Academic All-America by ESPN The Magazine, a Draddy Trophy (Academic Heisman) semifinalist and honorable mention All-Big 12 in 2008, Ogbonnaya appeared in all 13 games, starting seven last season. He carried the ball 74 times for 373 yards (5.0 ypc) and four TDs and recorded 46 receptions (No. 1 on UT's single-season receptions list for RBs) for 540 yards (No. 2 on UT's single-season list for RBs) and three TDs, including a 65-yard TD reception at Colorado (No. 7 on UT's longest reception by a RB list). Ogbonnaya completed two undergraduate degrees at Texas and is currently taking classes in graduate school for advertising.
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