NFL taps few local players

As birthday presents go, this one is kind of hard to top.

Weber State's Pat McQuistan — who celebrated his 23rd birthday on Sunday — joined his twin brother, Paul, in the NFL when the Dallas Cowboys picked the offensive lineman with the third pick of the seventh round. Paul was a third-round selection on Saturday, taken No. 69 overall, by the Oakland Raiders.

This is only the second time Weber State has had two players chosen in the same draft. Scott Shields, second round to Pittsburgh, and Anthony Parker, fourth round by San Francisco, were selected in 1999.

"We got a call in the middle of (Washington Heights Baptist Church) services from the Cowboys telling me they shuffled their draft board and that I might be getting another call later," said Pat McQuistan, a 6-foot-6, 315-pounder. "So, after that, I wasn't nervous at all. I was pretty confident, actually."

His mother was "pretty excited," Pat McQuistan said. "She was a little disappointed we didn't both go to the Raiders. But other than that, she's real happy."

Both brothers will board flights to meet their new teams on Thursday, where they will get physicals, meet with coaches and get ready for minicamps.

While it was a successful draft weekend for Weber State, it was a slow one for Utah and BYU.

The Cougars had just one player drafted — receiver Todd Watkins by the Arizona Cardinals in the seventh round (218th overall).

Watkins, one of 42 receivers drafted, entered the second day of the draft nervous, not knowing what would happen.

"I'm telling you, once the fifth and sixth (rounds) came I was restless and it was almost torture," he said.

Watkins started getting calls from NFL teams Sunday after the fifth and sixth rounds about their interest in him as a free agent. Then the Cardinals called three picks before taking Watkins and told him they'd take him.

"I spoke to their player personnel director and head coach," Watkins said. "They want me in camp Thursday through Saturday of this week. I'm looking forward to getting after it."

Watkins is the first BYU receiver drafted since Mark Bellini went to the Colts in the seventh round in 1987.

After transferring to BYU from Grossmont Junior College in 2004, Watkins made an immediate impact in Provo. In his first season at BYU, Watkins earned all-Mountain West first-team honors with a league-best 52 receptions for 1,042 yards.