Four more prospects with Twin Cities ties were taken on the final day of the NFL draft on Saturday.
The Bears took Gophers defensive back Brock Vereen with the 131st overall pick in the fourth round. The Patriots selected Concordia (St.Paul) defensive end Zach Moore with the 198th overall pick in the sixth round. The Bills took a flier on former Cretin-Derham Hall and Miami offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson with the 237th overall pick in the seventh round. And the Eagles selected Wisconsin defensive end Beau Allen, a former Minnetonka star, with the 224th overall pick in the seventh round.
Moore became the first player from Concordia to be drafted. He came into Day 3 expecting the worst but landed in a favorable situation.
"It's such a surreal moment of my life," Moore said. "I just left it up in God's hands. I know a lot of teams passed up on me and kind of figured that would happen with the D-II label. I just prayed on it and He answered my prayers."
Moore was the 18th defensive end taken in the draft. He holds the school record with 33 career sacks, which also unofficially ranks ninth in D-II history.
''They are going to get a Division II football player with a chip on his shoulder and ready to get to work, work on the playbook and help this team win another Super Bowl," Moore said.
Vereen was the second Gopher taken in the NFL draft after defensive tackle Ra'Shede Hageman, who was selected by the Falcons in the second round.
"Brock is one of the smartest and most versatile players I have ever had the privilege of coaching and is an outstanding young man," Gophers coach Jerry Kill said. "He is the ultimate team player and will do whatever is needed to help the Bears win."
Vereen, an All-Big Ten coaches first-team selection, improved his stock at the NFL combine by posting a 4.47 40-yard dash, the second-fastest time among safeties. He also led all defensive backs with 25 reps on the bench press at 225 pounds.
Like Hageman, Vereen will get a chance to play at TCF Bank Stadium once again when the Bears face the Vikings in Week 11. He'll also not only get to face Hageman and the Falcons in Week 6, but he'll play against his brother, Patriots running back Shane Vereen, for the first time in Week 8 at New England.
"I am very aware; and Week 8, I'm definitely counting down to it," Vereen said.
Henderson was one of the top recruits in the 2010 class out of Cretin-Derham Hall, but he's fallen considerably after being suspended three times at Miami for marijuana use. Henderson also tested positive for marijuana at the NFL combine and quit halfway through his Pro Day.
Many didn't expect the 6-7, 331-pound offensive lineman to be drafted, but the Bills selected Henderson with their final draft choice.
