Former St. Edward star joins Groce, Wistrom in St. Louis

OMAHA (AP) - Nebraska linebacker and former St. Edward standout Scott Shanle was selected in the seventh round of the NFL draft on Sunday by the St. Louis Rams.

Cornerback DeJuan Groce was also taken by the St. Louis Rams in the fourth round, the first of three Cornhuskers picked on Sunday.

The Seattle Seahawks drafted kicker Josh Brown before the Rams picked Shanle with the 251st overall pick.

Shanle and Groce will be joining former Nebraska player Grant Wistrom, now a defensive end for St. Louis.

Shanle, a 6-foot-2, 240-pounder and a former Telegram Super Senior, was a walk-on who lettered four years at linebacker for the Huskers.

"I'm very excited," Shanle said. "They have great tradition."

Shanle said he accomplished the move from walk-on at Nebraska to the NFL draft by setting a series of goals.

"A lot of it is just step-by-step," he said.

He also said it will be nice to have the familiar faces of Groce and Wistrom around as he makes the transition to pro football.

Groce was picked Sunday 107th overall in a slot the Rams received from the Washington Redskins during free agency trading earlier in the year.

"I was the only cornerback they picked in this draft, so I feel really good about that," Groce said Sunday from his mother's home in Cleveland.

Groce learned of his selection about two minutes before the pick was made, he said.

"They just called and told me, 'We got you,"' he said.

Family and friends at the house to support Groce during the draft selection erupted in shouts and clapped when they heard the news, Groce said.

Cornhusker teammate Wilson Thomas and former teammate Keyuo Craver also called to offer their congratulations.

"I'm going to a good team. I'm real happy," Groce said.

He expects to spend most of his time as a nickelback and special teams player for the Rams.

Last season, he returned 43 punts for 732 yards, including an 89-yard punt return for a touchdown in Nebraska's 24-13 come-from-behind win over Missouri. It was one of four punt return TDs of the season for Groce.

The 5-foot-10 Groce, who made The Associated Press All-American second team as all-purpose player on offense and as a defensive back in December, said he still weighs in at the 190 pounds listed on Nebraska programs at the start of the 2002 season.

He works out "every day except weekends," Groce said.

"I'm ready. I've been ready for this since I was little," he said.

Seattle used the 222nd overall pick to land Brown.

Brown was on the phone with San Diego at his family's home in Foyil, Okla., when Seattle beeped-in on the line to tell him he'd been drafted.

"Wow, it's over. Good," Brown laughed in reaction to his selection.

"It's been a stressful couple of days," he said. "I was beginning to think free agency was my best route."

With no kicker currently on the Seattle roster, Brown said he couldn't have gone to a better team.

"I am the guy right now," he said. "That's awesome."

Brown, who is 6-foot-2 and 207 pounds, was named Big 12 kicker of the year and led the country in touchback percentage on kickoffs.

After talking to his new team, Brown said the plan is for him to handle kickoffs, conversions and field goals.