With the NFL Draft a little more than two months away, we’re looking at the highest draft picks by each SEC team in that school’s history. These picks are based on drafts beginning in the Common Draft Era (1967-69) and continuing through the Modern Draft Era (1970-present) as 1967 signaled the first draft in which the NFL and AFL chose from the same pool of players. In the years prior, the two leagues competed for players. Today, we look at Vanderbilt.
CB LEONARD COLEMAN, 8th OVERALL, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS, 1984
NFL scouts had Coleman rated as the No. 1 cornerback in the 1984 NFL Draft, and for good reason. Coleman, who played at Vanderbilt from 1980-83, was a First Team All-America selection by the Gannett News Service and a Third Team All-American by the Associated Press in 1983. He’s still tied for first in the Commodores’ record books when it comes to career interceptions (15) and INTs in a season (8). He also shares the record for most interceptions in a game with 3 in a win over Chattanooga, and that came as a freshman. At the same of that game, that also matched an SEC record.
Coleman’s 8-interception season came as a junior in 1982. That year, Vanderbilt reached a bowl game, the Hall of Fame Classic, losing to Air Force 36-28. The ‘Dores would go 25 years without making a bowl until doing so in 2008.
After being taken eighth overall by the Colts in 1984, the team’s first since moving from Baltimore to Indianapolis, Coleman didn’t play with the team that season due to a contract dispute. The Boynton Beach, Fla., native instead elected to play in the USFL (United States Football League) with the Memphis Showboats. The Colts eventually bought out his contract the next year and played in 32 games over three seasons in 1985, 1986 and 1987 before being traded to the San Diego Chargers. He played a combined 17 games for them in 1988 and 1989 before being waived.
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
