Inside the Gates

The second round of the draft is underway. Edmond Gates is surrounded by friends and family at a cousin's house in Dallas where he's watching the ESPN coverage, waiting to find out where he'll play football professionally. I asked him how many are there. He said, "A lot."

It's the same cousin's house where they all gathered two years ago when another cousin, Bernard Scott, was taken in the 6th round by the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Big Day

With apologies to William and Kate, my focus today is on whether some NFL GM will say "I do" when asked if he wants to draft Edmond Gates or leave him at the altar for another day.

The 2011 NFL Draft began Thursday night with Carolina taking Auburn's Cam Newton. It's the 11th time in the last 14 years a quarterback has been the No. 1 overall pick. Like Gates' cousin, Bernard Scott, Newton's road to the NFL went through Brenham, Texas, and Blinn College. Both Scott (2006) and Newton (2009) led Blinn to NJCAA national championships before moving on to ACU and Auburn, respectively, where each won his NCAA division's national player of the year trophy.

The 2nd and 3rd rounds of the draft are scheduled for tonight, beginning at 6 p.m. EDT. Rounds 4-7 are tomorrow, beginning at noon EDT.

Three wide receivers were taken in the 1st round: Georgia's A.J. Green (Bengals at No. 4), Alabama's Julio Jones (Falcons at No. 6) and Pittsburgh's Jonathan Baldwin (Chiefs at No. 26).

Gates is rated by NFL.com as the 7th best receiver still available. Various draft specialists project him to go as high as late in the second round. Most believe his name will be called before night's end.

Meaning if you're tired from waking up at 4 a.m. this morning to watch the royal wedding, you can sleep in tomorrow.

Gates Wide Open

Former Abilene Christian University All-America wide receiver Edmond "Clyde" Gates is projected to be taken as high as the second round of this weekend's NFL Draft. Not bad for a guy who came to ACU hoping to play basketball.

Here's my profile of his amazing journey from the wrong side of the tracks to sports' biggest stage.

ESPN Draft Guru Dishes Out Gates' Name for All-Satellite Team

ACU well-represented at the Masters

The best golfers in the world are in Augusta, Ga., this week preparing for the year's first major at the Masters, and as usual ACU graduates are right in the middle of the action.

Play begins at Augusta National early Thursday morning, and you can hear the Voice of the Wildcats and ACU alumni relations officer Grant Boone ('91) anchoring Masters coverage online here.  Grant will provide hole-by-hole coverage of Featured Group 2 from Thursday-Sunday, along with his partner, former PGA Tour pro Scott McCarron.

Also in Augusta this week are Lance Barrow ('77) and Doug Ferguson ('83).  Barrow, of course, is the coordinating producer for CBS Sports and will be calling the shots from the production truck for the final two rounds on Saturday and Sunday.  Ferguson is the longtime Associated Press golf writer and will be stalking the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Rickie Fowler, Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Luke Donald, Graeme McDowell and Steve Stricker throughout the week.

So, make sure this weekend when you sit down to watch the final couple of rounds – or, if you're like me: when you turn on the TV in your office on Thursday – remember to send out a cheer for the three ACU guys playing a big part in the Masters ... without actually playing in the Masters.