WVU's Grier, Cajuste go to Panthers, Patriots near end of third round
West Virginia quarterback Will Grier and offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste were picked back-to-back near the end of the third round Friday night.
Grier, who grew up in Charlotte, N.C., went to the Carolina Panthers with the 101st overall pick and was the fifth quarterback chosen over the first three rounds. Cajuste was picked at 102 by the New England Patriots.
Both players skipped the Mountaineers’ 34-18 loss to Syracuse in the Camping World Bowl to prepare for the draft.
Grier, a transfer from Florida, played the past two seasons for the Mountaineers. In his first season in Morgantown, Grier was an honorable mention All-Big 12 pick and ranked eighth in the FBS in touchdown passes (34) and average yards per game (317.3).
Then, he had an outstanding senior season, with a 175.5 passing efficiency, 37 touchdown passes, 3,864 yards and a 67 completion percentage. He started 11 games, earned second-team All-Big 12 honors and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Cajuste was a second-team All-Big 12 choice in 2017. Last season, he shared the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year award with Kansas State’s Dalton Risner and Oklahoma’s Dru Samia and started 11 games at left tackle.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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