It was a great football season for all of us Redbird fans. The boys played all the way into the FCS National Championship game. We came up short, but on Saturday night Redbird fans were able to celebrate with one Illinois State player at the NFL Draft.
James O’Shaughnessy a Tight End was selected 173rd overall by the Kanas City Chiefs. Cangratulations James, you’ll do great in the NFL. Here is the press release from Illinois State.
O’Shaughnessy Selected By Chiefs In Fifth Round of NFL Draft
NORMAL, Ill. – A dream became a reality Saturday afternoon for Illinois State tight end James O’Shaughnessy, who was selected in the fifth round (pick 173 overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2015 National Football League Draft.
With the selection of O’Shaughnessy, Illinois State has had a player taken in the NFL Draft for the past three seasons. Former Redbird defensive lineman Shelby Harris was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the seventh round of the 2014 draft (pick 235 overall) and former ISU defensive end Nate Palmer was taken in the sixth round of the 2013 draft (pick 193 overall) by the Green Bay Packers. O’Shaughnessy is also the second Redbird selected by the Chiefs, following in the footsteps of former Redbird All-American linebacker Boomer Grigsby, who was also selected by Kansas City in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft (pick 138 overall).
“This is an unbelievable feeling and it’s everything I imagined and more,” O’Shaughnessy said. “I took a visit to Kansas City and met with some people in the organization prior to the draft, but you never know just how interested they might be. So, when I got the coach from Coach (Andy) Reid it was a surreal moment. While I was talking with him my name came up on the screen and the family was going crazy in the background. To see your name on that board is an amazing feeling and I am so grateful for the opportunity to play for a great organization like the Chiefs.”
O’Shaughnessy was a three-year starter for the Redbirds at tight end and ended his career as one of the best pass-catchers in school history. The Naperville, Illinois, native currently ranks No. 2 in ISU history with a yards-per-catch average of 17.46 and is tied for seventh in school history with 14 career receiving touchdowns. In his four-year career, O’Shaughnessy caught 67 passes for 1,170 yards and is the first tight end in school history to be drafted.
“It’s very hard to find a guy like James who can be a move tight end, help you at the H-back position and block on the second level while also stretching coverage and making plays down field,” ISU head coach Brock Spack said. “He’s had a tremendous career aht Illinois State and has matured tremendously since he first stepped foot on campus. We recruited him as a long receiver, but he worked tirelessly in the weight room to mature into a different kind of player and it was an obvious choice for us to move him to tight end. He’s a big, tough guy who has great skill and that is why he is going to get a chance to play on Sundays for the Chiefs.”
A 2014 All-Missouri Valley Football Conference Second-Team selection, O’Shaughnessy ranked third on the team with a career-best 544 yards and tied for the team lead with a career-high nine touchdowns. During his senior season, O’Shaughnessy compiled a pair of 100-plus efforts and three multiple touchdown performances. He saved perhaps his best game for his last, catching a pair of touchdown passes in the FCS National Championship game against North Dakota State. Also a standout on special teams, O’Shaughnessy recorded a tackle on kickoff coverage on his final play of his career and finished with 20 career tackles.
O’Shaughnessy will not head to Kansas City for rookie mini-camp beginning May 10 and will go through offseason workouts with the rest of his teammates.
