The second and third round of the 2013 NFL draft came and went on Friday night with Syracuse’s Ryan Nassib and Shamarko Thomas still on the board.
Two quarterbacks were selected on Friday. West Virginia’s Geno Smith was taken with the 39th overall pick by the New York Jets, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected North Carolina State’s Mike Glennon with the 73rd overall pick.
Nassib, projected to be as high as a top 10 pick, instead slips into the third day of the NFL draft. Thomas was projected as high as the third round.
“I’d be remiss if I told you that it doesn’t hurt,” Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone said. “I’m extremely surprised.”
» Related: Pugh taken by Giants with 19th pick
Nassib was a three-year starter under Marrone at SU before Marrone was hired by the Bills in January. Many expected Buffalo to select Nassib, especially after Marrone hired offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett away from the Orange.
Instead, the Bills selected Florida State quarterback EJ Manuel with the 16th pick in the NFL draft after trading the No. 8 overall pick to Saint Louis.
The only Syracuse player to be selected in the first three rounds was offensive lineman Justin Pugh, taken at No. 19 by the New York Giants.
At Syracuse, Nassib was an All-Big East Second Team selection, and a 2012 Pro Football Weekly All-American. He was ranked 17th nationally and led the Big East with 288.4 yards per game.
Thomas was a 2012 All-Big East First Team selection and ranks fifth in Syracuse history for tackles by a defensive back (263). He also led the Orange defense with 88 tackles and posted a career-high 14 tackles against Cincinnati in the 2012 season.
Syracuse finished with an 8-5 (5-2 Big East) record overall, as SU won 38-14 over West Virginia in the 2012 New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
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