Football: former defensive end Jabaal Sheard drafted in second round

Former Pitt defensive end Jabaal Sheard was selected fifth in the second round of the NFL… Former Pitt defensive end Jabaal Sheard was selected fifth in the second round of the NFL draft Friday night by the Cleveland Browns. He was the 37th pick overall.

Sheard was the second Pitt player taken in the draft as Kansas City selected wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin 26th overall in the first round Thursday night.

The 2010 Big East Player of the Year and a unanimous first team All-Big East selection, Sheard finished his 2010 campaign at Pitt with 52 tackles, 34 solo, and four forced fumbles. He was second on the team with 14.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks.

The Browns, who are instituting a new 4-3 defense, drafted defensive tackle Phil Taylor from Baylor in the first round. Sheard could contend for a starting position in Cleveland.

Before the 2010 season, Sheard served a short suspension after he was arrested for a fight in the South Side. He originally faced charges of aggravated assault and resisting arrested, but pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was reinstated to the team.

As a senior, Sheard served as a leader for a Pitt defense that suffered a blow when fellow defensive end Greg Romeus was injured. Romeus was not selected in the first three rounds.

Sheard, who attended Hollywood Hills High School in Florida, was an administration of justice major at Pitt.

At the NFL combine, a series of drills that test players’ athleticism and individual skill, Sheard ran a 4.68-second 40-yard dash and finished with a 31-inch vertical jump and a 115-inch broad jump.

The best defensive end 40-yard dash time was a 4.62 and best vertical jump and broad jump were 37 inches and 122.0 inches, respectively.

The 2011 draft marks the first time since 2004 that a Pitt player was selected in the first two rounds.

In 2004, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was drafted in the first round while cornerback Shawntae Spencer and tight end Kris Wilson went in the second.

Sheard was the highest drafted Pitt defensive lineman since tackle Sean Gilbert was the third overall selection in 1992. Sheard fell within his draft projection as many experts had him leaving the board in the second round.