Three more Tigers picked
The Cincinnati Bengals watched Pat Sims play through a broken bone and wield a cumbersome cast on his left hand for much of 2007.
The Auburn defensive tackle's toughness convinced the Bengals to make him the 77th overall pick Sunday on day two of the NFL draft.
Cornerback Jonathan Wilhite was taken in the fourth round with the 129th overall pick by the New England Patriots, while offensive tackle King Dunlap was selected in the seventh round with the 230th overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Running back Carl Stewart signed a free agent deal Sunday night with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while nose guard Josh Thompson and tight end Cole Bennett reached similar agreements with the St. Louis Rams and Houston Texas, respectively.
"The first thing I noticed about (Sims) was watching him play against Mississippi State with a cast on his hand," Cincinnati defensive line coach Jay Hayes said in quotes posted on the team's Web site. "He was making play after play. That is something that, going into this league, you have to be able to do. You have to have that kind of toughness."
Sims left Auburn with one year of eligibility remaining. He was a second-team SEC selection after a strong junior year that included four sacks and 11 tackles for loss. Sims was named defensive MVP of the Chick-fil-A Bowl, which was his final game as a Tiger.
Sims will join former Auburn teammate Kenny Irons, a running back who was drafted by the Bengals in the second round of the 2007 draft.
Sims was considered a possible second-rounder, but some teams were concerned that he quit the team in 2005. Sims said he was dealing with personal issues, including the death of a sister.
"It really affected me because she was the first person that I called mother," Sims said in a teleconference with Cincinnati reporters. "It took me a while to get over it. I still think about her every day.
"After a while, I missed football. It was time for me to play again. I talked to the coaches, and they allowed me to come back to the team. I'm thankful for that."
Wilhite played for three seasons at Auburn after transferring in from a junior college. He recorded 101 tackles and there interceptions during his college career.
Wilhite said he was a follower of the Patriots, who have won three Super Bowls this decade.
"To be a fan of the Patriots, to actually get in and see Tom Brady, Randy Moss and Rodney Harrison, some of the guys I look up to to play and practice with these guys is wonderful," Wilhite said in an audio interview on the team's Web site. Dunlap was expected to play a major role on Auburn's offensive line in 2007, but injuries and poor play caused him to lose his job early in the year.
Still, teams were intrigued by his 6-8, 315-pound frame.
Auburn had two players selected in the second round on Saturday. Defensive end Quentin Groves went to the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 52nd overall pick, while cornerback Patrick Lee was chosen by the Green Bay Packers with the 60th pick.
NFL teams selected four Auburn defensive players for the first time since 1989, when defensive linemen Brian Smith, Tracey Rocker, Ron Stallworth and Benjie Roland and safety Carlo Cheattom were picked.
Auburn has had at least four players drafted in five consecutive years.
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