Pugh goes early in draft, Nassib and Thomas drafted in fourth round

Ryan Nassib, Justin Pugh and Shamarko Thomas finally had their NFL aspirations fulfilled during the 2013 NFL Draft. The three catalysts that propelled the Syracuse Orange to an 8-5 season have landed with two of the more successful franchises in the league today.

The New York Giants had their eyes set on Nassib, and moved up in six spots to select a quarterback who they are looking forward to develop behind starter Eli Manning. Since Manning is only 32 years old, it doesn’t appear that Nassib will start for the Giants in the foreseeable future. However, he will manage to learn from a two-time Super Bowl champion and MVP, and could eventually become trade bait for the Giants a few years down the line.

Nassib joins fellow Syracuse teammate Justin Pugh, who was selected in the first round by the Giants with the 19^th overall pick. Pugh, a former left tackle who anchored the Orange offensive line, brings the tenacity and the work ethic that Syracuse graduate and Giants head coach Tom Coughlin instills in his players.

It’s still unclear whether Pugh will be used as either an offensive tackle or a guard, where he is considered to be a better fit. Nonetheless, a product of the Syracuse program was selected in the first round for the second straight year, following in the steps

Meanwhile, Thomas brings his physical style of play to the number one rated defenses in 2012, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Shortly after the Giants selected Nassib, the Steelers traded up to select the Thomas with the pick immediately following Nassib’s.

Thomas’ value as a mid-round selection skyrocketed after his great performance at the Combine, where he ran a 4.42 at the 40 yard dash. His 28 reps on the bench press also stood out.

NFL Network’s draft guru Mike Mayock has very high praise for Thomas, calling him the next Bob Sanders. 

Alec Lemon became the fourth Syracuse player to join an NFL team after agreeing to a deal with the Houston Texans. Deon Goggins, Marcus Sales, the last SU players who declared for the draft, were not selected Saturday and will look for undrafted free agent contracts.