[ PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL ]
49ers pick UH tackle
Sopoaga is among the
former Warriors headed
to NFL camps
Sometimes "where" is better than "when."
Not usually when it comes to the NFL Draft, but maybe so for Isaac Sopoaga.
The Hawaii defensive tackle was expected to be picked in the first three rounds on Saturday. Instead, he was chosen yesterday in the fourth round.
Sopoaga endured a long day waiting for his name to be called. Yesterday, it was just a few minutes before the 49ers chose him with the 104th overall pick and the eighth of the day. The pick originally belonged to the Chicago Bears, but San Francisco traded its fourth- and fifth-round picks to get in position to take Sopoaga.
Warriors to the NFL
At least five former University of Hawaii football players will be rookies in NFL training camps this yearplayer, Position, team, drafted or free agent
Travis LaBoy, DE, Tennessee Titans, 2nd round (42nd overall)
Isaac Sopoaga, DT, San Francisco 49ers, 4th round (104th overall)
Kevin Jackson, LB, Green Bay Packers, free agent
Jeremiah Cockheran, WR, Cincinnati Bengals, free agent
Kelvin Millhouse, DB, Miami Dolphins, free agent
He reports to mini-camp in two weeks.
"No, no, no, I wasn't disappointed. That was nothing to me," Sopoaga said of being chosen on the second day. "I thought it was 50-50 anyway, so I wasn't surprised. First, second, third round, all went. That's OK. I'm in the league, and that's all that matters."
Sopoaga, who is from American Samoa, said he was thrilled to be picked by a West Coast team.
"That's my dream team," he said. "I love the city, the team, the state."
The Bay Area has a large Polynesian community, and Sopoaga has an uncle who lives in Monterey, about a two-hour drive from San Francisco.
He also has Jesse Sapolu, the former UH and 49ers standout who lives in the Bay Area and is a coordinator of alumni events for the team.
"We had dinner with Jesse about a month ago," said Sopoaga advisor Jim Higgins. "He said he was looking forward to mentoring Isaac."
Sopoaga joins a defensive unit that includes former UH linebacker Jeff Ulbrich. Sopoaga (6-foot-2, 321 pounds) was assigned No. 90 and is listed No. 2 on the 49ers depth chart at right tackle.
As a fourth-round draft pick, Sopoaga's contract will be for three years at around $230,000 per season. His signing bonus will probably be around $300,000.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tennessee Titans general manager Floyd Reese, left, posed with the team's top three picks, Ben Troupe, a tight end from Florida; Travis LaBoy, a defensive end from Hawaii; and Antwan Odom, a defensive end from Alabama, and coach Jeff Fisher during a news conference in Nashville, Tenn., yesterday.
UH defensive end Travis LaBoy's signing bonus as a second-round pick of the Tennessee Titans will be more than $1 million. His contract will be for four or five years, with an annual salary around $230,000. Tennessee chose LaBoy on Saturday with the 42nd pick of the draft.
Several other Warriors are getting free-agent opportunities.
Kevin Jackson, a defensive end at Hawaii, will be an outside linebacker with the Green Bay Packers.
Jackson formally agreed to join the Packers as a free agent after the completion of the draft yesterday, but he said a deal had been in the works.
"They'd been talking to me for a while," said Jackson, who impressed NFL decision-makers at UH's workout for pro scouts and coaches in Carson, Calif., last month. "They didn't draft any linebackers at all. They said they want me to play over the tight end on the strong side because of my experience at defensive end, and I'll get some chances as a third-down pass-rush guy."
Cornerback Kelvin Millhouse said he was surprised to get an offer from the Miami Dolphins.
"They kind of came out of nowhere, but they offered the best deal," Millhouse said. "They had three corners and drafted one and they need a fifth. That's the spot I'll be competing for. Hopefully I can make the team."
Receiver Jeremiah Cockheran will join the Cincinnati Bengals as a free agent. Cockheran chose the Bengals over the Buffalo Bills.
"The Bengals almost drafted me in the seventh round," Cockheran said. "They told me I was their first priority as a free agent."
UH safety Hyrum Peters, a two-time All-Western Athletic Conference player, said he signed a two-year contract with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League.
"I still have to make the team, but they don't usually give you a two-year contract unless they think you pretty much made it," said Peters, who becomes a teammate of former UH safety Rob Grant.
The Eskimos' training camp begins May 21.
Former Saint Louis School and Arizona linebacker Joe Siofele of Waipahu said he was hoping to join the Miami Dolphins as a free agent, but nothing was confirmed by late yesterday.
Also, agent Leo Goeas was still working to get free-agent deals for Warriors defensive linemen Houston Ala and Lance Samuseva.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Titans GM Floyd Reese talked at a news conference yesterday as Hawaii alumnus Travis LaBoy, second from right, looked on.
