April 24, 2010
TORELL TROUP GOES HIGH IN THE SECOND ROUND TO BUFFALO BILLS
TORELL TROUP BUFFALO MEDIA TELECONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
BUFFALO BILLS FRONT OFFICE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
CHRONICLING TROUP'S PATH TO THE NFL
KNIGHTS IN THE NFL DRAFT ALL-TIME
By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
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ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Torell Troup looked at the phone, didn't recognize the number and thought that it could very well be the call that he had been waiting his whole life for.
``Torell,'' the voice on the other end of the line said, ``have you ever been to Buffalo? Well, get ready because we're about to draft you to play for the Bills.''
At that point, Torell slowly mouthed the word ``BUFF-A-LO'' to his parents, causing tears to stream from his mother's eyes. The dream of playing in the NFL, Troup realized, was about to become a reality as he talked to Bills head coach Chan Gailey. So in the minutes before Troup's name was announced in New York at Radio City Music Hall, Troup and his family got to revel in the reality of the UCF tackle becoming an NFL player.
``We were all just so excited,'' Troup remembered. ``No tears from me, just happiness. I'm really just happy that the whole thing is over with. My mom had a lot of tears, but I was just so happy with the way things worked out.''
Did they ever work out for the 6-foot-2, 315-pound Troup. He became the second-highest NFL Draft pick ever to come out of UCF when he was selected 41st overall by the Bills. Troup, who had been told he could be picked anywhere from the second to fourth rounds, was the ninth player chosen in the second round.
Daunte Culpepper, who was picked No. 11 by the Minnesota Vikings in 1999, is the only UCF player ever picked higher than Troup. The massive run-stuffing tackle is eager to live up to the lofty draft spot and show the Bills he can play right away.
``I feel pretty confident that I can step in and contribute right away,'' Troup said. ``I've talked to a lot of the NFL players from UCF and they all told me they were well-adjusted to playing in the pros after having gone through Coach (George) O'Leary's system. So I'm looking forward to getting in there and showing them that I can play.''
Troup said he didn't watch much of Thursday's first round of the NFL Draft, but he did take note of the number of tackles who were selected. Seven defensive linemen, five of them defensive tackles, were picked on Thursday night, giving Troup the feeling that his time was about to come.
``I knew the quick run on tackles would lead to my name being called quicker,'' he said. ``Defensive tackle might not be a glamour position, but I think scouts and GMs in the NFL are starting to realize that you have to build a defense from the inside out.''
Troup, a native of Conyers, Ga., anchored UCF's nationally ranked run defense this past season. He constantly drew double teams that freed up linebackers for tackles and helped sack specialist Bruce Miller to become the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year.
Troup started 39 of the 47 games in his career. He had 105 career tackles, 24 of which were for losses.
He said he knows very little about Buffalo, but he knows that the Bills' 3-4 system will fit him because of his versatility to play nose guard as well as defensive tackle. He said he can't wait to get to mini-camp in the next couple of weeks and start showing the Bills they made the right choice in picking him.
``I know that it's cold there in Buffalo, but that's about it,'' said Troup, who interviewed with the Bills' coaches at the NFL Draft Combine in March, but never visited Buffalo. ``I know they have a great organization and they're trying to rebuild the team. I just want to go up there and add to what they are doing. I knew they were in need of a nose guard, and I just feel like it's a really good fit for me all the way around.''
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John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFathletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.