Allen Park, Mich. – The Detroit Lions announced today that they have signed five of their 2008 draft picks: third round picks RB Kevin Smith and DT Andre Fluellen, fifth round picks WR Kenneth Moore and FB Jerome Felton and seventh-round draft choice DT Landon Cohen. All five players agreed to three year deals. Additional contract terms were not disclosed. In other roster moves, the team also announced that they have released T Jon Dunn.
Smith (6-1, 217) was drafted by the Lions with first pick in the third round (64th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft after moving ahead two spots in a trade through Miami. The talented running back out of Central Florida brings speed and durability to the Lions’ running game.
While at Central Florida, Smith became the school’s all-time leading rusher after just three seasons. He started in 34 of 36 games and established new career records with 905 carries for 4,864 yards (5.37 avg) and 45 touchdowns. His 4,864 yards rank second in Conference USA history. Smith also caught 55 passes for 444 yards (8.1 avg) and a score, as he totaled 276 points.
In 2007, Smith set a major college record of 450 rushing attempts, topping the old mark of 405 carries by Marcus Allen (USC) in 1981 and falling just 62 yards shy of setting the NCAA season-rushing record of 2,628 yards set by former Lions great, Barry Sanders (Oklahoma State) in 1988. Smith scored at least one touchdown in twelve of the fourteen games he appeared in and registered 13 100-yard rushing performances, including five games of at least 200 yards and a career-high 320 yards vs. Alabama-Birmingham. His 180 points scored rank fourth on the NCAA season-record chart.
As a sophomore in 2006, Smith earned second-team All-Conference USA honors, despite missing three games. He finished with 206 attempts for 934 yards (4.5 avg) and seven touchdowns, adding 158 yards on 23 catches (6.9 avg).
Smith lettered three times in football at Southridge High School. He was a two-time All-Dade County selection as both a running back and free safety, recording 53 tackles with four interceptions during his senior season. As a junior, he rushed for 1,125 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Fluellen (6-2, 296) was drafted by Detroit with their second selection in the third round (87th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft which was acquired through a trade with Cleveland earlier in the offseason. For the past four seasons, he has helped anchor Florida State’s defense which has been one of the best in college football in recent years. Fluellen closed out his career with the Seminoles with 81 career tackles (38 solo), 5.0 sacks, 18 tackles for loss and five pass defenses.
Prior to his senior season, Fluellen was named to several preseason All-American and All-Atlantic Coast Conference teams, in addition to earning a berth on the Bednarik Award Watch list (nation’s top defensive player). Unfortunately, an elbow injury limited him to five starts and he finished the season with 21 tackles (10 solo), including 2.0 sacks and two pass defenses.
In 2006, Fluellen showed versatility by starting 11-of 13 games at two different positions (nose guard and defensive tackle). He registered a career-high 28 tackles which was tops for Florida State defensive lineman. Eight of Fluellen’s tackles were for negative yardage. After the season, he was the recipient of the Bill McGrotha/Spirit Humanitarian Award.
Fluellen became a regular on the Seminole’s defensive line as a sophomore in 2005 and started 12-of-13 games at defensive tackle. He finished second among team defensive lineman with 26 tackles and was sixth on the team with 7.5 tackles for loss, a category in which the Seminole’s defense led the nation (126).
After spring practice in 2004, Fluellen was named the team’s Most Improved Defensive Lineman and was given his first of two Second Effort Awards (received again in 2005). He went on to appear in all 12 games as a redshirt freshman and notched six tackles, including one for loss and two pass defenses.
At Cartersville H.S. (Georgia), Fluellen was named a three-star player by Rivals.com and the 28th rated defensive tackle in the country after recording 93 tackles and 11.0 sacks as a senior. He finished the previous season with 88 tackles and 10.0 sacks in addition to six forced fumbles – two of which he returned for touchdowns.
Moore (5-11, 195) was drafted by the Lions with their first selection in the fifth round (136th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft. In 39 games at Wake Forest, Moore started 27 times. He ranks seventh in school history with 139 receptions for 1,458 yards (10.5 avg) and seven touchdowns. He carried the ball 151 times for 829 yards (5.5 avg) and five scores. He returned 44 punts for 485 yards (11/0 avg), including a touchdown, adding 172 yards on 10 kickoff returns while making two solo tackles. Moore closed out his career with 2,944 all-purpose yards, an average of 75.49 yards per game.
In 2007, Moore had a breakout season which brought him national attention. Moore led the Atlantic Coast Conference and ranked ninth in the nation with a school and league single-season record 98 receptions. His 1,011 yards gained marked just the third time in school history that a Wake Forest receiver amassed more than 1,000 yards in a season.
As a junior in 2006, Moore started 13 games, lining up at halfback in five contests and at the “X” receiver position for eight others. He led the team with 507 yards and two touchdowns on 105 carries (4.8 avg) and finished third on the squad with 32 catches for 314 yards (9.8 avg) and a score. He also returned 10 punts for 130 yards (13.0 avg).
During his high school career, Moore tallied 2,639 rushing yards, 1,907 receiving yards, 1,571 return yards and 58 touchdowns. He scored 30 touchdowns his senior year on 48 passes for 827 yards, rushed 78 times for 1,137 yards and had 739 yards on 28 returns. He also rushed for over 1,000 yards as a junior.
Felton (6-0, 246) was drafted by Detroit with their second selection in the fifth round (146th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft. In his four seasons at Furman, Felton started in 43 of 49 games and was tackled behind the line of scrimmage only 15 times for minus-22 yards on 575 rushing attempts for 2,652 yards (4.61 avg) while scoring 63 times on the ground. He added 46 receptions for 334 yards and four scores and is the school’s all-time record holder in scoring with 414 points.
In 2007, Felton was the only Division 1-AA player listed on USA Today/Sports Weekly’s preseason All-American team. He went on to lead the team in rushing with 705 yards and twelve touchdowns on 165 carries (4.2 avg). He also caught eleven passes for 59 yards (5.4 avg) and a touchdown, finishing with 80 points on the season.
As a junior, Felton broke his own school season-record and ranked fourth in the nation in scoring with 140 points, an average of 11.67 points per game. He appeared in 12 games, and finished second on the team with 707 yards on 162 carries (4.4 avg), including 23 touchdowns. He gained 85 yards on 13 catches (6.5 avg) and had one solo tackle. He also averaged 66.0 all-purpose yards per game.
Despite suffering a right index fracture early in the 2005 season, Felton ranked 13th nationally and second in the league in scoring with a school season-record 124 points, an average of 8.86 points per game. He ran for 18 touchdowns and caught two other passes for scores, as he rushed 182 times for 940 yards (5.2 avg). He also recorded 18 catches for 144 yards (8.0 avg) and averaged 77.4 all-purpose yards per game while recovering one fumble.
Born in Duren, West Germany, Felton took the ACT as a seventh grader as part of Duke University’s Talent Search program which allowed him to enroll in summer and night courses at Hiwassee College, where between the seventh and eleventh grades he completed 19 hours of college credit courses. In high school, Felton excelled as a fullback and middle linebacker, earning team Offensive MVP honors three times. He was a three-time All-County and All-Region choice, rushing for over 3,000 yards and recording over 300 tackles in his three-year career. Named an All-American Scholar and and an Outstanding African-American Student of Tennessee, in addition to receiving the 2001-02 United States National Minority Leadership Award.
Cohen (6-3, 274) was drafted by Detroit with their first selection in the seventh round (216th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft. He started a team-high 37 consecutive games since his sophomore season and amassed 144 career tackles with 39.5 tackles for loss.
As a senior in 2007, Cohen posted a career-high 59 tackles including 12.5 for a loss of 47 yards. He also had 1.5 sacks for 21 yards, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
In high school (Spartanburg, SC), Cohen earned all-state, all-area and all-region honors and was a member of the Spartanburg Herald-Journal Fantastic 50. He finished his senior season with 107 tackles and 6.0 sacks.
Dunn (6-7, 324) was originally selected in the seventh round (217th overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns and spent his rookie season on injured/reserve after suffering an ankle injury. After spending camp with the Browns in 2006, he was released September 3, 2006 and was signed to the New York Giants’ practice squad November 15, 2006. Dunn spent the 2007 preseason with the Giants before being waived September 1. He was signed to the Lions’ practice squad September 26.
Lions PR
