The New York Jets haven’t picked many players from Clemson over their long history. Chansi Stuckey, the club’s seventh-round selection Sunday, became just the sixth Tiger ever to be selected by the Green & White and just the second since 1978. Justin Miller, a second-rounder in 2005 and the team’s only Pro Bowl player in 2006, was actually a roommate of Stuckey’s.
“I haven’t talked to him [Miller] yet because I have been on the phone here with Jets people the whole time,” said Stuckey when reached late in the afternoon.
But fortunately for the Jets’ final selection in the NFL Draft, he will have someone in the locker room to assist him with his professional transition.
“I got somebody there that I know,” said Stuckey, who will wear uniform No. 83. “Even though he is on defense, I will have somebody to go talk to about everything.”
Sitting with his family in Atlanta, Stuckey knew before the No. 235 selection that the Jets would call his name. But the versatile player, who starred in high school at quarterback and also returned punts at Clemson, didn’t fill his loved ones in on the tip.
“They called me right before and said, ‘We are about to take you,’ ” he said. “I was ecstatic. No one else in the room knew, so they saw it and ladies were screaming. I had to put down the phone down and say, ‘You guys be quiet,’ and I walked out.”
Stuckey walks out of Clemson ranking sixth in school history in receptions (141) and eighth in receiving yards (1,760). The all-purpose threat amassed 2,289 all-purpose yards on 222 touches, averaging an impressive 60.2 yards per game.
“The more you know about positions and the more positions you play, the more valuable you are to the team,” he said.
Vitals
Round 7 — Chansi Stuckey, WR, 5'10", 185, Clemson
Agility Tests
Campus: 4.34 seconds in the 40. ... 305-pound bench press. ... Bench-pressed 225 pounds 13 times. ... 440-pound squat. ... 300-pound power clean. ... 36½" vertical jump. ... 10'3" long jump. ... 31 1/8" arm length. ... 9 5/8" hands. ... Right-handed. ... Wears contacts. Combine: 4.6 in the 40. ... 1.61 seconds in the 10. ... 2.67 in the 20. ... 4.14 in the 20 shuttle. ... 11.86 in the 60 shuttle. ... 6.91 in the three-cone drill. ... 35" vertical jump. ... 10'0" long jump.
High School
Attended Northside (Warner Robbins, Ga.) H.S., playing football for head coach Conrad Nix. ... Rated the No. 15 athlete in the nation by Rivals.com, earning four-star status from that recruiting service. ... The all-state product threw for 1,286 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior, leading Northside High to the Class AAAAA state title game. ... Also rushed for 1,008 yards and 10 scores that year.
Personal
Graduated in August 2006 with degree in sports management. ... Born Chansi V. Stuckey on Oct. 4, 1983. ... Resides in Warner Robbins, Ga.
