Carolina Panthers pick Iowa's Godfrey in Round 3 of draft

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By Eric Page | Monday, April 28, 2008 |

Saturday, the first day of the NFL Draft, was a long one for Charles Godfrey.

The former University of Iowa cornerback sat through 5 hours of draft coverage, waiting to hear his named called, only to earn the distinction of being Mel Kiper Jr.’s top player available after two rounds had been completed. He saw 10 players at his position go on the first day of the draft, including three of the final four picks.

Sunday was somewhat less suspenseful.

With the fourth pick of the third round — the fourth pick of the day Sunday morning — the Carolina Panthers gave Godfrey his NFL start, making him the 67th selection overall.

“It’s a relief,” Godfrey said from his home in Baytown, Texas. “You get the call, and for a little bit it doesn’t even hit you. Once you realize, ‘OK, I’m in the NFL,’ and you go and look on the team’s Web page — I’m on their roster now. I’m a Panther, man. It’s official.”

Godfrey, one of three former Hawkeyes selected in the draft, indeed is a Panther. The 6-foot, 207-pounder will report to his first mini-camp Thursday to begin his professional career. He projects as a free safety in the pros, a position he played his first two seasons at Iowa.

“Everything I’ve done leading up to this point was to put myself in a good situation,” Godfrey said. “I think I’m in a great situation in Carolina, going as the 67th pick overall. It’s great.”

Godfrey visited nine NFL teams in the weeks leading up to the draft, but the Panthers weren’t one of them. Carolina ranked 17th in the league in pass defense last season, with a defensive backfield anchored by former Ohio State player Chris Gamble.

A second-team All-Big Ten pick as a senior, Godfrey led the Hawkeyes and ranked third in the conference with five interceptions last fall. He also led Iowa with nine pass breakups and ranked fifth on the team with 65 tackles, including 42 solo stops.

He caught scouts attention with a 4.3 40-yard dash at Iowa’s pro day March 24.

“(He’s a) big kid, physical, and I like versatility in the secondary,” Kiper said on ESPN. “This kid will tackle. He’s got very good instincts and decent ball skills.”

Defensive end Kenny Iwebema went to the Arizona Cardinals with the 17th pick of the fourth round, No. 116 overall. By the time his name was called, he’d been on the phone with Cardinals coaches for an hour.

“Now we can get back to playing football,” Iwebema said from his home in Arlington, Texas. “I’m excited about the opportunity, but I’m just glad to have this behind me and know where I’m going to be.”

The 6-foot-4, 269-pound Iwebema finished his college career with 106 tackles, including 14½ sacks. He was first-team All-Big Ten as a sophomore, when he recorded 48 tackles with seven sacks. But his final two seasons were marked by injury and inconsistency, as he missed six games for varying reasons.

The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted linebacker Mike Humpal with the 22nd pick of Round 6, making him the 188th player selected overall.

The 6-foot-3, 244-pounder from New Hampton, Iowa, led the Hawkeyes with 123 tackles, including 5½ for a loss, in 2007. He also had one sack and three interceptions.

Where'd they go?

Player	school	Pos	Round	Pick (Overall)	Team
Rashard Mendenhall	Illinois	RB	1	23 (23)	Pittsburgh
Charles Godfrey	Iowa	DB	3	4 (67)	Carolina
Chad Rinehart	Northern Iowa	OL	3	33 (96)	Washington
Kenny Iwebema	Iowa	DE	4	17 (116)	Arizona
Alvin Bowen	Iowa State	LB	5	12 (147)	Buffalo
Mike Humpal	Iowa	LB	6	22 (188)	Pittsburgh
Ahtyba Rubin	Iowa State	DL	6	24 (190)	Cleveland
Andy Studebaker	Wheaton	LB	6	37 (203)	Philadelphia
Brandon Keith	UNI	OL	7	18 (225)	Arizona