Missouri State tight end Clay Harbor was selected Saturday as the 125th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft when the Philadelphia Eagles called his name as the 27th selection of the fourth round.

Harbor became the 16th Bear ever drafted by a National Football League team and the first since 2000. He is the second-highest MSU pick ever with Tom Mullen going as the 28th overall pick to the Giants in 1974.

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“It has been a crazy day,” Harbor said. “I was getting a little worried as they got deeper in the third and fourth round, but it was a great feeling when my phone rang. I found out the Eagles were picking me about two minutes before everybody else did, so it happened really fast. I am just really excited to go to Philadelphia and help the Eagles and thank them for the opportunity to fulfill a dream.”

Harbor earned Division I FCS first team All-America honors in 2009 from The Sports Network, Associated Press, Walter Camp Football Foundation, and The College Sporting News. He also was named to the All-Missouri Valley Football Conference first team for the third consecutive year and earned a spot on the MVFC All-Silver Anniversary Squad. He was one of just 10 players in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision to be unanimously selected to The College Sporting News Fab 50 team.

In 2009, he recorded 59 receptions for 729 yards and 4 touchdowns. He had the most receptions by a tight end in the MVFC and second-most nationally. He also led all tight ends nationally in receiving yards per game (66.3). He ended his Bears’ career as the school’s all-time receptions leader (150) and was third in career receiving yards (1,906). He finished with receptions in 33 consecutive games to tie an MSU record and notched four 100-yard receiving games this season and six for his career, which also tied institutional records.

Earlier this year, he participated in the East-West Shrine Game, the Texas vs. The Nation All-Star Game and the NFL Combine in preparation for the draft and realizing his NFL dreams.

He was the fourth player picked in this year’s NFL Draft who did not play for an FBS program after Jared Veldheer from Division II Hillsdale College was picked in the third round (69th overall), followed by fellow Division I FCS players Andre Roberts from Citadel (88th), and Armanti Edwards of Appalachian State (89th).

Missouri State Draft History

Year Round Pick Player Name Team
1951 17 4 199 Henry May (OC) Cardinals
1952 18 12 217 Bob Dees (T) Rams
1958 25 10 299 Bill Kaczmarek (OC) 49ers
1968 9 7 226 Sam McDowell (T) Dolphins
1968 16 19 427 Pat Talbert Chiefs
1974 2 2 28 Tom Mullen (OG) Giants
1974 7 25 181 Fred Tabron Vikings
1978 11 8 286 Dennis Heim (DT) Giants
1979 6 22 159 Mike Murphy (L Oilers
1979 7 6 171 Tim Ries (D Oilers
1983 7 22 190 Darrin Newbold (L Jets
1985 9 13 237 Mike Armentrout (D Chiefs
1986 6 21 159 Keith Williams (R Falcons
1997 7 9 210 Mike Miano (DT) Bears
2000 7 4 210 Brad St. Louis (TE) Bengals
2010 4 27 125 Clay Harbor (TE) Eagles

By Missouri State University Athletic CommunicationsA