Sooners had four players taken in NFL Draft

Reggie Smith was still in bed Sunday morning when he received the best wake-up call of his life.

The San Francisco 49ers were on the other line telling the former Oklahoma cornerback that they were about to select him with the 75th overall pick in the third round of the NFL Draft.

"I don't know even who called me I was so excited,” he said.

Smith joined linebacker Curtis Lofton and wide receiver Malcolm Kelly as well as running back Allen Patrick as the only Sooners drafted over the weekend.

Lofton went to the Atlanta Falcons with the No. 37th pick in the second round while Kelly was later taken in the second by the Washington Redskins with the No. 51 overall selection, marking the first time in seven years that OU didn't have a player drafted in the first round.

Several former Sooners with draft aspirations went undrafted, including tight end Joe Jon Finley, kicker Garrett Hartley, cornerback Marcus Walker and safety D.J. Wolfe, who all will hope to sign free-agent contracts.

Patrick avoided that distinction when the Baltimore Ravens drafted him late in the seventh round.

As for Smith, he'll join a franchise in rebuilding mode after finishing 5-11 last season.

49ers coach Mike Nolan said during the team's draft day press conference he feels Smith (6-foot, 199 pounds) will match up well with the physical wide receivers of the NFC West like Arizona's Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald.

"He's a good, young player, with a lot of strength and good size,” Nolan said. "I believe that matchup corners are really important when you play the receivers that are in our division.

"They're big, physical guys, so it's important we get some corners with some size.”

Smith, who in several mock drafts was projected to go in the first round, watched the first two rounds go by Saturday without hearing his named called.

"Going into the draft I didn't know what to expect,” he said. "But I was a little disappointed.”

Being selected by the 49ers came as a surprise to Smith, since they hadn't shown as much interest as other teams.

"I'm excited to go there and play with a great team that has a lot of tradition,” he said. "They have a lot of great corners like (Nate) Clements, who I'll be able to learn from.”

On paper, the 49ers are deep at cornerback. But last year, they endured injuries to three key contributors at the position.

"All those players have assured me they're fine, but I want to make sure we have competition and depth there,” Nolan said. "I thought we had an outstanding secondary last year and hopefully this makes us a little better.”

Patrick, meanwhile, will probably have to rely on his prowess on special teams to make Baltimore's active roster, since the Ravens selected Rutgers' Ray Rice in the second round to back up starter Willis McGahee.

Patrick will join five ex-Sooners now with the Ravens — offensive lineman Chris Chester, wide receiver Mark Clayton, defensive end Dan Cody, defensive tackle Kelly Gregg and defensive back Corey Ivy.