West Virginia Football All-Time Draft: PICK #3

A surprise in the first round of 2012, a potential surprise in round one of the WVU All-Time Draft.

The first defensive player to go in the WVU Football All-Time Draft is the Sack Man, Bruce Irvin. I know that the old crowd will be on me for passing over Darryl Talley, but the otherworldly speed and defensive playmaking ability of Bruce gets the nod from me.

I'll let DougityDog take over for a bit, with my absolute favorite WVU highlight compilation. (Warning: explicit lyrics)

Like sbwvu1's first pick of Tavon Austin, Bruce is a recent player, so not much needs to be said. You all remember how devastating he was coming around the edge and absolutely destroying QBs. Here's some stats and honors from his two years in Morgantown for reference, though:

22.5 career sacks
5 career forced fumbles
Second in the NCAA for sacks in 2010
2010/11 2nd Team All Big East
15th Overall Pick in the 2012 NFL Draft (Seattle)

People may call this a bit of a reach, but like sbwvu1 took Tavon Austin for his explosive skills on offense, I'm taking Bruce here for his explosive skills on the other side. Beyond that, Bruce is truly a great Mountaineer. From return trips to Morgantown to big time donations to the football program, Bruce Irvin truly cherishes his time in Morgantown, and because I, too, cherish his time in Morgantown, he's my first round pick in the all-time draft.