Three Former County Standouts Selected in Day 2 of NFL’s Draft

Three players with Orange County connections were selected Monday on the second day of the NFL’s two-day, 12-round draft.

Mike Pawlawski, a former quarterback at Troy High who led California to a victory in the Citrus Bowl last season, was taken in the eighth round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Phoenix Cardinals selected Reggie Yarbrough, a running back from Cal State Fullerton, in the 10th round.

Mike Petko, a linebacker from Servite who played at Nebraska, was an 11th-round pick of the New England Patriots.

The co-offensive player of the year in the Pacific 10, Pawlawski steps into unstable surroundings in Tampa Bay. Vinny Testaverde has been unpredictable and often unproductive as the Buccaneers’ starter, so Pawlawski figures to get a good look.

Yarbrough figures to be something of a long shot to make the Cardinals’ squad, particularly with young running backs Anthony Thompson and Johnny Johnson already entrenched in the backfield. In his senior season at Fullerton, Yarbrough gained 905 yards in 195 carries and scored three touchdowns in nine games before a sprained ankle sidelined him for the rest of the season.

Petko, a Times’ all-county selection at Servite, was slowed by knee injuries at Nebraska.

Matt Elliott, a center from Michigan who was drafted by the Washington Redskins, had the dubious distinction of being the 336th, and last, pick of the draft.