WSU's Falk, Madison picked on final day
Washington State quarterback Luke Falk was selected in the sixth round as the No. 199 overall pick by the Tennessee Titans in the 2018 NFL Draft on Saturday.
Earlier Saturday, WSU offensive lineman Cole Madison was selected in the fifth round as the 138th overall pick by the Green Bay Packers.
Falk expected to get taken much earlier. The former walk-on set Pac-12 records in yards passing, total offense, touchdown passes, pass completions and pass attempts.
“I think just the word that came to mind would just be ‘shocked,’” Falk said. “It wasn’t exactly how I thought it would play out, but I’m very grateful. I’m grateful that a team in Tennessee took a chance on me and is giving me an opportunity to compete and go in there and help the football team.”
Falk’s two sisters are aspiring country singers who live in Nashville. Falk gives the Titans someone to groom as a possible backup to Marcus Mariota after signing veteran Blaine Gabbert in March.
The 6-foot-4 Falk went to the Titans with the 199th overall pick. That’s the same pick New England used on Tom Brady back in 2000. Falk considers himself a big Brady fan.
“I just think that we kind of have the same similarities and style of play,” Falk said. “We are not the most mobile guys. We do stuff in the pocket, creating throws in a small space. We are accurate. He’s the best to do it and somebody I look up to and just try to model my game after. It’s a huge coincidence that it is pick 199 and Tennessee took a shot on me.”
Falk becomes the 11th Cougar quarterback selected in the NFL Draft and the first since Alex Brink went in the seventh round to the Houston Texans in 2008 and the highest Cougar quarterback taken since Ryan Leaf went second overall to the San Diego Chargers in 1998. Falk is the first Cougar selected by the Titans since defensive lineman Rien Long was taken in the fourth round of the 2003 draft.
This past season, Falk led the Pac-12 Conference with 30 touchdown passes and was No. 12 in the country with 3,593 passing yards and led the Cougars to a 9-4 record in 2017. Falk won the Burlsworth Trophy, given to the nation’s top former walk-on.
Falk, a fifth-year senior from Logan, Utah, set Pac-12 and WSU career records for passing yards (14,486), passing touchdowns (119), total offense (14,086), plays (2,306), completions (1,404), attempts (2,055) and 300-yard games (30). He also set the WSU record for wins by a quarterback with 27.
The 6-5 Madison played tackle in college. But the Packers like his versatility and plan to use him at guard. Green Bay has questions on the right side of the line.
Madison is the second Cougar offensive lineman drafted under head coach Mike Leach, after Joe Dahl was selected in the fifth round of the 2016 draft by the Detroit Lions, and is WSU’s highest drafted offensive lineman since Scott Sanderson was selected in the third round by the Tennessee Oilers in the 1997 draft.
Madison was a three-time All-Pac-12 Conference selection, earning second team honors as a senior after starting all 13 games at right tackle and was presented the “Bone Award” three times, given to WSU’s offensive lineman of the week. The Burien, Wash., native started all 47 games he appeared in and all 47 starts came at right tackle, the second-most-starts in school history.