North Carolina State University Athletics
Jets Grab Cotchery in 4th Round
4/25/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 25, 2004
By Tony Haynes
One day after quarterback Philip Rivers became the 4th player selected in the 2004 National Football League Draft, his favorite receiving target was scooped up in the 4th round. Jerricho Cotchery, who finished his career as NC State's all-time leader in receptions with 200, is headed to the Big Apple after being selected by the New York Jets. Cotchery, who like Rivers is an Alabama native, was the 108th player taken overall in this year's draft. He becomes the third draftee from NC State this year, joining Rivers and guard Sean Locklear.
Often called "Old Reliable" by Wolfpack coach Chuck Amato, Cotchery quietly inched his way up the school's receiving charts by steadily improving his consistent productivity each and every year of his career.
A two-time All-ACC selection, Cotchery also holds the school mark for 100-yard receiving games with 15 and is second only to Torry Holt in receiving yards with 3,119 and touchdowns with 21. Although not known for blazing speed, the Birmingham product became synonymous with big plays, making a total of 46 catches for 20 yards or more.
Cotchery had his best season as a senior, making 86 catches for 1,369 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Ironically, the new quarterback with whom Cotchery will now work, Chad Pennington, is very much like Rivers in that he's known for his excellent instincts and cerebral approach to the game. Pennington's offensive coordinator at Marshall was Marty Galbraith, who was also NC State's coordinator in 2001 and 2002.
