At the time he declared for the NFL Draft, Florida State linebacker Ernie Sims was told he was probably an "early second round" pick.

Sims' decision paid off in a big way on Saturday when the Detroit Lions made him the ninth overall selection in the draft. Sims (5-foot-11, 232 pounds) was the first Florida State player chosen and the fourth from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Sims started his final 24 games as a Seminole and was the team's fourth-leading tackler in 2005. Though his tackles for losses (10) and sacks (2.5) weren't exactly through-the-roof numbers, his talents were showcased at the strongside ("SAM") position where he regularly dropped into pass coverage.

His diving interception in one-on-one coverage against Maryland tight end Vernon Davis and his one-handed interception against Miami are two of the plays network analysts showed over and over again in critiquing Sims' draft value.

A native of Tallahassee, Sims was the top-rated defensive recruit in the country as a high school senior at North Florida Christian.

It seemed almost a given that Kamerion Wimbley would end up with Cleveland. The only drama came when the Browns decided to trade out of the 12th spot in the draft.

But Wimbley and the Browns met each other a pick later when Cleveland selected the defensive end.

For Wimbley, it caps a pretty impressive transition. He enrolled at FSU in the spring of 2002 after playing a variety of positions -- including quarterback -- during his senior year of high school.

He made an immediate impact as a true freshman by starring on special teams. He forced a fumble and recovered fumble in his first career game during FSU's 38-31 victory over Iowa State.

Through the first half of Wimbley's senior season at FSU, he looked like an automatic selection for All-American honors. He was the ACC's sacks leader until injuring his knee on an illegal chopblock by an North Carolina State lineman. That injury forced him to miss the last two and a half games of the regular season as well as the ACC title game.

He returned to play in the Orange Bowl.

Though he played his entire FSU career at defensive end, Wimbley (6-foot-4, 248 pounds) is expected to play outside linebacker in Cleveland's 3-4 defensive scheme.

The guy who wasn't good enough to earn first-team All-ACC honors was good enough for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Brodrick Bunkley, whose 25 tackles for losses this season set an FSU record and led the country for defensive linemen, went one pick after Wimbley to the Eagles.

Bunkley joins an impressive list of former FSU defensive linemen in the NFL and will join former teammates Travis Johnson and Darnell Dockett in the league. He also steps into the spot vacated a year ago by former FSU All-American Corey Simon, who was a Pro Bowl player with the Eagles but now plays for the Colts.

Bunkley's rise to the top half of the first round came as no surprise to any who saw him play this past fall.

On a defense hit hard by injuries on the line, Bunkley was a one-man wrecking crew -- especially as the depth chart got thinner and thinner late in the season. He turned in a dominating effort against Virginia Tech -- and two All-ACC linemen -- in the conference championship game.

It was Bunkley's self-described "Braveheart" speech the night before the Virginia Tech game that helped inspire the Seminoles.

Though he did earn All-American honors, Bunkley was left off the All-ACC first team because the voters opted to select four defensive ends -- leaving the conference's leader in tackles for losses to claim a spot on the second team.

That led to a pretty comical scene on FSU's Pro Timing Day when Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith was talking to former 'Nole Brad Johnson. Bunkley walked by the two of them and Smith, pointing at Bunkley, "yelled" at Johnson, "Who picks the All-ACC team anyway? You? This guy isn't first team? Are you kidding me?"

Antonio Cromartie's big gamble paid off.

Injured before the start of the 2005 season, Cromartie never played a down as a junior. But he decided to take a chance on the NFL and became FSU's fourth defensive player selected in Saturday's draft when the San Diego Chargers grabbed him with the 19th pick.

Cromartie seemed to almost guarantee himself a first-round payday after wowing scouts during a workout on the FSU campus last month. His 4.39 time in the 40-yard dash generated a series of "ooh's" and "aah's" from the scouts, coaches and personnel managers at the workout. The fact that he turned in that time just eight months after tearing his ACL made it even more impressive.

Though Cromartie only made one career start as a Seminole, he earned considerable praise from long-time defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews, who said Cromartie's work ethic reminded him of Deion Sanders.

In fact, Andrews said he thought Cromartie would be a top-five pick in the 2007 NFL Draft if he returned for what would have been his redshirt junior season.

But Cromartie opted to test the NFL waters, mainly to provide financial relief for his mother who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year.