Courtesy: Robert Barclay/CMU Joe Staley was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the NFL Draft.

MOUNT PLEASANT – Left tackle Joe Staley (Rockford, Mich./Rockford HS) is the first player from Central Michigan University to be selected in the first round of the National Football League Draft.

Staley was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the 28th pick in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft on Saturday. The 49ers traded their first-round pick in 2008 and fourth-round pick in 2007 to New England in order to move into the No. 28 spot and select Staley.

"It was really surprising and really exciting," Staley said. "I got a call from the 49ers, who asked me if I was watching tv. I said I was, and they said they had just traded up and were going to take me, and said, 'Welcome to the 49ers organization.' It was a total shock, but I'm really excited about how everything turned out."

He was the third offensive lineman taken overall, behind only Joe Thomas (No. 3, Cleveland Browns) and Levi Brown (No. 5, Arizona Cardinals). Staley is the third offensive lineman from CMU to be drafted in the past three years. Eric Ghiaciuc and Adam Kieft were selected in the fourth and fifth round, respectively, by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2005.

Staley is the highest draft pick in program history by round number and overall pick. Defensive back Jim Bowman was selected with the 24th pick in the second round (No. 52 overall) by the New England Patriots in 1985, while running back Jim Podoley was selected with the third pick in the fourth round (No. 40 overall) by the Washington Redskins in 1957.

An All-Mid-American Conference first team selection in 2006, Staley was a four-year letterman and three-year starter for the Chippewas. He caught 11 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown as a true freshman tight end in 2003 before starting all 11 games at right tackle in 2004. He started all 25 games at left tackle in 2005 and 2006, allowing just one sack during those two seasons.

Staley served as a co-captain in 2006, a season in which CMU (10-4 overall, 7-1 MAC) defeated Ohio, 31-10, in the MAC Championship Game and Middle Tennessee State, 31-14, in the Motor City Bowl. The wins marked the program’s first conference title since 1994 and first Division I-A bowl victory in school history.

Staley capped his collegiate career at the 2007 Senior Bowl, just the fifth player in CMU history to compete in that all-star game.

Known for the athleticism he brought to the left tackle position, Staley added 80 pounds to his 6-foot, 5-inch frame during his time at CMU. He arrived at CMU fresh off a decorated career as a sprinter on the track and field team at Rockford High School; he placed sixth in the state in the 200 meters as a senior and held school record in that event. He was also part of relay teams that set school records in the 4x100 and 4x200.

Staley was timed at 4.79 and 4.82 seconds in the 40-yard dash at CMU’s pro day in March, faster than every offensive lineman at the 2007 NFL Scouting Combine.

In San Francisco, Staley joins a team that finished 7-9 in 2006. The 49ers improved from 4-12 in 2005 and 2-14 and 2004.

Staley joins five other former Chippewas currently on NFL rosters: offensive linemen Ghiaciuc and Kieft (Cincinnati), tight end Tory Humphrey and defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins (Green Bay) and quarterback Kent Smith (Tennessee).