This weekend’s NFL Draft proved once again no one cares about the little school 50 miles south of Champaign.

Eastern had four players, Roosevelt Williams, Obinno Coley, J.R. Taylor and Tony Romo, who announced their eligibility in the draft.

Not a single Panther was selected.

Two days, seven rounds, 32 teams and 262 selections and no one from Eastern was picked.

However, players from other schools comparable to Eastern’s size and talent pool had players selected. Mike Scifres, punter – Western Illinois, was selected 149 overall by San Diego. Jeremi Johnson, full back – Western Kentucky, was selected 118 overall by Cincinnati. Two Ohio Valley Conference players were selected, Southeast Missouri wide receiver Willie Ponder (New York Giants) and Eastern Kentucky defensive back Yeremiah Bell (Miami Dolphins).

I didn’t have any expectations of all of Eastern’s players getting drafted, but I thought at the very least, Walter Payton Award winner Romo would have.

Why didn’t any of the teams in the NFL want Romo? Are they worried about his ability to play against better talent? Are they worried about his size, arm strength, his footwork or his ability to read a defense?

The biggest factor in Romo getting snubbed is he doesn’t possess any eye-popping physical traits. He’s 6-foot, 3-inches tall, 224 pounds – the stereotypical size for an NFL quarterback.

Quarterbacks Romo’s size are about as easy to find as an ignorant white boy wearing a giant Afro wig at a Dave Chappelle concert.

People outside of Charleston are probably confused about Romo’s arm strength. I have read reports in other publications saying Romo has below average arm strength and others that say he has been clocked throwing a ball nearly as fast as Brett Favre. Romo’s arm should not be a concern because he can make all the throws that a quarterback should be able to make.

Romo’s footwork is nothing extraordinary. He takes the snap, drops back, looks at his receivers and throws.

He is not going to break loss for big gains and the ground he knows it.

Romo stays in the pocket and doesn’t take any unnecessary risks and does a good job of avoiding the sack.

The only knock on Romo is he might not handle some of the intense pass rushes NFL teams might bring.

He typically had plenty of time to sit in the pocket as a Panther. The only game I saw Romo under constant pressure this past season when the Panther offensive line was allowing the defense to consistently reach him at Kansas State. Romo threw three interceptions in the game, but he also had to adjust to a steady rain through the entire second half.

I came to the conclusion Romo would spend the beginning of his professional career in the Canadian or Arena Football Leagues, but someone in Texas proved Eastern is not the forgotten little brother of the University of Illinois.

Romo said he we sign with the Dallas Cowboys, to play for Bill Parcells and Eastern record holder Sean Payton, as a undrafted free agent.

Romo probably won’t see much playing time, and his fans will have to wait to see how his professional career will unfold, but it will give Eastern fans to watch the Cowboys.