New Packer Cobb: Green-room wait well-worth it

Kentucky wide receiver Randall Cobb had to wait awhile in the NFL draft green room, but having Aaron Rodgers throw him the ball is his consolation prize.

Cobb was selected by the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers with the final pick of the second round, the 64th selection overall, on Friday night.

He was the last player selected among the 25 who attended the draft at New York's Radio City Music Hall, but now one of college football's most versatile players will have the opportunity to play with Rodgers' and the Packers' high-powered offense.

"(Getting selected) was crazy," Cobb said in a telephone interview with CatsIllustrated.com. "It was a long wait, but it was well-worth it. I couldn't have picked a better place to go.

"... I was just trying to stay calm and cool and collected because I knew God was working and that I was going to go where I needed to be."

Cobb, who was joined at the draft by his family and UK coach Joker Phillips, said he had "no clue" that the Packers were interested in him and that he hadn't talked to anyone from the club since the NFL combine weeks ago.

Now he'll join a receiving corps that includes star veterans Greg Jennings and Donald Driver, and he'll have one of the league's elite quarterbacks throwing him the ball.

"It's a great feeling," he said. "There couldn't have been a better team, with them coming off the Super Bowl and having Aaron Rodgers at quarterback and a great receiving corps, I can go in and learn from some great guys. Just hopefully I can make something happen in the first year and help them out and get back to the Super Bowl."

Cobb said he spoke with Packers management after the pick, and they "They were just happy and congratulating me on becoming a Packer. They were just telling me they couldn't wait for me to get up there obviously as soon as this labor stuff is over and getting to work."

When asked whether he could visit the Packers' team facilities with the NFL's ongoing labor dispute, Cobb said, "No, not yet. We're waiting to see for that."

Cobb becomes UK's NFL highest NFL draft pick since defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson was taken with the fourth overall pick in the 2003 draft.

He'll join former UK punter Tim Masthay on the Green Bay roster.

He said he's looking forward to representing the Wildcats in the NFL.

"Oh, yeah, definitely," he said. "I want to be able to put my school on the map, and hopefully we can have some guys from Kentucky go into the league in the next couple years."

Cobb, who gave up his senior season of eligibility to enter the draft, played wide receiver, quarterback, punt returner, kickoff returner and placekick holder during his three seasons with the Wildcats.

He earned first-team All-America honors in 2010 from The Associated Press, ESPN.com and SportsIllustrated.com.

As a junior, Cobb caught 84 passes for 1,017 yards and seven touchdowns while rushing for 424 yards and five touchdowns, throwing three touchdown passes and returning a punt for a TD.

He broke the Southeastern Conference single-season record for all-purpose yardage by totaling 2,396 rushing, receiving and kick return yards.