South Dakota State's Danny Batten was taken Saturday in the sixth round of the NFL draft as the 23rd pick in the round and 192nd overall pick. He is the first Jackrabbit drafted in the NFL draft since South Dakota State joined the league for the start of the 2008 season.
Batten, a defensive end/outside linebacker from Gilbert, Ariz., led the Jackrabbits in both tackles for loss (17) and sacks (nine) during the 2009 season.
The Missouri Valley Football Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year and third-place finisher in the voting for the Buck Buchanan Award as the top defensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision ranks, Batten ranked second on the squad with 85 total tackles. He was nearly a consensus All-American, earning accolades from the Walter Camp Football Foundation, Sports Network and Associated Press.
He joins fellow MVFC players Deji Karim (RB, Southern Illinois) and TE Clay Harbor (TE, Missouri State) as the three who were drafted on the final day of the 2010 NFL Draft.
