Tait Selected by Kansas City in First Round of NFL Draft, Yancey, Wong Taken in Later Rounds

PROVO, Utah -- Former BYU offensive tackle John Tait was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft on Saturday. Tait , 24, was the first offensive lineman selected in the draft, following five quarterbacks, two running backs, three wide receivers, two defensive backs and a linebacker.

As the 14th overall pick, Tait becomes the Cougars' eighth first-round draft pick since Marc Wilson was selected by the Oakland Raiders in 1980 and becomes the fourth highest draft pick in BYU football history. The 6-7, 310-pound bruiser is also BYU's second offensive lineman to be selected in the first round, following Trevor Matich who was the 28th overall pick in the 1985 draft.

Tait, a native of Tempe, Ariz., announced his intentions to forgo his senior season following BYU's appearance in the 1998 Liberty Bowl. As a junior, Tait was named first team All-WAC and was preseason All-American. Tait started nine of 11 games as a sophomore and all 14 games as a junior. He received the coaches' outstanding lineman award for his performances against Alabama, Washington, Murray State, Fresno State, UTEP and Utah.

Daren Yancey, a 6-6, 285-pound defensive lineman was selected in the sixth round by the Oakland Raiders, while Joe Wong, a 6-6, 315-pound offensive lineman was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh and final round. Yancey, a native of Blackfoot, Ida., was a First-Team All-WAC performer as a senior and participated in the East-West Shrine All-Star game. Yancey led the Cougars with six sacks as a senior and added nine hurries and 42 tackles. Wong, a native of Waimanalo, Hawaii, sat out the 1995 season after transferring from Hawai'i. As a junior he started ever game and moved to offensive tackle in 1998 where he started all 14 of the Cougars' games. He was an honorable menion All-WAC performer and participated in the 1999 Hula Bowl All-Star game.

The Cougars ranked second in the Mountain West Conference with three draft picks, while Colorado State led the league with four.