Jacksonville's selection of Virginia offensive tackle Eugene Monroe as the eighth pick in the NFL Draft elicited little commentary from an ESPN panel that was still reeling from Oakland's pick at No. 7.

Monroe's moment in the spotlight had come earlier in the afternoon, when ESPN2 cameras caught him in his hotel room around 1:30 p.m.

"Everybody else has somebody tie their tie for them," host Mike Tirico said. "He's a UVa guy. He can tie his own tie." The tie was still knotted when the ESPN cameras cut back to Monroe around 5 p.m., as he could be seen speaking to Jaguars officials on his cellphone. He pounded a table in obvious delight after becoming Virginia's fifth first-round draft pick since 2005.

"I was just so overjoyed," Monroe said in a teleconference. "I pounded the table and everything on it flipped over. What I know about Jacksonville is what I experienced when we played in the Gator Bowl [in 2007]. I'm fortunate to be part of this organization."

Monroe, who turned 22 last Saturday, won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the ACC's top offensive lineman and was a first-team All-ACC choice and second-team All-American. A 2005 graduate of Plainfield (N.J.) High School, he was rated the No. 1 college prospect in the country by SuperPrep magazine.

A second Virginia player, outside linebacker Clint Sintim, was taken by the New York Giants with the 13th pick in the second round (45th overall).

Numerous services had predicted that Monroe (6 foot 5, 309 pounds) would go to Jacksonville in the first round, although he also had been linked with St. Louis, Kansas City, Cincinnati and Oakland -- four of the seven teams that drafted ahead of the Jaguars.

St. Louis took Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith with the second pick and Cincinnati used its pick, the seventh overall, on Alabama offensive tackle Andre Smith. Most analysts had Monroe picked ahead of Smith, who was suspended by Alabama for its bowl game and left the NFL combine before it was over.

"What really helped Andre Smith not drop down to say, [No.] 13, was Nick Saban," ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said. "From the information I got from NFL people, [Saban] helped Andre Smith with feedback about his work ethic and the player he was for him."

From his reaction, Monroe didn't seem the least bit upset at being passed over by Cincinnati at No. 6 and Oakland at No. 7. The Raiders created an uproar when they bypassed two-time Biletnikoff winner Michael Crabtree from Texas Tech in favor of Maryland wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey.

"I've got to give them an 'F,' " Kiper said. "They passed over Michael Crabtree. They passed over Eugene Monroe. Heyward-Bey didn't have a reception against Clemson. He didn't have a reception the next week at Virginia. That's shouldn't happen."

When Green Bay chose Boston College defensive tackle B.J. Raji with its first round, he became the third ACC pick in succession and the fourth ACC player chosen in the top nine. Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry went to Seattle with the fourth pick overall.

Virginia has had three offensive lineman selected in the first round in four years. D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Monroe's immediate predecessor as Virginia's left offensive tackle, went fourth overall to the New York Jets in 2006. UVa left offensive guard Branden Albert went 15th to Kansas City last year.

Other recent first-round picks from Virginia have included tight end Heath Miller by Pittsburgh in 2005 and defensive end Chris Long by St. Louis last year.

Jacksonville's offensive line coach, Andy Heck, was a graduate assistant on Al Groh's first Virginia coaching staff in 2001 and was much in evidence at the Cavaliers' pro timing day March 19.

"I couldn't be happier," Heck, who has been in Jacksonville for six years, told reporters. "He's very intense, purposeful and professional. I think he has a chance to be elite as a pass protector. He will improve as a run blocker as he starts to put his hand in the dirt."

It wasn't 30 seconds after the Monroe announcement before Kiper started talking about Crabtree again, but commentator Steve Young didn't resist the opportunity to comment on Monroe's appearance.

"Presidential," is the way Young described him.

Added host Chris Berman, "These offensive linemen clean up pretty well."