Sports

Venice Alum Jonas Mouton Selected by Chargers in NFL Draft

Will play inside linebacker after finishing college career at Michigan.

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The San Diego Chargers made Venice native Jonas Mouton the 61st pick in this year’s NFL draft at Radio City Music Hall Friday evening.

Mouton, who played at Venice High School and graduated in 2006, was drafted out of Michigan where he started 34 out of the 44 games he appeared in.

The Chargers received pick No. 61 in a trade with the New York Jets for cornerback Antonio Cromartie after the 2009 season.

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He joins a long list of Venice alums to play in the NFL, including Dana McLemore, J.P. Losman, Leon Clarke, and Larry Atkins.

At Venice High, Mouton was ranked as the seventh best player in California by Rivals.com. He led the team with 93 tackles and caught a team-high 35 passes for 471 yards and six touchdowns as a senior.

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His college career was equally as fruitful. He led the Big Ten in tackles with 117 in 2010 and reached the 250 career tackle mark this past season against Ohio State.

Mouton will play inside linebacker for the Chargers.

“Our new special teams coach (Rich Bisaccia) loves him,” Director of Player Personnel Jimmy Raye said in  a statement. “Some people might say, ‘Well, he didn’t run that fast at the Combine,’ but he has excellent play speed.”


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