Philadelphia, PA -- (Sports Network) - I am going to show my age with this one, but the 2009 NFL draft was something that Gomer Pyle would have loved.

For those of you born after the decade of the 60s, or those who don't regularly watch TV Land, Gomer Pyle was a car mechanic on the Andy Griffith Show, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps when CBS spun him off into his own show.

The lovable and loyal, but tremendously ditsy Pyle had a tag line that was perfect for Saturday's and Sunday's seven-round draft. "Surprise, surprise, surprise," he would utter in his high-pitched North Carolina drawl.

From the early moments of the first round, there were some shocking moves. But the big names were not the only ones to raise eyebrows. There were plenty of startling decisions among FCS players, too.

From the selection of the first two FCS players, linebacker Jason Williams of Western Illinois and cornerback Derek Cox of William & Mary, early on Sunday to the final FCS pick, Rashad Jennings of Liberty as the 250th selection, this draft was chocked full of surprises.

Williams had shot up draft boards after turning in some fast times during his Pro Day at Western Illinois last month, but few people would have expected him to be the first FCS player selection. Most draft observers anticipated him going in the fourth to sixth rounds.

But the Dallas Cowboys fell in love with him and took Williams with their first available pick, as the 69th player taken overall. Perhaps the Cowboys are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle twice.

In the 1997 draft, owner Jerry Jones and the Cowboys traded starting weakside linebacker Darrin Smith to the Philadelphia Eagles the day before the draft to open up a spot for an FCS icon, two-time Buck Buchanan Award winner Dexter Coakley of Appalachian State.

Coakley, who was chosen in the third round with the 65th overall pick, developed into a three-time Pro Bowl player and finished his career as one of the top linebackers in Dallas Cowboys history.

Williams will have to prove a lot to reach Coakley's level, but the Cowboys obviously have high expectation for him.

"There are players in the third and fourth round that can get on the field quicker than maybe some players we would have looked at in the second round," Jones said. "We are excited about (Sunday) and what we're going to be doing. We liked our odds better going into the third round."

Williams, who finished fourth in the 2008 Buchanan Award voting, was ecstatic to find himself taken so early.

"Through the whole process I've heard there was an outside chance I would be taken early in the third round," Williams explained. "I wasn't sure how early but I was hoping it would be in the first half. I'm tremendously excited to get down there. Of all my visits Dallas was one of my favorites, my top visit. Dallas was one of the top three teams that showed me the most interest, but I didn't know for sure how interested they were."

Williams had arrived at a draft party just a few minutes before he received the call from the Cowboys.

"Words can't explain (the feeling)," Williams said. "I was just waiting to get a phone call from an area code I didn't know. As soon as I picked it up and he said it was Jerry Jones I thought it was my agent playing around with me. Once I recognized him my heart jumped into my throat."

A bigger surprise occurred a few minutes later when Cox was selected four picks later by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Cox wasn't even listed as a possible draft pick by most publications, or web sites. He was viewed as little more than a free agent.

But the Jaguars liked his combination of skills as a cornerback and a returnman and actually considered him as a second-round talent who happened to still be on the board in the third round. Last year, the Jaguars used their second-round pick to select Appalachian State receiver and returnman Dexter Jackson.

There was no surprise with Ramses Barden of Cal Poly going to the New York Giants in the third round. Barden's ability as a pass catcher and his 6-6 frame seem like a perfect match for the Giants.

Like Cox, Lardarius Webb brings skills as a defensive back and a returnman to the Baltimore Ravens and this multi-talented performer has a chance to make a big mark early as a third-round pick for one of the NFL's perennially top defenses. A two-time Buchanan Award finalist, Webb will be looked at as both a cornerback and his natural position of safety.

When Lawrence Sidbury Jr. turned in some of the best test results at the NFL combine, including the top 40-yard dash time among defensive linemen, those results caused some prognosticators to move Sidbury to as high as a second- round pick and to view him as the top draftable player in the FCS ranks.

It was surprising to see Sidbury fall to the fourth round, but it was probably a better indication of his true value.

After finding value by taking 2007 Buchanan Award winner Kroy Biermann of Montana with a fifth-round pick last year, the Atlanta Falcons went with a similarly-skilled, undersized defensive end this weekend. But with Biermann already on hand, Sidbury could move to strong-side linebacker, where the Falcons could utilize him as a blitzer.

The fifth round was filled with more surprises for FCS performers.

Furman's fast, but small cornerback William Middleton was viewed as a seventh- round or preferred free agent player by most teams, but Atlanta dipped into the FCS ranks again to snatch him. Middleton was moved around a lot in Furman's 4-2-5 scheme last year, helping with run support and often blitzing from the corner.

It was hard to get a grasp before the draft for where Sam Houston State quarterback Rhett Bomar would land. In the end, it was a bit odd to see him still around when the New York Giants grabbed Bomar in the fifth round.

In a weak year for quarterbacks, Bomar could prove to be a steal for the Giants. His mobility, arm strength and quick release are clearly of NFL caliber and with Eli Manning and David Carr ahead of him, Bomar should be in a position to learn and grow.

Miami Dolphins general manager Bill Parcells has been known for providing some shocking moments in past drafts and he came up with another one by selecting John Nalbone of Monmouth in the fifth round. Nalbone was not expected to be drafted, but the Dolphins were impressed with his receiving and blocking skills.

Quinten Lawrence of McNeese State was one of several receivers from the Southland Conference who was expected to be drafted either late or to be gobbled up quickly as a free agent. Lawrence had some issues with a knee injury and the tendency to drop passes at times in college, but Kansas City liked his speed enough to select him in the sixth round.

The Tennessee Titans took a similar plunge by taking another Southland burner, Dominique Edison of Stephen F. Austin, later in the sixth round.

Don Carey of Norfolk State was still around when the Cleveland Browns got to their sixth-round pick and the Browns took the plunge on this intriguing talent. At 6-4 and weighing in at 242 pounds, Carey has uncommon size for a cornerback, but also has the speed to keep up with most receivers.

By the time the seventh round came around, there were two running backs who were surprised to still be waiting for a call and two other players who were shocked to be selected at all.

Javarris Williams of Tennessee State became Kansas City's second FCS pick in as many rounds, giving the Chiefs exceptional value for their first of three seventh-round selections. Williams does plenty of things well and could be a big surprise if he finds the dedication to practice he sometimes lacked in college.

An even bigger surprise was that Rashad Jennings was still remaining when Jacksonville made its final pick. Jennings had an FBS pedigree as a freshman starter at Pittsburgh before transferring to Liberty to be closer to a sick father.

Jennings has a nice combination of size, speed and skills and has NFL bloodlines, with his two brothers also having played in the league. He could prove to be as big a value in the final round as Hofstra wide receiver Marques Colston was when he was picked in the last round by the New Orleans Saints in 2006.

Two more players who came from out of nowhere to be selected late were outside and free safety Nick Schommer of North Dakota State and linebacker J.D. Folsom of Weber State.

Schommer was picked up by the Tennessee Titans, who are coached by a known FCS proponent in Jeff Fisher. Fisher's son Brandon is a starting linebacker at Montana and the elder Fisher attended several Grizzlies games this season, including the national championship game.

That might have led Fisher to take Montana's talented strong safety Colt Anderson, a player known for his aggressiveness and special teams ability, but instead the Titans found Schommer to their liking. Schommer is a physical performer and was a team leader for the Bison.

Anderson ended up signing as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings.

Folsom became another one of those Parcells' surprises with the Miami Dolphins. But if anyone in the NFL knows linebackers, it is Parcells. Folsom is known for his upper-body strength and toughness, qualities which Parcells obvious liked.

Folsom also is older than most draft choices from this weekend, having served a two-year Mormon mission to Bolivia. Another factor that helped Folsom get drafted is the track record that coach Ron McBride, formerly of Utah, has had in producing NFL talent.

Weber State was actually expecting fullback Marcus Mailei to be selected, but instead Mailei was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent. The Eagles have made developing FCS players a cottage industry since selecting 2001 Walter Payton Award winner Brian Westbrook in the 2002 draft.

Other players who were expected to be drafted, but were disappointed included Jackson State cornerback Domonique Johnson, Hampton defensive tackle Chris Baker, Tennessee tackle Cornelius Lewis, Northern Iowa defensive tackle Everett Pedescleaux, Gardner-Webb receiver Dobson Collins and Furman tackle Joel Bell.

Johnson was rated in the top-five among FCS players by some sources, but his inconsistent play as a senior helped him plunge to free agent status. Johnson signed with the Denver Broncos.

Baker, a Penn State transfer, had off-field issues and came out a year early, but was viewed by some as a third- or fourth-round talent. He could prove to be a tremendous pickup for the Broncos, if he can stay out of trouble.

Lewis and Pedescleaux were caught in the numbers game at the end of the draft, but were picked up by the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos, respectively and can be projected to potentially make those teams as developmental projects.

Collins was viewed as a sixth- or seventh-round talent, but teams may have backed off from this receiver with a high upside over agent issues. Collins signed with the San Francisco 49ers.

Bell had struggled with injuries during his years at Furman and teams were reluctant to use a draft choice on him. Bell landed with the Buffalo Bills as a free agent, but will have to prove his durability in training camp.