Baltimore drafts Temple's Pierce in 3d round

Bernard Pierce will wear the purple, black and gold of the Baltimore Ravens.

The Ravens selected the former Temple running back with the 84th overall pick in the third round of the NFL Draft on Friday night.

The 6-foot, 218-pounder, who opted to forego his senior season at Temple, was the seventh running back taken in the draft. He's also the first Owls running back to be drafted since 1989. Back then, Todd McNair was selected in the eighth round by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Lack of durability is the major knock on Pierce, a three-year starter at Temple. But when healthy, he was the MAC's most explosive player.

Pierce ranks second on Temple's all-time rushing list with 3,570 yards. His 54 touchdowns, 53 of them on the ground, and 324 points scored are career records at Temple.

Pierce rushed for 1,481 yards this season despite missing one game with a concussion, playing two others with a hamstring injury, and being taken out in the third quarter of a number of games because Temple had huge leads. He set a single-season school record with 27 touchdowns.