Earlier this week, Byrd was hospitalized in critical but stable condition after a car crash in Miami. Byrd had scrapes and bruises, but was held in intensive care for observation.

Last season, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound receiver had 37 catches for 513 yards and four TDs. He also played a key role in the Tigers' 2007 national championship.

Also in Byrd's rookie class is the first player from a Canadian college to go to the NFL as an underclassman.

Vaughn Martin of the University of Western Ontario was taken by San Diego in the fourth round. The defensive tackle still had three years of university eligibility remaining and wasn't eligible for the CFL draft until 2011.

The 22-year-old worked out for 15 NFL teams, spoke with several others and clearly impressed.

"I'm not surprised Vaughn was taken in the fourth round," Western coach Greg Marshall said. "I got a lot of calls from a lot of teams about him and things had really been picking up the last two weeks."

The 6-foot-3, 328-pound Martin is deemed a raw prospect because he only played two seasons at Western.

He had 29 tackles with 2 1/2 sacks, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries last year.

"I think he's just scratching the surface in terms of his potential," Marshall said.

After picking outside linebacker Larry English from Northern Illinois at No. 16 overall, the Chargers took Texas Tech guard Louis Vasquez in the third round on Sunday, then had three picks in the fourth: Martin, Auburn guard Tyronne Green and Colorado State running back Gartrell Johnson.

The Chargers took Oregon State cornerback Brandon Hughes in the fifth round and Southern California safety Kevin Ellison in the sixth.