CHICAGO – Wide receiver Kenny Lawler became the fourth former Cal player selected in the 2016 NFL Draft when he was chosen in the seventh round Saturday by the Seattle Seahawks with the 243rd pick overall. Lawler's selection followed the Los Angeles Rams' Thursday pick of quarterback Jared Goff, as well as the Saturday selections of wide receiver/kick returner Trevor Davis by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round and running back Daniel Lasco in the seventh. Goff became the second player in Cal history to be selected No. 1 overall.

Lawler finished his collegiate career tied for second on Cal's all-time list for touchdown receptions and tied for 12th on the Pac-12's career touchdown catches list with 27 scoring grabs among 143 catches for 1,706 yards receiving over 35 games and 19 starts. Lawler led Cal in both touchdown receptions and overall catches in both his sophomore and junior seasons in 2014 and 2015 while also pacing the club in yards receiving as a junior after co-leading the squad in touchdown receptions as a 2013 redshirt freshman.

Lawler is the only Cal player to have a school-record-tying three touchdown catches in a game four times as he registered a trio of receiving scores against Arizona as a 2013 freshman, against BYU in the 2014 season finale, and both in the season-opener of his junior season against Grambling State and final game of his collegiate vs. Air Force in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl to account for four of the 16 three-touchdown catch games in school history. Lawler had at least one catch in 34 of his 35 career games (19 starts).

Lawler capped his collegiate career as a junior with a first-team All-Pac-12 selection that was the first by a Cal receiver since Keenan Allen in 2011 when he recorded a career-high 13 touchdown catches to lead the team while ranking second in the Pac-12 and tied for eighth nationally, with the 13 touchdown grabs also ranking tied for second on Cal's all-time single-season list behind only the school-record 14 registered by Sean Dawkins in 1992. He finished with a team-leading 52 receptions for 658 yards receiving.

Lawler played a big role in Cal's successful 2015 season in which the Golden Bears finished 8-5 overall and won the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl over Air Force. Cal's seven-win turnaround in two years from a 1-11 record in 2013 to its 8-5 campaign in 2015 is tied for the second best in school history behind only the eight-win improvement from a 2-10 mark in 1946 to a 10-1 record in 1948.

Lawler registered career highs of 54 receptions and 701 receiving yards as a sophomore while adding nine touchdown catches, with his TD grabs ranking tied for sixth on the school's all-time single-season list to go along with his 13 as a junior that are tied for second. Lawler had the biggest single-game receiving numbers of his career in the season finale of his sophomore campaign against BYU when he recorded career and team season highs of 12 catches and 138 yards receiving while equaling his career best and tying a single-game school record with three touchdown receptions, with the 12 receptions also tied for the 10th highest single-game total in school history.

Lawler played in 11 games with five starts and co-led the team with five touchdown catches among his 37 receptions for 347 yards receiving as a 2013 redshirt freshman.

Throughout his Cal career, Lawler was known for making spectacular catches including one-handed touchdown grabs vs. Sacramento State as a sophomore (Pac-12 Freshman No. 5 Play of the Year – All Sports) and Arizona during his redshirt freshman season (No. 8 ESPN Play of the Day).

Lawler was a PrepStar All-American during his 2011 senior season at Upland High School, catching 53 passes for 1,267 yards and 12 touchdowns to lead both the Southern Section and the Baseline League.

Goff, Davis Lasco and Lawler are four of five former Cal players along with wide receiver Stephen Anderson that were among top draft prospects to attend the NFL Combine in February.

Other former draft-eligible Cal players who completed their collegiate eligibility in 2015 and attended the school's Pro Day last month include linebacker Nathan Broussard, wide receiver Maurice Harris, defensive tackle Mustafa Jalil, linebacker Jalen Jefferson, defensive tackle Trevor Kelly, defensive end Kyle Kragen, safety Stefan McClure, wide receiver Darius Powe, offensive lineman Jordan Rigsbee, wide receiver Bryce Treggs and cornerback Darius White.

In addition to NFL Draft selections, many players who are not drafted typically sign undrafted free agent contracts to join NFL rosters shortly after the draft.

Extensive coverage of all former Cal football players selected in the 2016 NFL Draft will be provided by CalBears.com along with the Cal football Twitter (@CalFootball), Instagram (Cal_Football) and Snapchat (CalFootball) social media accounts. Fans can join in the conversation using the hashtags #GoBears, CalFamily CalInTheNFL and #NFLDraft.

Cal Football NFL Draft Notes

• Kenny Lawler became the fourth former Cal player selected in the 2016 NFL Draft when he was taken in the seventh round by the Seattle Seahawks. Jared Goff was the first selected Thursday when the Los Angeles Rams made him the second player in Cal history to be chosen No. 1 overall following quarterback Steve Bartkowski, who was taken by the Atlanta Falcons with the first overall pick in 1975. Trevor Davis was the second when he was taken by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round and Daniel Lasco was the third when he was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh.
• The four Cal players selected in the 2016 NFL Draft are the most since four Golden Bears were also chosen in 2013.
• The selections of Davis and Lawler mark only the second time in school history that two Cal wide receivers have been selected in the NFL Draft with the only other occasion in 2008 when DeSean Jackson and Lavelle Hawkins were taken in the second and fourth rounds by the Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans, respectively.
• Cal's six quarterbacks taken in the first round of the draft is tied for the third-most by any college football program behind only Notre Dame (9) and USC (8) while equaling Stanford (6). Cal's list includes Craig Morton (1965 – No. 6, Dallas Cowboys), Bartkowski (1975 – No. 1, Atlanta Falcons), Rich Campbell (1981 – No. 6, Green Bay Packers), Kyle Boller (2003 – No. 19, Baltimore Ravens), Aaron Rodgers (2005 – No. 24, Green Bay Packers) and Goff (2016 – No. 1, Los Angeles Rams).
• Cal has had 27 first-round picks and 231 selections overall since the draft began in 1936.
• Prior to Jared Goff's 2016 selection the most recent first-round draft pick from Cal was Cameron Jordan when he was taken in the first round with No. 24 overall selection by the New Orleans Saints.
• Cal had four first-round draft picks from 2009-11 with Jordan preceded by Alex Mack (2009 – No. 21, Cleveland Browns), Tyson Alualu (2010 – No. 10, Jacksonville Jaguars) and Jahvid Best (2010 – No. 30, Detroit Lions).
• Cal had strings of at least one player selected in the draft for 28 consecutive years (1987-2014), one in the top three rounds for eight years (2007-14) and two in the first four rounds for five years (2010-14) before those streaks were snapped when no Cal player was selected in 2015.
• The most Cal players selected in a single draft were the 10 chosen in 1952, while Cal's six players picked in the 1977, 2008 and 2012 NFL Drafts tie for the second-most in school history.