RICHMOND, Ky. - Two Eastern Kentucky University football players - offensive guard Tyrone Hopson and wide receiver Rondel Menendez - were selected Sunday in the 1999 National Football League Draft and a third Colonel signed as a free agent with an NFL team Monday.

Hopson, 6-3, 309-pound native of Owensboro, was taken as the 161^st pick by the San Francisco 49'ers in the fifth round, while Menendez, 5-9 ½, 178-pound native of Louisville, was chosen as the 247^th pick of the NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons.

Meanwhile, Justin Ernest, 6-3, 271-pound defensive tackle for EKU, has signed as a free agent with the New Orleans Saints.

"I'm happy for all three of these young men. They all worked very hard and deserve a chance to play at the next level," said EKU head football coach Roy Kidd.

Hopson, a first team All-American choice on the 1999 Burger King American Football Coaches Association squad, participated in the Hula Bowl All-Star game in January and caught the eye of several professional scouts that week.

Menendez, a two-time All-Ohio Valley Conference selection, closed an outstanding four-year career at Eastern in 1998 as the Colonels' all-time leader in pass receiving yards (2,990) and touchdown catches (27), while finishing just four catches away with 150 caught from EKU's career leader in pass receptions, Bobby Washington (1994-97, 154).

Menendez also set a school record his junior season for most yards receiving in one season (1,137) and tied the school's single season mark in 1998 for TD catches with 11. He finished his senior year with 52 catches for 1,032 yards and 11 TD receptions.

Ernest, a second-team All-OVC pick in 1997 and the Colonels' Player of the Year on the defensive line his junior season, was troubled with injuries throughout his senior campaign and missed the final three games with a foot injury. He finished the '98 year with 16 tackles, 11 assists, six tackles for loss (-11 yards), two quarterback pressures and a caused fumble.

A total of 39 EKU players have now either been drafted or signed as free agents by NFL teams since 1986.