Chris Conte is headed to the NFL. The 22-year-old Palisadian, who attended Corpus Christi before playing football at Loyola High School and UC Berkeley, was drafted in the third round (93rd overall) by the Chicago Bears on Friday. Conte, who saw time both at cornerback and safety at Cal, played in 51 games over his four-year career. As a senior, he earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors and made 72 tackles in his 12 starts. He is expected to play free safety in the NFL. ’It’s a dream come true for me. It’s awesome,’ Conte said at his introductory press conference at the Bears headquarters in Lake Forest, Illinois. Another notable Palisadian college football star, UCLA kicker Kai Forbath, did not see his name called over the weekend. Forbath, who won the Lou Groza Award in 2009 (given to college football’s top place kicker), was listed by experts as one of the top three kickers in the draft and pegged to go in the sixth- or seventh-round. In recent years, kickers have seen their names called less and less on draft weekend and the 2011 draft was no exception, as only two kickers (Nebraska’s Alex Henery in the fourth round and Miami’s Matt Bosher in the sixth) were selected. Traditionally, the top undrafted players sign with NFL teams soon after the draft. However, because of the NFL lockout, signings cannot take place until the lockout is lifted.
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