MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State linebacker Elijah Lee became the second Wildcat to be taken in this weekend’s NFL Draft as he was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 14th pick of the seventh round – No. 232 overall – on Saturday.

The selections by Lee and Jordan Willis on Friday not only extended K-State’s Big 12-leading draft streak to 24 straight years but also marked the 36th time in school history that K-State has had multiple players drafted in the same season. Lee became the third Wildcat to ever be drafted by Minnesota, joining running back Cornelius Davis (1969) and quarterback Chad May (1995).

A three-year letterwinner who made the successful transition from high school defensive end to two-time All-Big 12 linebacker, Lee became the first Wildcat to earn consecutive All-Big 12 honors at the linebacker position since Arthur Brown in 2011 and 2012 following impressive sophomore (2015) and junior (2016) seasons.

This past season Lee started all 13 games, leading the team with 110 tackles while adding 6.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and two interceptions en route to First Team All-Big 12 honors from the league’s coaches, Associated Press, ESPN.com and Phil Steele. He also earned second-team honors from Pro Football Focus, while he received votes for Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. The Blue Springs, Mo., native ranked third in the Big 12 in total tackles and tied for 18th nationally in solo tackles per game (5.5) and tied for ninth in K-State history with 72 unassisted tackles.

For his career, Lee tallied 209 tackles, 18.5 for loss, with 11 sacks and five interceptions while leading the Cats to a 24-15 overall record and three consecutive bowl berths.