The sixth round of the NFL draft was a big one for the Fresno State Bulldogs, as within a matter of 20 minutes two Bulldogs were selected.

The Denver Broncos wanted Tom Brandstater so badly they traded up to take the top pick in the sixth round to take for the former Bulldog quarterback. A few minutes later, the San Francisco 49ers selected tight end Bear Pascoe with the 11th pick of the round.

Brandstater joins other Pat Hill's three other starting quarterbacks Billy Volek, David Carr and Paul Pinegar, who all made it to NFL teams. Carr was the No. overall selection in 2002 and is a member of the New York Giants. Volek is a member of the San Diego Chargers and Pinegar signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars after his senior season.

Under first-year coach Josh McDaniels, who took over in Denver after serving as the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, added Brandstater to the roster after a busy off-season in which it traded Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears. Brandstater will battle with Kyle Orton and Chris Simms for the starting quarterback spot in Denver. He was the ninth college quarterback taken in the 2009 draft.

As a Bulldog, Brandstater was selected the 2008 team MVP and served as the starting quarterback for three years. He was named the MVP of the 2007 Roady's Humanitarian Bowl after leading the Dogs to a win over Georgia Tech. He started 34 games for Fresno State and had one of his best games as a senior against UCLA, leading Fresno State to an historic win over the Bruins in the Rose Bowl after throwing three touchdown passes. For his performance, Chevrolet made a $1,000 donation in his name to the general scholarship fund at Fresno State.

As a student, he was exceptional earning his bachelor's degree before his junior season and completing his Master's degree in Kinesiology in December.

The San Francisco 49ers wasted no time taking Pascoe, the greatest Bulldog tight end in school history, with the 11th pick of the sixth round. Pascoe, a two-time All-WAC pick, set Bulldog records for touchdowns by a tight end with 10 and owns the school record for most blocked kicks with seven, 16th-most in NCAA history. Pascoe was a Mackey Award candidate for each his last two seasons and was named the Mackey Award national tight end of the month as a senior after catching a touchdown and blocking a kick against UCLA in the Rose Bowl.

The Dogs have been a strong presence on Draft Day under Pat Hill era as 10 players have been drafted in the past four years and 22 overall in the last 13 years.

Fresno State had 23 players in the NFL last season, most by any school in the WAC.

"We are proud of Tom and Bear for what they accomplished in their careers," said Hill. "They are true Bulldogs and have been leaders for our program over the last four years. Both guys have already graduated and we look forward to watch them compete at the highest level."