Coale headed to Dallas

Former Virginia Tech wide receiver Danny Coale was the third and final former Hokie football player drafted this past weekend, as the Dallas Cowboys selected him with the 17th pick in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, No. 152 overall.

Coale, a native of Lexington, Va., started all 14 games for the Hokies this past season and finished second on the team with 60 catches for a team-leading 904 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 35 yards on four carries and returned eight punts for 52 yards. In addition, he served as the team’s punter the latter half of the season and averaged 43.5 yards per punt.

Coale, who started in 54 games at Tech, finished his career in second place behind teammate Jarrett Boykin on Tech’s all-time list in both career receptions (165) and career receiving yards (2,658). He caught at least two passes in 45 of his 55 career games at Tech.

Coale became the eighth wide receiver drafted in head coach Frank Beamer’s tenure at Tech.