Raheem Brock

JAIQUAWN JARRETT   Position: Strong safety Drafted: 2nd round, 54th overall. College: Temple. Size: 6-0/196 pounds. Age: 21. Born: Sept. 21, 1989, in Brooklyn, N.Y. At Temple: Started 43 of 49 games and made 299 tackles in his career, 11th-most in school history . . . Was a team captain and the Owls' 2010 MVP . . . Was a first-team All-America selection by Pro Football Weekly as a senior. Strong endorsement: Al Golden, his coach at Temple, called Jarrett one of the finest tacklers he'd ever seen.

A quarter of a century can be a long time. In 1987, Heisman Trophy runner-up Paul Palmer, who'd led the nation in rushing the previous season, was taken by Kansas City with the 19th pick in the NFL draft. The year before, Temple offensive lineman John Rienstra had gone to the Steelers with the ninth selection. Until now, those were the only two times that an Owl was ever taken in the opening round. Muhammad Wilkerson, a 6-4, 315-pound defensive lineman who opted to leave school a year early, joined them late last night when the New York Jets chose him at the 30th spot.

Raheem Brock will remain in the AFC South after eight seasons with the Colts, just not with the Texans. Brock, who worked out for Houston on Wednesday, signed with the Tennessee Titans yesterday to help bolster an injury-plagued defensive line. Brock, a product of Dobbins and Temple, had been a free agent since he was released by the Colts in March. Tennessee lost end William Hayes to a sprained right medial collateral ligament in his knee Tuesday, and he will miss at least 2 weeks.

Raheem Brock, a Dobbins and Temple product, was one of three defensive ends who worked out yesterday for the Houston Texans. The team also worked out Dewayne White and James Wyche. The Texans are in need of a veteran to replace backup Tim Bulman, who is sidelined with a shoulder injury. Brock was released by the Colts in March after eight seasons. His agent, Andy Simms, did not return messages from the Daily News .

No players from Temple were selected in the 3-day NFL draft, but five Owls already have signed free-agent contracts. Defensive back Dominique Harris (Buffalo), tight end Steve Maneri (Houston), linebacker Alex Joseph (Green Bay), offensive tackle Devin Tyler (Arizona) and nose tackle Andre Neblett (Carolina) will all get their chance to make it at the next level. Last season, there were four former Owls on NFL rosters: defensive lineman Raheem Brock (Indianapolis), defensive tackle Antwon Burton (Carolina)

After growing with the Temple football team as it went from a one-win season to the school's first bowl appearance in 30 years last season, five former Owls are hoping to parlay their success into a spot on an NFL roster. With the league's draft being held Thursday through Saturday, none of the Owls is certain to be picked, but the hopefuls are safety Dominique Harris (6-foot-3, 215 pounds), linebacker Alex Joseph (6-2, 235), tight end Steve Maneri (6-6, 275), defensive tackle Andre Neblett (6-2, 300)

Family members described Gina Clarke-Lewis as the "glue" that held everyone together, but as loved ones gathered to remember the Temple University student yesterday, they thought of one person who couldn't let her go. Her family believed that it was an ex-boyfriend who shot and killed Clarke-Lewis, 27, Friday night outside her apartment at The Landings at Lake Pine, in Lindenwold, Camden County. Authorities said she was arriving home from her job as a waitress at Cibo Bistro and Wine Bar, in Philadelphia International Airport, when she was killed.

When the Indianapolis Colts' defensive players lined up for media day at Sun Life Stadium, Dwight Freeney got more attention than any of his teammates. That's usually what happens when the Colts' defensive players line up to play a football game, too. Freeney's 92 career sacks - 84 in the regular season and eight more in the postseason - since the Colts astutely made him a first-round pick in 2002 are more than any other player in the league during that time period. That's the kind of thing that keeps an offensive coordinator up at night.

INDIANAPOLIS - At the moment, Gary Brackett and Raheem Brock are thinking about the New York Jets and envisioning another trip to a Super Bowl in Miami. A second NFL title is within the grasp of each man, both of whom have squashed long odds to become vital parts of an underrated Indianapolis Colts defense. Six weeks from now, the focus could be on life after the Colts for each man. Brackett, 29, is in the final season of a four-year deal, and the middle linebacker who grew up an Eagles fan in Glassboro didn't deny that the idea of playing for his hometown team has crossed his mind.

Raheem Brock grew up in Germantown, rooting for the Eagles of Reggie White, Clyde Simmons and Randall Cunningham. And even after 8 years with the Indianapolis Colts - including a stretch of 72 consecutive starts at one point - and a Super Bowl ring, Brock's Philly ties still run deep. Brock, who attended Murrell Dobbins Tech and Temple, opened a national chicken-wing franchise store near the Temple campus last spring and he continues to return to the area to help build his Brock's Kids Foundation.