Auburn offensive guard Ben Grubbs was selected in the first round of the 2007 National Football League Draft by the Baltimore Ravens, while teammate running back Kenny Irons was taken in the second round by the Cincinnati Bengals.

The 29th overall pick, Grubbs is the highest drafted Auburn guard in NFL Draft history and is the school's highest drafted offensive lineman since Victor Riley was the 28th overall pick in 1998.

Irons was selected 49th overall by the Bengals and will join former Auburn running back Rudi Johnson in the Cincinnati backfield.

A 2006 First-Team All-American by ESPN.com and Rivals.com, Grubbs played in 50 games for the Tigers in his career, starting the final 38. The Eclectic, Ala., native, was named to the Associated Press All-SEC First Team and All-America Second Team as a senior.

"It never crossed my mind that I would be drafted by Baltimore until when I saw it on ESPN last night," said Grubbs. "It was a long day sitting here for four hours today before getting picked. It was hectic for me, but I'm glad to be a Raven and wouldn't want to be any other place. I'm ready to get to the organization and try to be an impact right away. I'm just living a dream right now."

The 6-4, 314-pound Grubbs is the first Tiger offensive lineman to be drafted in the first round since Kendall Simmons in 2002 by Pittsburgh, and the first Auburn player ever to be drafted by the Baltimore Ravens. Grubbs is the second Auburn lineman in the last two years to be selected, joining Marcus McNeill who was a drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of last year's draft.

Irons was a two-time All-SEC First Team selection in 2005 and 2006. In 2005, he was a unanimous first-team all-conference selection after rushing for 1,293 yards and 13 touchdowns. As a senior in 2006, the Dacula, Ga., native, ran 198 times for 893 yards and four rushing touchdowns.

"It's a blessing, I'm very excited," said Irons. "I didn't expect to be drafted by Cincinnati, so it was a big surprise. The draft is a big shuffle and you never know where you're going to get drafted. This was something that I never expected. I'm going to be with another Auburn guy with (running back) Rudi Johnson and look forward to following him and learning from him."

The 5-11, 203-pound Irons ended his Auburn career 10th in rushing yardage with 2,186 overall, while his 1,293 yards in 2005 is the sixth-best single-season total in team history. He finished his collegiate career by rushing for more than 100 yards in a game 11 times.

Grubbs is the fifth Tiger in the last three years to be selected in the first round, joining Ronnie Brown, Carnell Williams, Carlos Rogers, and Jason Campbell, who were all first-round selections in the 2005 draft.

With the selection of Grubbs and Irons in the first two rounds, Auburn has had nine players drafted in the first or second round, since 2004.

The two-day NFL Draft concludes on Sunday.