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One of the most exciting events in all of sports wrapped up this weekend, and the AAC had a strong showing. Eleven players from the conference were selected in the 2019 NFL Draft with many more signing as undrafted free agents. Let’s take a look at where the draft picks are headed.
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AAC Draft Picks
Ed Oliver— Buffalo Bills, Round 1 (Pick 9)
Rock Ya-Sin— Indianapolis Colts, Round 2 (Pick 34)
Trysten Hill—Dallas Cowboys, Round 2 (Pick 58)
Darrell Henderson— Los Angeles Rams, Round 3 (Pick 70)
Tony Pollard— Dallas Cowboys, Round 4 (Pick 128)
Isaiah Johnson— Oakland Raiders, Round 4 (Pick 129)
Ryquell Armstead— Jacksonville Jaguars, Round 5 (Pick 140)
Emeke Egbule— Los Angeles Chargers, Round 6 (Pick 200)
Donnie Lewis Jr.— Cleveland Browns, Round 7 (Pick 222)
Cortez Broughton— Los Angeles Chargers, Round 7 (Pick 242)
Michael Dogbe— Arizona Cardinals, Round 7 (Pick 249)
Breakdown by team
Temple Owls— 3
UCF Knights— 1
Notes
No one should be surprised that Oliver went in the Top 10. He was the best player in the conference for the last three years. He’ll be a great fit in Buffalo, and the fan base already seems to love him.
Trysten Hill and the UCF Knights had to stop Tony Pollard from scoring on offense and special teams, but they won’t have to do that anymore. Both were selected by the Dallas Cowboys. Emeke Egbule and Cortez Broughton join the Los Angeles Chargers as two interesting prospects who could make an impact this year as well.
Rock Ya-Sin might be the most intriguing prospect from the AAC. After one year at Temple, he joins the Indianapolis Colts. Scout raved about his abilities and length, and now we get to see what he can do in the pros. He’s going to see De’Andre Hopkins twice this season, and we can’t wait to see how he holds up against one of the best in the league. Darrell Henderson backing up Todd Gurley on the Los Angeles Rams will be fascinating as well.
One notable undrafted free agent was Dredrick Snelson, who left UCF early. He signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but it was disappointing to not hear his name called this weekend. With the Knights seemingly reloading once again, he would have been fun to watch one more year. Still, you can’t ever fault a kid for wanting to achieve his dream of playing in the NFL.
Lastly, for a conference not known for defense, eight players came from the defensive side of the ball. That’s quite the head scratcher, though one player doesn’t determine the strength of the whole team (just ask Ed Oliver).
Overall, there are so many interesting prospects from this conference. Some of the undrafted free agents might produce more intriguing storlyines than those drafted, so stay tuned. Good luck to all of these young men on their next chapters, and hopefully it means plenty of success in their future!