By Woodrow Carroll
How far the Northwestern Wildcats have fallen! At least when it comes to the National Football League Draft.
It was only a year ago that Northwestern, not Ohio State or Michigan as you might have expected, was the first Big Ten team to have two players selected in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Yes, it was Ohio State’s Justin Fields, selected #11 by the Bears, that was the first Big Ten player drafted a year ago. However, it was not until Ohio State’ Linebacker Pete Werner was selected in the 2nd round (60th overall) that another Buckeye went off the board.
Northwestern’s Rashawn Slater was #13 pick in the 2021 draft. TheWildcats’ offensive lineman was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers. Not long after, Slaters’ teammate defensive back Greg Newsome II went to the Cleveland Browns at #26.
Slater and Newsome earned their high ranking. Northwestern was 7-2, 6-1 in Big Ten play in 2020. The Wildcats did lose to Ohio State 22-10 in the Big Ten Championship Game. But, recovered to down Auburn 35-19 in the Citrus Bowl.
Last Fall Northwestern ended up 3-9 overall and went 1-8 in the Big Ten.
And, when last week’s NFL Draft came and went, no Wildcat heard his name called over the course of seven rounds.
Northern Illinois fared no better than Northwestern at draft time. You might have expected a Huskies’ player or two to be drafted. After all, NIU was Mid-American Conference Champion. However, such was not the case.
Kent State, the team that Northern beat for the MAC Crown, was also a no go at draft time.
Illinois had three players selected in the draft. Safety Kerby Joseph was a third-round pick of the Detroit Lions. Two Fighting Illini, tackle Vederian Lowe and center Doug Kramer, went in Round 6. Lowe a Minnesota Vikings selection while the Bears went with Kramer. Meaning that NFC Central teams must have taken a liking to the Illini.
Who was the first player drafted out of the big-time loop? Meaning from a non-FBS school. That honor goes to Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning.
Penning is a big boy at 6’7” and 330 lbs. Penning, an offensive tackle, was the # 19 overall choice when selected by the Kansas City Chiefs.
Michigan redux! Many thought Michigan’s Aiden Hutchinson would be the top pick in the draft. However, Hutchinson was taken second after the Jacksonville Jaguars made Georgia’s Travon Walker the first pick in the draft. (Both Walker and Hutchinson are viewed as edge rushers so their future success will be worth following.)
The Mid-American Conference had to wait awhile before one of theirs was called.
Skyy Moore, a wide receiver from Western Michigan, had his named called by the Kansas City in the Second Round. Thus, Moore became the first Mid-American Conference choice in the draft.
Thanks to Travon Walker and a bevy of future draft choices, the Georgia Bulldogs captured the National Championship. A 33-18 victory over defending National Champion Alabama gave Georgia the prize.
Despite the talent possessed by Georgia, the Bulldogs didn’t go undefeated. Playing for the SEC Championship, Georgia was a 41-24 loser to Alabama a team with its own monster reputation.
Ponder if you will! In the 2021 Draft, Georgia’s Eric Stokes, a cornerback, was the 29th pick in the 1st Round. By the time Green Bay called Stokes name, a total of six Alabama players had already been drafted. Makes it easy to comprehend the success of Alabama in 2020 and Georgia last Fall.