By Mark Pszonak
With their level of success in 2024, it is expected that schools like Ohio State, Georgia and Texas would produce the most NFL draft picks. But producing NFL-level talent doesn’t always translate to on-field success. Just ask Maryland.
The Terps had a relatively miserable 2024 season, finishing 4-8 and 1-8 in the Big Ten. This included a 27-point loss at home to Northwestern and a 25-point road loss at Minnesota. Despite all of this, Maryland still saw six players get drafted during this year’s NFL Draft.
Six isn’t at the top of the scale, with Ohio State (14), Georgia (13), Texas (12) and Oregon (10) leading the way, but it is in the next group of schools. Six is one behind Alabama, LSU and Miami and tied with Notre Dame, which if you already forgot, played for the National Championship. It is also more than Penn State (5), South Carolina (5), Tennessee (4), Clemson (3), Indiana (2) and Boise State (2).
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Here are the six Terps who were selected: WR Tai Felton (102nd Pick by Minnesota), LB Ruben Hyppolite II (132nd Pick by Chicago), DT Jordan Phillips (143rd Pick by Miami), DB Dante Trader Jr. (155th Pick by Miami), WR Kaden Prather (240th Pick by Buffalo), DT Tommy Akingbesote (247th Pick by Dallas).
More surprising than the six draft picks is that four are from the defensive side of the ball. Maryland’s defense finished 80th in the country, gave up 378 yards per game and 30.4 points per game, which ranked 105th in the country.
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After a rough start at Maryland, Head Coach Mike Locksley seemed to have changed the trajectory of the program with a 23-16 record from 2021 to 2023. However, 2024 was a setback. And now with the statistics from the NFL Draft, it is a setback that shouldn’t have happened. Will he be able to get the Terps back on track in 2025?
