Nebraska football: Where former Huskers landed on NFL Draft weekend

Tanner Lee was the only Nebraska football player drafted over the weekend. That doesn’t mean he’s the only one going pro this year.

The NFL Draft is officially over. It’s time for those who were hoping to get drafted to take the next step in their careers. For former Nebraska football quarterback, Tanner Lee it’s onto the Jacksonville Jaguars who drafted him in the 6th round.

Lee ended up being the only Cornhusker that was taken in the 2018 NFL Draft. That kept the Huskers’ draft streak alive, just barely.

While there are plenty of people who are likely upset the quarterback was the only player drafted, he actually set a couple of firsts. Lee became the first Husker quarterback to be drafted as a quarterback in almost 30 years.

While Eric Crouch was indeed drafted after his Heisman campaign, the NFL believed he had a better chance to work out as a wide receiver. He even officially changed his position before draft day.

Lee was also the only Big Ten quarterback to be drafted at all. That’s a bit of a slam on the talent of conference quarterbacks who were eligible to be drafted.

It also turns out that he’s the first offensive player to be drafted in the last couple of years. That little distinction comes because the only Cornhusker who was drafted last year was safety Nate Gerry.

That doesn’t mean Lee is the only player that is going to get a shot at the pros. There are plenty of Huskers that signed free agent contracts shortly after the draft ended.

This has been the way most of the Huskers have managed to make the NFL in the last couple of years. Here’s hoping that undrafted free agent signings this year do a bit better than they did a season ago.

One of Tanner Lee’s favorite targets on the Nebraska football team started a career that looked like he was headed to the draft. It didn’t work out for De’Mornay Pierson-El the way we all thought it would but he’s still going to get a chance in the NFL.

Shortly after the 2018 NFL Draft ended, Pierson-El announced he was headed to the Washington Redskins.

This is an interesting turn of events because there have been a ton of former Huskers that have sung Hail to the Redskins over the years.

Had the timing been a bit better, Pierson-El might have gotten to play with Will Compton and Niles Paul. Both former Cornhuskers signed free agent contracts with new teams this offseason.

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Luke McNitt

The last time the Nebraska football team had a fullback go to an NFL team, it worked out quite well.

Andy Janovich was drafted in the sixth round by the Denver Broncos so there is a bit of a difference between he and Luke McNitt. McNitt signed on Saturday with the Atlanta Falcons.

The good news is that if there is a position that could find success in the NFL, it’s fullback. The former Husker fullback has the kind of talent to be a good blocker and sometimes ball carrier in the NFL.

Of any of the players that signed deals on Saturday, it seems possible this is the one that has the best chance of making the team come opening day.

Drew Brown

Kicker Drew Brown comes from a long line of Husker kickers that have made a name for themselves in the NFL. Unfortunately, the big knock against Drew is that he doesn’t have the leg to make it in the pros.

That may or may not be true, but it turns out he’s going to get a shot to prove those people wrong. it appears as though he hasn’t signed with a particular team, but Sean Callahan of Huskersonline says he is going to get a chance to try out for the New York Giants.

Nick Gates

Nick Gates actually left the Nebraska football team a year early. It’s obvious that he thought he might have a shot at getting to the pros through the draft.

While Gates didn’t end up getting drafted he is apparently getting a shot at the pros. Reports are that he’s getting a chance to make the New York Giants.

On the defensive side of the ball, there were a few former Nebraska football players that are also going to get a shot at the NFL. Both of those players are coming from the secondary which is interesting because of just how maligned that unit has been in the last few years.

That unit is also, oddly enough the only place where any drafted Huskers on the defense have come from in the last few years. Joshua Kalu is the first player that managed to hook on with an NFL team.

Kalu told the Omaha World-Herald that he was going to play with Will Compton. This means Kalu has apparently gotten a shot at the NFL with the Tennesee Titans.

Chris Jones

https://twitter.com/Joneschosen1/status/990369503392485377

The other defensive back that managed to get another shot in the NFL is cornerback Chris Jones. There was a time when people thought Jones might be a pretty high draft pick.

Then he suffered a knee injury and he was really never the same. The good news is that he’s going to be entirely healthy when he heads to training camps.

Next: A look at every Husker QB taken in the NFL draft

There’s a hope that Jones can show the kind of promise he had after his sophomore year with the Nebraska football team. It’s going to be interesting to see what these Huskers can do when it comes to getting a real shot at the NFL.