NJCAA alumni selected in the 2023 NFL Draft
Charlotte, NC - The 2023 NFL Draft took place from April 27-29 in Kansas City, MO. The NJCAA is highlighting some notable alumni that continued their success to the professional ranks, including more than 15 former student-athletes.
The New York Giants selected the most former NJCAA student-athletes with Tre Hawkins III (Trinity Valley, TX) in the sixth round pick 209, Jordan Riley (Garden City, KS) in the seventh round pick 243, and Gervarrius Owens (Northeastern Oklahoma A&M) seventh round pick 254. Former Independence (KS) standout Nathaniel Dell was the first NJCAA alum to be selected in this year's draft when the Houston Texans selected the wide receiver in the third round with the 69th pick.
Former Georgia Military defensive end Byron Young has one of the more interesting stories of the draft. Young moved from his native South Carolina to the Columbus, GA, area and served as an assistant manager at Dollar General for approximately 18 months before earning a spot through a tryout with the Bulldogs. He tallied 31 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, and seven sacks for a loss of 46 yards during his lone season with Georgia Military. Young was able to take his talents to Tennessee for the next two years. The Los Angeles Rams continued Young's football journey by drafting him in the third round with the 77th pick.
YaYa Diaby was the second Georgia Military Bulldog drafted when he was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round with the 82nd pick. Much like Young, Diaby also was working out of high school at the Atlanta Airport when the opportunity arose to try out for the Bulldogs. After two seasons with the program, Diaby accumulated 77 tackles and seven sacks along with being named NJCAA All-America First Team. Diaby completed his collegiate football career with the Louisville Cardinals.
The final alumni selected in the third round was former Lackawanna (PA) defensive back Ji'Ayir Brown, who was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers with the 87th pick. Brown was a standout with the Falcons during his two seasons in Scranton. In 2018, Brown helped the Falcons win the El Toro Bowl with a perfect 11-0 record while posting 40 tackles, five interceptions, and three pass breakups. Lackawanna experienced even more success in 2019 as they earned a spot in the NJCAA Football Championship Game with a 10-1 record while Brown registered 35 tackles, three interceptions, five pass breakups, and a fumble recovery. Brown earned Northeast Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year, first-team All-NEFC, and NJCAA All-America First Team during his sophomore campaign. Brown then transferred to Penn State where the success continued.
Former Jones (MS) standout quarterback Stetson Bennett was the second NJCAA alum drafted by the Los Angeles Rams with the 128th pick in the fourth round. Bennett began his college football journey as a walk-on at the University of Georgia before transferring to Jones as a sophomore. During his journey at Jones, Bennett threw for 1,820 yards with 16 touchdowns and rushed for 148 yards with four touchdowns. He finished the season with Jones as the No. 12 ranked quarterback in the NJCAA for passing yards before earning a scholarship back to the University of Georgia where he helped the Bulldogs win back-to-back College Football Playoff Championships.
Blinn (TX) continued to add to the list of former student-athletes that have heard their name called during the draft when Xavier Hutchinson was selected by the Houston Texans with pick 205 in the sixth round making this the second NJCAA alum chosen by the Texans in this year's draft. Hutchinson spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons as a Buccaneer and amassed 62 catches for 958 yards and seven touchdowns. He then accepted an offer to join Iowa State and went on to set program records during his three seasons as a Cyclone.
