Where did former ASU Sun Devils and Arizona Wildcats land in the NFL Draft?

The 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone, and several players who played collegiately in Arizona are now slated to play on Sundays.

The Arizona Wildcats saw three of their own drafted, beginning with offensive tackle Jordan Morgan, who landed with the Green Bay Packers late in the first round at No. 25.

Arizona State, however, came up empty in the 257-pick draft order, snapping a streak of 10 straight drafts with a Sun Devil selected. Two ASU transfers went in the first round in Jayden Daniels (No. 2 to Washington Commanders) and Ricky Pearsall (No. 31 to San Francisco 49ers).

After the 257 selections, each of the rival schools saw a few players get scooped up as undrafted free agents.

Where did former Arizona Wildcats land in the NFL Draft?

Morgan, headed to Green Bay, became the first Wildcat to go in the first round of the NFL draft since Antoine Cason did so in 2008.

The Arizona native and Marana High School alum overcame a torn ACL at the end of the 2022 season and started all 12 games the following fall. He was a First Team All-Pac-12 member during his senior year after getting named an honorable mention in 2022. He also played in the Senior Bowl.

National mock drafts had him slated as a late first-round pick or early second-rounder.

Wide receiver Jacob Cowing was the next Arizona alum to be selected, landing with the San Francisco 49ers at No. 135, after San Francisco had already selected Sun Devil-turned-Florida Gator Pearsall at the same position.

Cowing starred for two seasons in Tucson after transferring from UTEP. While at Arizona, he accumulated nearly 2,000 yards from scrimmage on 183 touches, scoring 20 touchdowns as well.

Tight end Tanner McLachlan was the third and final Wildcat selected, landing with the Cincinnati Bengals at pick No. 194. ESPN’s Field Yates called it his favorite value pick of Day 3.

The 6-foot-5 redshirt senior caught 79 passes for 984 yards in 25 games over the past two seasons for the Wildcats, scoring six touchdowns. He caught a season-high seven passes for 60 yards and two scores in Arizona’s 59-23 Territorial Cup rout over ASU.

McLachlan impressed at the combine, running a 4.61-second 40-yard dash that was tied for third among tight ends. His 10-yard split time of 1.58 seconds was tied for fourth.

Which NFL teams picked up former Arizona State Sun Devils as undrafted free agents?

ASU can’t be happy about seeing the streak of drafted players end, especially when the first round includes multiple former ASU transfers. Multiple players signing with teams after the fact helps to ease the blow.

Tight end Messiah Swinson reportedly signed with the Packers, joining former rival Morgan. Swinson totaled 233 yards and two scores on 21 touches in two seasons at ASU after transferring in from Missouri.

Ultra-productive safety Chris Edmonds signed with the Cleveland Browns. He racked up 121 total tackles, three interceptions and five passes defensed, playing 12 games in each of the last two seasons.

The Seattle Seahawks are reportedly adding defensive back Ro Torrence to their fold. The one-time Auburn transfer held down a starting spot for much of the last two seasons in Tempe, using his 6-foot-3 size to tally 73 total tackles, two tackles for loss and two interceptions over 21 ASU games.

Phoenix native Joey Ramos announced that he received a rookie minicamp invite from the New England Patriots. Ramos attended Deer Valley High School and started his collegiate career at Iowa State. The offensive lineman transferred to Arizona State in 2022. He suffered a season ending injury in the 2022 season opener, but returned to action for the Sun Devils in 2023.

Which NFL teams picked up former Arizona Wildcats as undrafted free agents?

Running back DJ Williams reportedly joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent shortly after the draft finished on Saturday. Williams played two seasons in Tucson after stops at Flordia State and Auburn. He had 748 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground over 24 games for the Wildcats during the last two seasons.

Running back Michael Wiley reportedly signed with the Washington Commanders as an undrafted free agent on Saturday. After five seasons with the Wildcats, the 2022 Territorial Cup MVP posted nearly 3,000 yards from scrimmage with 28 total touchdowns over 49 games with the Wildcats. He ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash at the combine which helped him earn a top-15 athleticism score among running backs by Next Gen Stats.

The Carolina Panthers reportedly added defensive end Taylor Upshaw on Saturday. A graduate transfer from Michigan, Upshaw contributed 31 tackles and 8.5 sacks in 13 games for the Wildcats last season.

Defensive lineman Tyler Manoa reportedly signed with the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday. A graduate transfer from UCLA, he played in 13 games (12 starts) and had 28 tackles and a fumble recovery for the Wildcats last season.