Oregon football had its best NFL draft performance in six years with five Ducks getting selected anywhere from the top 10 to the sixth round.
Penei Sewell was the Ducks’ first-round selection this year and they’ll likely have another first-rounder next year with Kayvon Thibodeaux looking like an option to go No. 1 overall. He dropped to No. 7 overall after he was a top-five prospect and the top offensive linemen for months.
Jevon Holland, Deommodore Lenoir, Brady Breeze, and Thomas Graham Jr. all went, too. This was the first time in recent memory that each Duck prospect that was expected to get drafted actually did.
Where did every Duck end up this weekend in the 2021 NFL Draft?
Chicago needed plenty of help heading into the draft but one of the biggest needs was at cornerback. Heading into the first round, no one expected them to make the splash they did by trading up to No. 11 and taking Justin Fields, but that didn’t exactly address the needs on the defensive side of the ball. Still, they may have won the first round — at least according to their fans.
Thomas Graham Jr. opted out of the 2020 season with Oregon after a career year in 2019 in which he had 64 tackles, five tackles for loss, two interceptions, and 10 pass deflections.
Over his career, he had eight interceptions and 32 pass breakups which shows he can be an absolute ballhawk. By not playing in 2020, he probably hurt his stock a bit as he could have probably been a Day 2 pick.
The Bears got a good one here.