The NFL draft begins Thursday and it's likely to be another Oregon showcase with as many as 12 Ducks taken.
Four could go in the first two rounds, according to Daniel Jeremiah of nfl.com. who ranks five Ducks in his Top 100:
Ducks in the NFL Draft, according to nfl.com
24. Derrick Harmon DT
39. Josh Conerly OT
58. Terrance Ferguson TE
64. Jordan Burch Edge
97. Jamaree Caldwell DT
105. Jeffrey Bassa LB
148. Dillon Gabriel
Other Oregon players poised to be drafted include cornerback Jabbar Muhammad, receiver Tez Johnson, tackle Ajani Cornelius and running back Jordan James.
I like to call my shot every year at this time...
— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) March 27, 2025
With one month to go before the NFL draft, the Cincinnati Bengals will select Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon, at pick 17.
pic.twitter.com/eFJ74m5zB7
Traeshon Holden and Dontae Manning have an outside chance, particularly Manning, who turned in an eye-popping 4.38-second 40-yard dash, and a 38.5 inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-6 broad jump at Oregon Pro Day.
Numbers like that get attention in the late rounds.
The more I watch Traeshon Holden (@Traeski11) the more confused I get about his draft projection. This guy should be a day 2 pick at the latest.
— Chris Cooper (@Call_Me_Coop1) April 14, 2025
Great size, routes, body control, RAC ability, with reliable hands. Would be a steal in later rounds! pic.twitter.com/7elOsldHIx
Draft success is a powerful recruiting tool. Ferguson, James, Bassa, Conerly and Manning played their entire college careers at UO, while Harmon, Burch, Caldwell, Gabriel, Cornelius and Holden massively elevated their draft stock in Eugene.
All these players were developed by Lanning and the Oregon position coaches. Their skills, execution and understanding of the game were elevated by patient teaching and high standards. They learned how to win and how to execute in a growth mindset culture.
Both Harmon and Conerly could go in the first round depending on team needs and the flow of the marketplace. Sometimes there's a run on left tackles or edge rushers. The Chiefs need a left tackle. The Bengals like Harmon's length and motor.
Development remains a key theme in the Oregon program. Players like Dillon Thieneman or Bear Alexander didn't choose the Ducks for the most lucrative NIL deals; they prioritized development and coaching.
Alexander said last week, “I want to be pushed as a player and reach my full potential here at Oregon. It's been a fun ride. It's a similar defense. Being able to pick up and learn the defense over, go out and compete against guys I'm kind of used to like (former USC offensive guard) Emmanuel Pregnon is dope.”
On Saturday Thieneman explained his decision to leave Purdue, the school where both his older brothers played and from which his father graduated.
“But I found it was going to be in my best interest to leave and find where I could get proper coaching, proper development, where I could go against some of the best competition in the country.” --Dillon Thieneman
It's a consistent theme throughout the program, the pursuit of development and improvement, growing toward full potential and becoming a championship unit. The focus is on the process. “That’s the nice part about practice, man,” Lanning said. “It’s about development and continuing to grow.”
After practice Saturday linebacker coach Brian Michalowski stressed his commitment to developing his young linebackers rather than turning to the portal for a patchwork fix. "I take a lot of pride in developing guys," Michalowski said. "If I'm having to go to the portal, what's that say about me as a coach when it comes to development? I take a lot of pride in building from the bottom up, and I think it's a position that with as much leadership as we have to have and experience in communicating, that's the best way to do it at the inside linebacker position. The young guys have done just a phenomenal job."
"I take a lot of pride in developing guys."
— Max Torres (@mtorressports) April 19, 2025
Oregon linebackers coach Brian Michalowski addresses the growth of the Ducks three redshirt freshmen backers after not adding in the transfer portal. @ScoopDuckOn3 pic.twitter.com/ZirlhGR86u
Over the next few years Bryce Boettcher, Devon Jackson, Brayden Platt, Kamar Mothudi, Dylan Williams and Gavin Nix will have their opportunity to move up draft boards, and if they succeed, it willl be because of development.
This weekend the Oregon coaches welcome a couple dozen of the top recruits in the country, and two of the questions those prospects and their families are looking to answer are, "What is the plan?" "How will I be developed?"
As Missouri native Lanning is fond of saying, "The proof's in the pudding." This weekend the Ducks will have as many as a dozen taken in the NFL draft, four to six more offered free agent contracts. It's a record poised to be broken again in 2026 and 2027.
A record eight Ducks were taken in 2024, and for five years in a row the program has had a first-round pick, dating back to Justin Herbert in 2020.