When the Seattle Seahawks drafted Quinton Jefferson in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft on Saturday afternoon, it marked a milestone for the former Maryland football defensive end as well as the Terps program.
Jefferson was the Terps’ third player off the board — former defensive back Sean Davis went in the second round and former defensive end Yannick Ngakoue was gone in the third — creating the program’s biggest draft class since 2009, when five players were selected.
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Davis, who grew up in Washington, D.C., with the 58th overall selection, while the Jacksonville Jaguars chose Ngakoue 11 picks later. Jefferson’s selection capped the three-day event in Chicago for the Terps.
“It’s just a blessing just to be picked in the NFL,” Ngakoue said in a release. “It doesn’t matter if I was a 4-3 end, an inside linebacker or anything. It’s just a blessing to be called to the NFL.”
On April 24, Jaguars defensive coordinator Todd Walsh flew out to observe Ngakoue in a last minute workout the next morning. He liked what he saw from the 252-pounder and said the Jaguars plan to use him as a situational pass rusher. In College Park last season, Ngakoue set the program record with 13.5 sacks.
The Steelers, meanwhile, plan to use Davis at safety, defensive backs coach Carnell Lake said. Davis played safety during his first three years with the Terps before moving to corner last season.
Lake said defensive back Mike Mitchell is the team’s free safety, so the Steelers will likely train Davis at the strong safety spot. In 11 starts at safety his junior season, Davis finished second on the team in tackles and fourth nationally in that category among defensive backs.
“He’s got very good experience at tackling,” Lake said in a release. “He’s a good tackler. He provides good coverage skills. He can make good plays at the ball. That is one area that we had to adjust. He’s the guy that is going to fit the deal for us.”
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TERPS TACKLE FREE AGENCY
Various pundits predicted four Terps would be off the board by the end of the weekend — the last of which being former kicker Brad Craddock — but the 2014 Lou Groza award winner went undrafted.
Nonetheless, Craddock found an NFL home with the Cleveland Browns, while former running back Brandon Ross and former offensive lineman Andrew Zeller also found teams after the draft concluded.
“If I’m picked up as a free agent, I’ll embrace that,” Zeller said at Maryland’s Pro Day on March 30. “And I’ll just play with a chip on my shoulder like I did out here today.”
The Detroit Lions picked up Zeller as an unrestricted free agent, so he’ll reunite with former coach Randy Edsall, who joined the Lions staff as the director of football research-special projects Jan. 31. The Minnesota Vikings brought in Ross, who led the Terps in rushing last season.
Other Terps prospects, including former defensive back A.J. Hendy and linebacker Avery Thompson, have yet to sign with a team.
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LOGAN PLANS TO TRANSFER
After spending four seasons in College Park, linebacker Abner Logan announced his plans to transfer via an Instagram post Sunday.
“For my last year of eligibility I will be playing football elsewhere,” Logan said in the post. “Again thanks to the administration, coaches, and friends that helped and supported me throughout the way but it’s come to the consensus that it is time to move on.”
A four-start recruit out of Dexter School in Brookline, Massachusetts, Logan redshirted his first season before playing sporadically over the next two.
The Cambridge, Massachusetts native was sidelined for all of the 2015 campaign, however, after suffering a torn ACL last fall. Logan continued his rehab throughout spring practice and did not play in the Terps’ spring game April 16.
