Go Joe Bruin looks back on the UCLA Football players that have been selected in the NFL Draft under Jim Mora.
The impact of Jim Mora as the head coach of the UCLA Football team cannot be understated. Before he took over, the Bruins were a 6-8 team that was not even relevant in their own conference.
Now they are turning heads on a national scale. What Mora has done for this team is something spectacular and continued proof of that comes in the form of several players that have made it to the NFL.
Mora has not only brought in a lot of talent to UCLA, but has developed some of them into players that are now performing at the highest level of football.
Since Mora took over in Westwood, he has sent 20 players to the National Football League. 20! The most amazing part is that during this last draft, eight players were selected by NFL teams (with four others picking up contracts after going undrafted).
That is the third most in the NCAA, the most in the Pac-12 conference and the most in Mora’s tenure. I am not sure about you, but I think Mora has done right by his players and the program.
So now let us check out UCLA in the NFL draft starting with 2013…
Next: 2013 UCLA Football Draftees
2013 UCLA Football Draftees
DE Datone Jones, 26th overall (Round 1), Green Bay Packers
RB, Johnathan Franklin, 125th (Round 4), Green Bay Packers
P Jeff Locke, 155th (Round 5), Minnesota Vikings
OG Jeff Baca, 196th (Round 6), Minnesota Vikings
All of these players are Rick Neuheisel guys and Mora turned them into pros. If anything, Mora improved their draft stock as he brought a mental toughness and a winning attitude to the team.
His coaching and experience in the NFL helped several of these players prepare and develop for the NFL, which a few are still making a comfortable living in.
Jones was the player that started it off. He was the top lineman on the defense and under Mora improved in total tackles, tackles for a loss and sacks from his junior to senior year.
Franklin was already a legend in the making and in Mora’s first season, Franklin captured UCLA’s all-time rushing record. Both Locke and Baca were consistent at their positions but also became leaders in their last year with the Bruins.
Now this NFL Draft was just the start. Mora would continue to coach and develop several other players that have not only made it to the NFL, but are thriving.
Next: 2014 UCLA Football Draftees
2014 UCLA Football Draftees
LB Anthony Barr, 9th (Round 1), Minnesota Vikings
OG Xavier Su’a-Filo, 33rd (Round 2), Houston Texans
DE Cassius Marsh, 108th (Round 4), Seattle Seahawks
WR Shaq Evans, 115th, (Round 4), New York Jets
LB Jordan Zumwalt, #119, Round 6, Pittsburgh Steelers
Before this last weekend, this was the best draft class in the Mora era. Defensively, the Bruins were at their peak in that 2013 season in Mora’s tenure.
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Seeing players like Barr, Zumwalt and Marsh leave the team hurt, but knowing their talents, one knew they would be able to make it in the League. It was exciting, to say the least.
The same could be said about Evans and Su’a-Filo who were key contributors on the offense.
Evans was solid receiver that had good hands and was dependable. Su’a-Filo left a year early, which hurt the offensive line, but his athletic ability and skill was undeniable. A player like Su’a-Filo was always bound for the NFL whether he left early or not.
Five players getting drafted was fantastic, but it was only the start, despite only a few players going the following year.
Next: 2015 UCLA Football Draftees
2015 UCLA Football Draftees
LB Eric Kendricks, 45th (Round 2), Minnesota Vikings
DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa, 74th (Round 3), New York Giants
QB Brett Hundley, 147th (Round 5), Green Bay Packers
UCLA Bruins
This 2016 NFL Draft was a bit thinner for the UCLA Foootball team, yet that did not matter looking at the the players that left.
Kendricks was a big selection for Minnesota as he was matched up with his teammate from the previous year, Anthony Barr. As UCLA’s All-Time leading tackler, Kendricks was more than ready to jump to the NFL.
He was able to bring his work ethic and aggression into the pros which helped him thrive in his first year as he was named the NFC North Rookie of the Year.
Odighizuwa was a fierce D-lineman who wrecked havoc on opposing offensive lines. Not only was he a big, strong lineman, but his ability to get through the line was uncanny.
As for Hundley, many were concerned with how far he fell in the draft, but where he eventually landed could have been the best spot for him. With Green Bay selecting another Bruin, Hundley was now able to work behind Super Bowl Champion Aaron Rodgers, arguably one of the best football players in the NFL. Now that is a great introduction into the NFL.
Next: 2016 UCLA Football Draftees
2016 UCLA Football Draftees
DT Kenneth Clark, 27th (Round 1) Green Bay Packers
LB Myles Jack, 36th (Round 2), Tampa Bay Buccaneers
OL Caleb Benenoch, 148th (Round 5), Tampa Bay Buccaneers
RB Paul Perkins, 149th (Round 5), New York Giants
WR Jordan Payton, 154th (Round 5), Cleveland Browns
LB Aaron Wallace, 222nd (Round 7), Tennessee Titans
TE Thomas Duarte, 231st, (Round 7), Miami Dolphins
WR Devin Fuller, 238th, (Round 7), Atlanta Falcons
What else can we say about this latest NFL draft class for the UCLA Football other than , “WOW”! Not only was Mora able to get eight players in the League, but four more signed contracts who went undrafted.
It says something about having that many players get drafted, especially with this being the first year that Mora-recruited players have made the jump to the League.
Though it could be said that a few of them could have improved their draft stock by staying in school another year, the bottom line is that they are in.
Related Story: 10 UCLA Football Players Sign With NFL Teams
Clark and Jack were expected to go first among the Bruins who made themselves eligible and did so in the first and second round.
Though we had to wait until the 5th round to hear another Bruin’s name called, it came like rapid fire.
Benenoch and Perkins were chosen consecutively in the middle of the 5th, with Payton getting the call not too long after that. Wallace started things off in the 7th round as he was the first choice in the last round. That was followed up by Duarte and Fuller.
Eight players. All drafted to NFL teams. That makes a grand total of 20 total UCLA Football players that have been selected in the NFL Draft under Mora. Most impressive.
Truly, Mora is doing something right in Westwood.
Next: UCLA Football in the NFL Draft in the Jim Mora Era
UCLA Football in the NFL Draft
Here are a few stats on the UCLA Football players that were drafted in the NFL Draft since Jim Mora took over the program.
Selections By Round
Round 1: 3 players
Rounds 2-3: 4 players
Rounds 4-7: 13 players
Selections By Position
Quarterbacks: 1
Running Backs: 2
Offensive Linemen: 3
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: 4
Defensive Linemen: 4
Linebackers: 5
Special Teams: 1
Selctions By NFL Team
Green Bay Packers: 4
Minnesota Vikings: 4
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2
New York Giants: 2
Houston Texans: 1
Seattle Seahawks: 1
New York Jets: 1
Pittsburgh Steelers: 1
Cleveland Browns: 1
Tennessee Titans: 1
Miami Dolphins: 1
Atlanta Falcons: 1
More from Go Joe Bruin
- UCLA Football: It’s time for the nation to meet Dante Moore
- UCLA Football: Where are they ranked heading into week 4
- UCLA Football: Position battle breakdown for Utah showdown
- UCLA vs. Utah: Location, time, prediction, and more
- UCLA Football: Highlights from Chip Kelly’s appearance on the Jim Rome Show
Next: 2016 Nfl Draft-UCLA Football Roundup
Go Bruins!