Top five NFL Draft picks have Allstate Sugar Bowl connections

Forty Allstate Sugar Bowl Participants Selected in 2019 NFL Draft

NEW ORLEANS – The top five players in the 2019 NFL Draft all had connections to the Allstate Sugar Bowl while 40 players who were on Allstate Sugar Bowl rosters, including eight first-round picks, were selected in the Draft overall. Over the last four years, 141 Sugar Bowlers have been selected in the NFL Draft.

The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s Draft (selected by the Arizona Cardinals), Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, was recognized as the Allstate Sugar Bowl’s 2018 Manning Award winner as the top quarterback in the nation. He is the second straight Manning Award winner to be drafted No. 1 (joining his Sooner predecessor Baker Mayfield) and the fifth overall (joining Mayfield, Cam Newton, JaMarcus Russell and Jameis Winston).

This year’s No. 2 overall pick Nick Bosa, a defensive lineman from Ohio State who was selected by the San Francisco 49ers, also has a Sugar Bowl connection as he played in the 2013 Allstate Sugar Bowl Prep Showcase, recording three sacks to lead his St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) team to victory over New Orleans area power John Curtis.

The No. 3 and No. 4 picks in the Draft both faced off in the 2018 Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Quinnen Williams, the New York Jets’ top pick (No. 3 overall), was a key part of the Alabama defense that held Clemson to a season-low 64 yards rushing in a 24-6 Crimson Tide victory. On the other side of the field was Clelin Ferrell, a Clemson defensive lineman who went No. 4 to the Oakland Raiders. Ferrell had four tackles and a sack in the Tigers’ Sugar Bowl loss to Alabama.

LSU linebacker Devin White, the No. 5 pick in the Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, participated in the 2014 and 2015 Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA Football Prep Classics as a member of North Webster High School in Springfield, La. The Knights advanced to the state semifinals in 2014.

The 141 Sugar Bowlers selected in the last four NFL Drafts, include 31 first-rounders (eight this year, five in 2018, eight in 2017 and 10 in 2016). Prior to the 40 picks in this year’s Draft, the Sugar Bowl saw 35 alums selected in 2018, 32 in 2017 and 34 in 2016.

In the 2019 draft, Alabama led the way with ten players drafted, including three going in the first round. Two of those ten were members of the Crimson Tide for both its 2015 and 2018 Allstate Sugar Bowl appearances. Georgia, which played in the 2019 Allstate Sugar Bowl, had seven players drafted, and Clemson, 2018 Allstate Sugar Bowl Playoff Semifinal participants, had six players drafted.

Allstate Sugar Bowlers in the 2019 NFL Draft
Name School Sugar Bowl(s) NFL Team Round
Kyler Murray Oklahoma 2017* Arizona Cardinals First (#1)
Quinnen Williams Alabama 2018 New York Jets First (#3)
Clelin Ferrell Clemson 2018 Oakland Raiders First (#4)
Jonah Williams Alabama 2018 Cincinnati Bengals First (#11)
Christian Wilkins Clemson 2018 Miami Dolphins First (#13)
Dexter Lawrence Clemson 2018 New York Giants First (#17)
Josh Jacobs Alabama 2018 Oakland Raiders First (#24)
Deandre Baker Georgia 2019# New York Giants First (#30)
Cody Ford Oklahoma 2017 Buffalo Bills Second (#38)
Trayvon Mullen Clemson 2018 Oakland Raiders Second (#40)
Irv Smith, Jr. Alabama 2018 Minnesota Vikings Second (#50)
Mecole Hardman Georgia 2019 Kansas City Chiefs Second (#56)
Parris Campbell Ohio State 2015* Indianapolis Colts Second (#59)
Terry McLaurin Ohio State 2015* Washington Redskins Third (#76)
Damien Harris Alabama 2018, 2015* New England Patriots Third (#87)
Jamel Dean Auburn 2017* Tampa Bay Buccaneers Third (#94)
Bobby Evans Oklahoma 2017 Los Angeles Rams Third (#97)
Dru Samia Oklahoma 2017 Minnesota Vikings Fourth (#114)
Christian Miller Alabama 2018, 2015* Carolina Panthers Fourth (#115)
Austin Bryant Clemson 2018 Detroit Lions Fourth (#117)
Ben Powers Oklahoma 2017 Baltimore Ravens Fourth (#123)
Cavin Ridley Georgia 2019 Chicago Bears Fourth (#126)
Deionte Thompson Alabama 2018 Arizona Cardinals Fifth (#139)
Hunter Renfrow Clemson 2018 Oakland Raiders Fifth (#149)
Ross Pierschbacher Alabama 2018 Washington Redskins Fifth (#153)
Mack Wilson Alabama 2018 Cleveland Browns Fifth (#155)
Charles Omenihu Texas 2019 Houston Texans Fifth (#161)
D’Andre Walker Georgia 2019 Tennessee Titans Fifth (#168)
Austin Seibert Oklahoma 2017 Cleveland Browns Fifth (#170)
Darius Slayton Auburn 2017 New York Giants Fifth (#171)
Lamont Gaillard Georgia 2019 Arizona Cardinals Sixth (#179)
Isaiah Buggs Alabama 2018 Pittsburgh Steelers Sixth (#192)
Deshaun Davis Auburn 2017 Cincinnati Bengals Sixth (#210)
Rodney Anderson Oklahoma 2017* Cincinnati Bengals Sixth (#211)
Kris Boyd Texas 2019 Minnesota Vikings Seventh (#217)
Isaac Nauta Georgia 2019 Detroit Lions Seventh (#224)
Chandler Cox Auburn 2017 Miami Dolphins Seventh (#233)
Dontavius Russell Auburn 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars Seventh (#235)
Terry Godwin Georgia 2019 Carolina Panthers Seventh (#237)
Javon Patterson Ole Miss 2016 Indianapolis Colts Seventh (#246)

* Indicates a redshirt season
# On team but did not participate in Bowl

The Allstate Sugar Bowl has established itself as one of the premier college football bowl games, having hosted 28 national champions, 93 Hall of Fame players, 50 Hall of Fame coaches and 18 Heisman Trophy winners in its 85-year history. The 86th Allstate Sugar Bowl Football Classic, featuring top teams from the Big 12 and the SEC, will be played on January 1, 2020. In addition to football, the Sugar Bowl Committee annually invests over $1.6 million into the community through the hosting and sponsorship of sporting events, awards and clinics. Through these efforts, the organization supports and honors nearly 100,000 student-athletes each year, while injecting over $2.5 billion into the local economy in the last decade. For more information, visit www.AllstateSugarBowl.org.