Arizona Wildcats shut out in NFL Draft for 2nd straight year; Harris, Young sign as UDFAs

The drought continues for the Arizona Wildcats in the NFL Draft.

For the second straight season, none of Arizona’s draft-eligible players were taken. It’s the first time since 2003 and ‘04 that Arizona didn’t have any players selected in consecutive NFL Drafts.

Arizona coach Jedd Fisch tweeted “Never Again” when no one from the Wildcats were drafted in 2022. It happened again.

The Wildcats had six players participate in the program’s pro day last month: safety Christian Young, edge rushers Jalen Harris and Hunter Echols, guard Josh Donovan, offensive tackle Paiton Fears and linebacker Dante Smith.

Even Princeton, the school that upset Arizona’s men’s basketball program in the NCAA Tournament, had one player picked during the final four rounds of the draft Saturday.

The Wildcats, Colorado and Washington were the only Pac-12 programs to not have any draft picks this year. Oregon (six), Stanford (five), UCLA (four), USC (four), Utah (three) and Oregon State (two) were the Pac-12 leaders in the ‘23 draft; Arizona State defensive lineman Nesta Jade Silvera was taken by the Las Vegas Raiders in the seventh round.

In the last decade, Arizona hasn’t produced a draft pick landing higher than the fourth round. The lone exception: running back Ka’Deem Carey in 2014. Since Carey’s selection, the Wildcats have sent four sixth-rounders, two fifth-rounders and two seventh-rounders — and a plethora of undrafted players — to the NFL.

Fortunately for Arizona, the Wildcats will likely have multiple picks in the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit. Among the possibilities: offensive tackle Jordan Morgan, running back Michael Wiley, wide receiver Jacob Cowing, tight end Tanner McLachlan and quarterback Jayden de Laura. Morgan was expected to leave Arizona this year, but a season-ending knee injury against UCLA forced him to return.

“If (Morgan) did not get injured, I’m confident to say that he was gonna be a first-round pick (this year),” UA coach Jedd Fisch told the Star earlier this week. “So I believe he has a great opportunity for that to happen again a year from now.”

Despite no players being taken this year, Fisch said: “We’re in a good spot.”

“There’s gonna be a lot of players that are drafted from Arizona football in the years to come,” he said.

Like father, like son

Although Harris wasn’t drafted, his first NFL stint will begin with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent, a source told the Star.

The 6-6, 257-pound edge rusher follows his father Sean Harris’ footsteps in playing for the Wildcats and Bears. Chicago drafted the older Harris, who was a part of Arizona’s “Desert Swarm” defense as a linebacker, in the third round of the 1995 NFL Draft. He played five seasons in Chicago before ending his career with the Colts in 2001.

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Jalen Harris played six seasons for the Wildcats and was coached by five different defensive coordinators and five different defensive line coaches.

“I dealt with a lot of adversity here, and that’s something that I’ll have to go through and prepare for (in the NFL),” Harris said at Arizona’s pro day. “I’ve had to fight through everything to get to where I’m at now. You gotta be able to adapt, and I think that’s something I’ve done well here. I’m not a guy who left, I stuck it out, and I take pride in that.”

Young signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent, he announced on Twitter Saturday evening.

The box safety-linebacker hybrid collected 182 tackles, nine stops for loss, 10 pass deflections, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles in five seasons for the Wildcats.

Robinson introduced in ATL

Before Bijan Robinson stepped foot in the Atlanta Falcons facility, the franchise that took the Tucson-produced running back made sure to have his Dijon mustard, “Bijan Mustardson,” stocked in the team’s kitchen area.

After the Falcons took Robinson eighth overall on Thursday, making him the highest-selected Tucsonan in NFL Draft history, he took a private jet with his family on Friday to Atlanta, where he held an introductory press conference.

“It’s been so exciting, so amazing, just to be here and share the moment with my family and all the people who’ve been with me throughout this whole process,” Robinson told Atlanta media. “It’s amazing to now finally show up at the facility and meet everybody. Everyone is so excited just as much as I am. It’s been amazing.”

The former Salpointe Catholic star was one of two Arizona players from the star-studded 2020 recruiting class taken in the draft; former five-star cornerback and Georgia standout Kelee Ringo was drafted in the fourth round at No. 105 overall by the Philadelphia Eagles. Ringo, the ex-Scottsdale Saguaro star, joins defensive end Nolan Smith, defensive tackle Jalen Carter, linebacker Nakobe Dean and defensive lineman Jordan Davis as Georgia defensive players drafted by the Eagles in the last two years.

“When I was in high school, Arizona football was a big deal. ... Arizona football is definitely coming up on the map,” Robinson said. “Obviously Georgia has so much talent here, but it was fun playing high school football in Arizona. ... It was amazing playing down there, and I think it’s coming up to be something.”

Ex-Wildcat goes back home

Former Arizona edge rusher Jose Ramirez, who transferred to Riverside City College prior to the 2018 season, was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round on Saturday.

The Ft. Lauderdale native and Rich Rodriguez-era recruit transferred to Eastern Michigan in 2019 and became the MAC Defensive Player of the Year this past season after recording a program-record 12 sacks, which ranked second in FBS.