2021 NFL Draft Recap

One way to appreciate the success that Navy has had over the years is to look at the kind of talent that they regularly line up against. While the NFL Draft doesn't provide a complete picture-- plenty of tremendous college players go undrafted-- it's still a noteworthy metric.

This year's draft was held in Cleveland from Thursday through Sunday, and 32 past Navy opponents were selected by NFL teams. It was a banner year for the American Athletic Conference, which had a league-record 19 players selected, including two in the first round. That number does not include Quincy Roche, who graduated from Temple before transferring to Miami. Notre Dame, a regular fixture on Navy schedules, had nine players drafted, the most of the Brian Kelly era. BYU, last year's emergency replacement for the Irish on Navy's schedule, had five.

The 19 draft picks give the American some ammunition for its "Power 6" branding efforts. It is only three fewer picks than the Big 12, and the Big 12 didn't have any taken in the first round. The AAC was the only conference outside of the five autonomous leagues to have any first-rounders, and their 19 overall picks were more than the rest of the Group of Five combined.

*Transfer from Temple
**Did not appear vs. Navy due to injury

Ben Skowronek (Notre Dame), James Hudson (Cincinnati), and Tay Gowan (UCF) were also drafted, but transferred into those programs after they had played Navy.