In the National Football League, there are currently 1,696 players. This gives each player about a 1.6 percent chance of making it to the NFL, per the NFL. Simply put, making the league is no easy feat.
Despite the UConn football program often being overlooked, the school has still sent players to the league at a decent rate; 2024 is no different. Starting off, some notable retired Huskies in the NFL include Dan Orlovsky, Donald Brown, Darius Butler and Byron Jones. To add to this, both Brown and Jones were first round picks. In the NFL currently, some notable UConn alumni are Ryan Van Demark, Travis Jones and Foley Fatukasi. All three of these players have made runs in the playoffs.
Now that we’ve talked about the past and present, let’s get to the future of UConn in the NFL. Three names that have come up in the past couple months for next week’s draft are Christian Haynes, Eric Watts and Jackson Mitchell.
Haynes, who measured in at 317 lbs. and 6-foot-3, is one of the top prospects among the offensive linemen of the 2024 draft class. He was invited to the Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl, two prestigious exhibitions for graduating CFB stars. Haynes was also an AP All-America team and CFB All-America team selection in 2023. He played for the Huskies for four years, with 49 career starts.
Over the span of his time in Storrs, Conn., he has allowed only three sacks, five hits and 19 hurries. Haynes has been compared to players like Kevin Dotson, who only gave up four sacks in the 2023-24 season as a right guard for the Los Angeles Rams. According to Fox Sports, Haynes is seen to be “quick off the snap” and has a powerful build that will knock down anyone standing in his way. After performing well at the combine, FOX has him ranked No. 4 among OL. Haynes is currently projected to go in the second round and will make an impact for any team that decides to draft him.
Moving on, Eric Watts is the next best prospect coming out of UConn. He went into the NFL combine measuring in at 274 lbs. and 6-foot-6 and was ranked as the 27th best defensive end at the combine. Watts was also invited to the Senior Bowl, Hula Bowl and Shrine Bowl. Within 47 games over the span of four years, Watts has racked up 151 total tackles, 9.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Watts has been compared to players like Cameron Jordan of the New Orleans Saints. Both have very similar play styles when it comes to pressuring the quarterback and had comparable scores coming out of the combine. Currently, Watts is mocked to go in the seventh round or possibly could become an undrafted free agent come draft night.
Finally, the last player coming out of UConn is Jackson Mitchell. Mitchell was the only one on this list not invited to the NFL combine, but was invited to the Senior Bowl, Hula Bowl and Shrine Bowl. Within 46 career games over a span of four years Mitchell has put up over 400 total tackles, 7.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles and 3 interceptions. As a middle linebacker Mitchell is graded as 19th best. Unfortunately, the general consensus is that Mitchell will become an undrafted free agent.