Miami football seventh most NFL Draftees since 2017

The Miami football program ranks seventh nationally producing NFL Draftees since 2017 according to an examination of the “NFL Draft By College Over Last 5 Years: 2022 Program Rankings 1-130.” by The College Football News. Miami is tied with Clemson nationally and leading the ACC with 27 draftees from 2017 through 2021.

Clemson and Miami were tied for fifth in the 2021 rankings. Miami was fifth in the 2020 rankings. Clemson ranked fourth in 2020.  The difference between Clemson and Miami in the rankings was their high draft picks. Clemson had nine first-round draft picks from 2017 through 2021. Miami has had three first-round picks.

Florida is fifth in the 2022 rankings. The Gators are fifth with 33 draftees between 2017 and 2021. Florida fell from third in the 2020 rankings and fourth in 2021. Florida State is tied for 20th in the rankings with 17 draftees from 2017 through 2021. The Seminoles fell from eighth in 2020 to 26th in the 2021 rankings.

Miami is poised for its own fall in the 2023 rankings. Safety Bubba Bolden and wide receiver Charleston Rambo are the only projected Miami football players to be selected in the 2022 NFL Draft. The classes Miami has signed over the past five years have not developed or translated to as many NFL Draft picks as expected.

"“T7 Miami2022 5-Year NFL Draft Total: 272021 Ranking: T5, 2020 Ranking: 5″"

Prior to being hired by Miami, Mario Cristobal was the head coach at Oregon from 2018 through 2021. Oregon is tied for 26th in the 2022 rankings with Mississippi. Under Cristobal, Oregon moved up in the rankings. Oregon tied for 32nd in the 2020 rankings and moved up to 30th in the 2021 rankings.

Oregon produced 15 NFL Draft picks between 2017 and 2021. The 2022 NFL Draft will be the third straight that Cristobal has developed a first-round pick. Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert and offensive tackle Penei Sewell were first-round picks in the last two NFL Drafts under Cristobal.

The NFL Mock Draft Database projects Oregon defensive end, Kayvon Thibodeaux, to be selected by the New York Giants with the seventh overall pick. Herbert was the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers. Sewell was selected seventh overall by the Detroit Lions in 2021.

Under Cristobal, Oregon had three offensive linemen selected in the NFL Draft. Miami has not had an OL drafted since Danny Isidora in the fifth round in 2017 by the Minnesota Vikings. Miami has been more successful in producing defensive linemen. Miami has had eight DL drafted since 2017.

Cristobal has quickly made the line of scrimmage a priority for Miami. Seven of the 11 transfers Miami has signed and three 2022 freshmen signees are on the defensive and offensive lines. Expect improved development on the line of scrimmage from Miami football players during the Cristobal tenure.