2023 NFL Draft Concludes With Multiple Hurricanes Finding Homes
The NFL Draft is one of the best three days of the year, as players are able to see their hard work pay off by hearing their name called and learning where they'll be headed. For college football fans, it's a time where they get to see where their favorite players end up.
With the NFL Draft coming to an end yesterday evening, three Miami Hurricanes heard their names called across the seven rounds.
Furthermore, a couple of Canes landing undrafted free agent (UDFA) deals and some former Hurricanes heard their names called as well.
While there's no guarantee all of these players will be on opening day rosters, let's take a look at where they all ended up and predictions for how year one in the league may pan out for them.
CB Tyrique Stevenson - Round 2 | 56th Overall to the Chicago Bears
Stevenson was the first Hurricane to hear his name called (as expected), landing in the Windy City with former Canes Travis Homer and Adrian Colbert.
Stevenson joins a roster that went 3-14 last season, but looks to build-off of Justin Fields' sophomore campaign. Stevenson finds himself in a position to compete for an outside corner role alongside Jaylon Johnson. Expect Stevenson to play some significant snaps his rookie season.
TE Will Mallory - Round 5 | 162nd Overall to the Indianapolis Colts
Following Stevenson, Mallory was expected to be the next Miami Hurricane called following a great Senior Bowl and NFL Combine. The Indianapolis Colts notably added Florida QB Anthony Richardson 4th overall, who the franchise expects to be their long-term answer.
Mallory joins a deep but unproven tight end room that will allow for Mallory to compete for snaps early on. With a new head coach in Shane Steichen, it's uncertain how he views the position group so far. Expect Mallory to see a handful of catches, as he competes for a solidified role going forward.
CB DJ Ivey - Round 7 | 246th Overall to the Cincinnati Bengals
Despite the consensus being Stevenson and Mallory would be the lone Hurricanes drafted, the Cincinnati Bengals decided to take a chance on Ivey at the end of the draft. Ivey brings to the table a 6-foot-1 frame with with length to make him worth a late-round flyer.
Ivey had five interceptions in his five-year career at Miami, and had a career year this past season. As a seventh-round pick headed to a 12-4 Bengals team, it will be an uphill climb for Ivey to see snaps. Realistically, Ivey looks to bounce between the practice squad and active roster with a special teams role at most.
LB Caleb Johnson - UDFA to the New York Jets
Johnson transferred to Miami this past season and put up 48 total tackles and two forced fumbles in his lone season. Johnson finds himself in a great position to potentially see snaps, as the Jets have plenty of uncertainty at inside linebacker. Similar to Ivey, a realistic expectation for someone in Johnson position should be a player that bounces between practice squad and active roster.
However, we've seen Robert Saleh in San Francisco elevate linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw to high-level linebackers. Hopefully the same can be true for Johnson, but year one should be one of growing pains.
P Lou Hedley - UDFA to the New Orleans Saints
Hedley was consistently one of the best punters in the nation in his time at Miami. Hedley joins a New Orleans Saints team that is looking for their next long-term option at punter after they parted ways with Thomas Morstead following the 2020 season (Morestead was the teams punter from 2009-2020).
Since then, Blake Gillikin has been the team's punter the last two seasons. However, the team could look to go with the cheaper option in Hedley and keep similar to better production. It's a coin toss, but there's a good chance Hedley could be the Saints punter this coming season.
LB Mitchell Agude - UDFA to the Miami Dolphins
Agude doesn't have to move far, as he'll stay at Hard Rock Stadium as of now with a UDFA deal to the Miami Dolphins. Agude joins a roster that has a pair of former Canes in Braxton Berrios and Jaelan Phillips.
The Dolphins are poised for a big season, and that only makes it more difficult for a rookie Agude to see any sort of action. Agude's future will all weigh on his effort in camp, where his overall ceiling this season would be practice squad. Regardless, Agude is a Dolphin.
OL DJ Scaife - UDFA to the Miami Dolphins
Agude isn't the only player staying local, as Scaife signed a UDFA deal last night as well. Scaife had starts at both right guard and tackle during his career with the Hurricanes. Scaife joins an offensive line unit that has seen their primary right tackle Austin Jackson battle with the injured reserve list throughout his career.
While right guard is locked down by Robert Hunt currently, a solid camp performance could see Scaife get some snaps if injuries arise.
Regarding former Hurricanes who had their names called during the draft, it was a pair of former defenders as Oregon's DJ Johnson landed with the Carolina Panthers in the third round and Arizona State's Nesta Jade Silvera landed with the Las Vegas Raiders in the seventh round.
Johnson redshirted his lone season in Coral Gables before playing four seasons in Eugene. Silvera played four seasons for the Canes before ending his collegiate career with the Sun Devils.
AllHurricanes.com is your home for all things Miami Hurricanes football, recruiting, basketball and other athletics, all the time. Follow along on social media at @AllHurricanes on Twitter and All Hurricanes on Facebook for round-the-clock news and analysis.
