Three Vanderbilt Commodores Players in Updated Top 250 NFL Draft Board
The Vanderbilt Commodores have not been an NFL draft factory in the past, but the upcoming class could see a couple of players hear their name called.
Pro Football Focus recently released their updated Top 250 NFL draft big board and three Commodores were listed.
If all three are selected, that would be Vanderbilt's biggest draft class since 2014.
The product on the field has been better thanks to the efforts of their top talents.
It has been a mix of great transfer portal finds and solid development of talent from head coach Clark Lea that has the name brand growing for the Commodores.
No. 78 TE Eli Stowers
Stowers is the easy pick for the best NFL talent on the roster. He was a former quarterback that decided to put his size and athleticism to use at tight end.
He has been more of a gadget player in the past, but has focused is efforts as a pass catcher this season and it has paid off.
The graduate senior has 44 catches for 568 yards and four touchdowns. He is fast, can do a lot of things and has great size for the NFL. He is a near lock to be drafted, and will likely hear his named called in the first two days.
No. 140 QB Diego Pavia
Pavia has had a dream season that has seen him emerge as a serious NFL prospect. Back in just 2021, he was just playing JUCO with hopes of making it big.
A couple of stops later, he took down the Alabama Crimson Tide at Vanderbilt and the world started to take notice.
While his prospects to lead an offense at the next level certainly takes a hit due to his lack of size, he has potential to be an elite backup who can win games for teams when they need him to in a pinch.
He is a gritty player that will do whatever it takes to pick up the necessary yards for a first down or even score.
No. 250 S De'Rickey Wright
Wright is an interesting case as someone who came to the Commodores out of high school as a four-star recruit and has stayed there ever since.
He has grown into a very solid defender who can contribute both as a run defender and in coverage as a safety. He possesses prototypical NFL size and is a solid athlete.
While the senior is on the fringes of the draft at No. 250, it is easy to see a team fall in love with his potential and decide to take a late flyer on him.
Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders