April 25, 2020
A dozen former NJCAA athletes taken in 2020 NFL Draft
Twelve former NJCAA players had their name called over the three-day 2020 NFL Draft.
Charlotte, NC - Twelve former NJCAA football players were selected in the 2020 NFL Draft. Five former MACJC players were selected in the first two days, inclusive of the first three rounds of the draft. The list of former NJCAA players were highlighted by Javon Kinlaw's selection by San Francisco 49ers with the 14th overall pick in the draft. A growing list of players have also signed free-agent contracts.
| NJCAA STUDENT-ATHLETES IN 2020 NFL DRAFT | ||||||
| Round | Pick | Name | NJCAA Program | NFL Team | Four-Year Program | Pos. |
| 1 | 14 | Javon Kinlaw | Jones (MS) | San Francisco 49ers | South Carolina | DT |
| 3 | 66 | Antonio Gibson | East Central (MS) | Washington Redskins | Memphis | WR |
| 3 | 69 | Damien Lewis | Northwest Mississippi | Seattle Seahawks | LSU | OL |
| 3 | 103 | Davion Taylor | Coahoma (MS) | Philadelphia Eagles | Colorado | LB |
| 3 | 106 | Tyre Phillips | East Mississippi | Baltimore Ravens | Mississippi State | OL |
| 5 | 148 | Alton Robinson | Northeastern Oklahoma A&M | Seattle Seahawks | Syracuse | DT |
| 5 | 168 | John Hightower | Hinds (MS) | Philadelphia Eagles | Boise State | WR |
| 5 | 174 | Larrell Murchison | Louisburg (NC) | Tennessee Titans | NC State | DT |
| 6 | 197 | John Penisini | Snow (UT) | Detroit Lions | Utah | DT |
| 7 | 223 | Chris Claybrooks | Fort Scott (KS)/Coahoma (MS) | Jacksonville Jaguars | Memphis | CB |
| 7 | 226 | Arlington Hambright | Garden City (KS) | Chicago Bears | Colorado | OL |
| 7 | 249 | Brian Cole II | East Mississippi | Minnesota Vikings | Mississippi State | S |
| UFA | Anthony McKinney | Iowa Western | Tennessee Titans | TCU | OL | |
| UFA | Azur Kamara | Arizona Western | Dallas Cowboys | Kansas | LB | |
| UFA | Badara Traore | ASA Brooklyn (NY) | Chicago Bears | LSU | OL | |
| UFA | Bryce Perkins | Arizona Western | Los Angeles Rams | Virginia | QB | |
| UFA | Chauncey Rivers | East Mississippi | Baltimore Ravens | Mississippi State | DE | |
| UFA | Delrick Abrams Jr. | Independence (KS) | Atlanta Falcons | Colorado | CB | |
| UFA | DeMichael Harris | Hinds (MS) | Indianapolis Colts | Southern Miss | RB | |
| UFA | Dominick Wood-Anderson | Arizona Western | Seattle Seahawks | Tennessee | TE | |
| UFA | Hakeem Bailey | Iowa Western | Kansas City Chiefs | West Virginia | CB | |
| UFA | Jaquarius Landrews | Copiah-Lincoln (MS) | New York Giants | Mississippi State | DB | |
| UFA | Jeff Cotton | Pima (AZ) | Los Angeles Chargers | Idaho | WR | |
| UFA | Jojo Ward | Tyler (TX) | Arizona Cardinals | Hawaii | WR | |
| UFA | Josh Dunlop | Dodge City (KS) | Los Angeles Chargers | UTSA | OL | |
| UFA | Josh Knipfel | Iowa Western | Cincinnati Bengals | Iowa State | OL | |
| UFA | Josh Norwood | Northwest Mississippi | Seattle Seahawks | West Virginia | S | |
| UFA | Josh Nurse | Blinn (TX)/Georgia Military | Baltimore Ravens | Utah | CB | |
| UFA | Josiah Coatney | Holmes (MS) | Pittsburgh Steelers | Ole Miss | DE | |
| UFA | Juwan Green | Lackawanna (PA) | Atlanta Falcons | Albany | WR | |
| UFA | Keith Washington | Copiah-Lincoln (MS) | New Orleans Saints | West Virginia | DB | |
| UFA | Kirk Merritt | East Mississippi | Miami Dolphins | Arkansas State | WR | |
| UFA | LaCale London | Iowa Central | Chicago Bears | Western Illinois | RB | |
| UFA | Scottie Phillips | Jones (MS) | Houston Texans | Ole Miss | RB | |
| UFA | Stephen Guidry | Hinds (MS) | Dallas Cowboys | Mississippi State | WR | |
| UFA | Sirgeo Hoffman | Pima (AZ) | Arizona Cardinals | Portland State | RB | |
| UFA | Tommy Champion | Copiah-Lincoln (MS) | Seattle Seahawks | Mississippi State | OL | |
| UFA | Travis Reed | Jones (MS) | Indianapolis Colts | South Alabama | CB | |
| UFA | Yasir Durant | Arizona Western | Kansas City Chiefs | Missouri | OL | |
UFA - Undrafted Free Agent (This list will be updated as more former student-athletes are signed)
Other notes from the 2020 NFL Draft:
- Jones has now gone back-to-back years with a former player going in the first round (Johnathan Abram, 2019)
- Tyre Phillips became the first offensive lineman from East Mississippi to be drafted in the Buddy Stephens era
- Damien Lewis became the second Northwest Mississippi draft pick in as many years, following in the footsteps of NFL breakout star Gardner Minshew in 2019
- Garden City has had a former player selected in each of the last three NFL drafts, the longest such streak among NJCAA programs (Mike Hughes, 2018; Lonnie Johnson, 2019)
See also:
15 former NJCAA players taken in 2019 NFL Draft
12 former NJCAA standouts selected in 2018 NFL Draft
NJCAA Players Drafted in 2017 NFL Draft
