Eleven American Athletic Conference standouts heard their names called as the 2019 NFL Draft concluded Saturday in Nashville.
Temple and Houston led the way from The American with three selections each. Six of the 12 American Athletic Conference schools had at least one player taken during the three-day draft. The American had at least one player taken in all seven rounds of the draft.
As expected, the first player from The American to be selected was Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver, the 2017 Outland Trophy as the nation's top interior lineman. Oliver was chosen by the Buffalo Bills with the No. 9 pick in the draft, becoming the highest pick from The American since former UCF quarterback Blake Bortles, who went No. 3 overall in 2014.
Temple cornerback Rock Ya-Sin was the second player chosen in the second round and the first pick of the Indianapolis Colts. UCF defensive tackle Trysten Hill went later in the second round, going to the Dallas Cowboys with the 58th overall pick.
All-America running back Darrell Henderson from Memphis was tabbed by the Los Angeles Rams in the third round, marking the third time in conference history (2014, 2017) that The American had four players among the top 70 selections.
The third day of the draft saw players from The American taken with consecutive picks as Memphis' Tony Pollard went to the Cowboys with the 128th overall selection, while Houston cornerback Isaiah Johnson went to the Oakland Raiders one pick later.
Temple running back Ryquell Armstead was The American's lone pick in the fifth round as we went to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Houston linebacker Emeke Egbule was tabbed by the Los Angeles Chargers in the sixth round.
The American had three players taken in the seventh round as Tulane cornerback Donnie Lewis Jr. went to the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati defensive tackle Cortez Broughton was chosen by the Chargers, and Temple defensive end Michael Dogbe was selected by the Arizona Cardinals.
American Athletic Conference Players Chosen in the 2019 NFL Draft
| Round |
Overall |
Player |
Pos |
School |
NFL Team |
| 1 |
9 |
Ed Oliver |
DT |
Houston |
Buffalo |
| 2 |
34 |
Rock Ya-Sin |
CB |
Temple |
Indianapolis |
| 2 |
58 |
Trysten Hill |
DT |
UCF |
Dallas |
| 3 |
70 |
Darrell Henderson |
RB |
Memphis |
Los Angeles Rams |
| 4 |
128 |
Tony Pollard |
RB |
Memphis |
Dallas |
| 4 |
129 |
Isaiah Johnson |
CB |
Houston |
Oakland |
| 5 |
140 |
Ryquell Armstead |
RB |
Temple |
Jacksonville |
| 6 |
200 |
Emeke Egbule |
OLB |
Houston |
Los Angeles Chargers |
| 7 |
221 |
Donnie Lewis Jr. |
CB |
Tulane |
Cleveland |
| 7 |
242 |
Cortez Broughton |
DT |
Cincinnati |
Los Angeles Chargers |
| 7 |
249 |
Michael Dogbe |
DE |
Temple |
Arizona |