PROVIDENCE, R.I. – UCF wide receiver Breshad Perriman and UConn cornerback Byron Jones were chosen with consecutive picks in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, marking the second straight year in which the American Athletic Conference has produced multiple first-round picks.
Perriman and Jones highlighted the group of 11 American Athletic Conference players who were selected in the 2015 draft. Six of The American’s 11 teams had at least one player drafted, while UCF, UConn, Memphis, USF and Tulane had two players chosen. The 11 players were selected by a total of 10 NFL teams.
Perriman was taken with the 26th pick by the Baltimore Ravens, giving UCF back-to-back seasons with a first-round draft pick. The Knights had quarterback Blake Bortles taken at No. 3 by the Jacksonville Jaguars last season.
Jones was chosen by the Dallas Cowboys with the 27th pick, matching the highest selection in the draft by a UConn player. Running back Donald Jones was taken at No. 27 by the Indianapolis Colts in 2010.
Perriman led a deep group of UCF receivers with team highs of 50 receptions, 1,044 receiving yards and nine touchdown catches in 2014 – most notably a 51-yard TD on a Hail Mary pass at the final gun to give the Knights a win against East Carolina in the regular-season finale. He averaged an American Athletic Conference-leading 20.9 yards per reception and finished third in the conference in receiving yards on his way to all-conference first-team honors.
Jones was limited to just seven games in 2014 due to a shoulder injury, finishing the year with two interceptions, 24 tackles and four pass breakups. He had a team-high three interceptions in 2013, when he started all 12 games and had 60 tackles. Aside from his play on the field, Jones turned in an eye-popping performance at the NFL Combine, when he set a world record in the broad jump (12 feet, three inches) and had a 44.5-inch vertical leap.
The two first-round picks were followed by a pair of selections from The American in the fourth round. East Carolina wide receiver Justin Hardy, the NCAA’s career leader in receptions, was tabbed by the Atlanta Falcons (No. 107 overall), while UCF safety Clayton Geathers was chosen two picks later by the Indiaapolis Colts.
The American had two more players taken in the fifth round. Memphis cornerback Bobby McCain went to the Miami Dolphins with the 145th overall pick, while Tulane cornerback Lorenzo Doss was taken by the Denver Broncos at No. 164.
The New York Giants chose UConn wide receiver Geremy Davis in the sixth round (No. 186 overall), while USF saw its first player come off the board when the Houston Texas selected linebacker Reshard Cliett at No. 186.
USF center Austin Reiter was selected by the Washington Redskins in the seventh round (No. 222 overall), along with Memphis defensive end Martin Ifedi (No. 227 to St. Louis) and Tulane defensive back Taurean Nixon (No. 251 to Denver).
The American had four first-round picks, and 12 overall selections, in last year’s NFL Draft.
American Athletic Conference Players Chosen in the 2015 NFL Draft
|
Round |
Overall |
Player |
Pos |
School |
NFL Team |
|
1 |
26 |
Breshad Perriman |
WR |
UCF |
Baltimore |
|
1 |
27 |
Byron Jones |
CB |
UConn |
Dallas |
|
4 |
107 |
Justin Hardy |
WR |
East Carolina |
Atlanta |
|
4 |
109 |
Clayton Geathers |
SS |
UCF |
Indianapolis |
|
5 |
145 |
Bobby McCain |
CB |
Memphis |
Miami |
|
5 |
164 |
Lorenzo Doss |
CB |
Tulane |
Denver |
|
6 |
186 |
Geremy Davis |
WR |
UConn |
New York Giants |
|
6 |
211 |
Reshard Cliett |
LB |
USF |
Houston |
|
7 |
222 |
Austin Reiter |
C |
USF |
Washington |
|
7 |
227 |
Martin Ifedi |
DE |
Memphis |
St. Louis |
|
7 |
251 |
Taurean Nixon |
DB |
Tulane |
Denver |