It was a busy weekend for student-athletes who have played in the Military Bowl, with 12 players selected in the NFL draft.
Three Military Bowl alumni were selected in the third round. Temple center Matt Hennessy, who played in the Military Bowl this past December, was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons. Two tight ends from the 2018 Military Bowl were selected later that round, Cincinnati tight end Josiah DeGuara went to the Green Bay Packers and Virginia Tech tight end Dalton Keene to the New England Patriots.
North Carolina, which defeated Temple, 55-13, in the 2019 Military Bowl, had two players drafted: offensive tackle Charlie Heck went in the fourth round to the Houston Texans and defensive lineman Jason Strowbridge in the fifth round to the Miami Dolphins.
Temple had three other players drafted from this year’s team: cornerback Harrison Hand was taken by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round, linebacker Shaun Bradley went in the sixth round to the Philadelphia Eagles and linebacker Chapelle Russell in the seventh round to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hand missed the Military Bowl because of injury.
Navy quarterback Malcolm Perry, who rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns as the Midshipmen won the 2017 Military Bowl, went in the seventh round to the Miami Dolphins.
Virginia had two players from its 2017 Military Bowl team selected in the fifth round, wide receiver Joe Reed by the San Diego Chargers and cornerback Bryce Hall by the New York Jets.
Wake Forest had two players from its 2016 Military Bowl championship team drafted: linebacker Justin Strnad went in the fifth round to the Denver Broncos and offensive lineman Justin Herron in the sixth round to the Patriots.
Cincinnati running back Michael Warren II, the MVP of the Bearcats’ 2018 Military Bowl victory, signed as an undrafted free agent with the Eagles.
“It is great to see so many players from our game take the next step in their careers,” Military Bowl Foundation President & Executive Director Steve Beck said. “From watching our game the past several years, we know that there is so much top talent on the field, so it is not surprising to see that so many of our past participants will be taking the field on Sundays.”
