Maryland football has a difficult recruiting pitch to make in comparison to what some of the Big Ten's elite can brag about, but there's one recruiting sales pitch all recruits care about where the Terps are holding their own: NFL development. Where do they rank nationally and in the Big Ten in current NFL players produced after their breakout 2025 crop?
After six Terps were drafted this year, the most Maryland has seen since 1986, the program now boasts 29 players in the league, tied for 32nd nationally and ninth in the Big Ten according to Spotrac.
Colleges With Most Active NFL Players, per @spotrac ? pic.twitter.com/6zuqLXeRpf
— College Football Report (@CFBRep) June 16, 2025
That's solid footing for a program that's had some success lately, winning bowl games in three of the past four seasons, but also isn't piling four and five stars like some of their peers. It ranks ahead of bigger-name programs like Virginia Tech, Michigan State and Nebraska, and is three players short of the top 25.
Six Terps heard their names called this year. Tai Felton was the headliner, going in the third round to the Minnesota Vikings after breaking out with 96 catches, 1,124 yards and nine touchdowns in 2024. Linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II followed in the fourth round to the Chicago Bears. The Miami Dolphins doubled down on Terps in the fifth, grabbing both run-stuffer Jordan Phillips and Dante Trader Jr., a rangy safety and former lacrosse standout. In the seventh round, wideout Kaden Prather was selected by the Bills after averaging nearly 16 yards per catch, and defensive tackle Tommy Akingbesote rounded out the group, staying close to home with the Dallas Cowboys.
It was Maryland's biggest draft class in nearly four decades, and a sign that the program's development arc is trending in the right direction. Since 2019, Maryland has produced 22 draft picks, including 13 in the last three years alone.
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In terms of starpower, Stefon Diggs has long been one of the league's top receivers and DJ Moore has become one of the league's most dependable wideouts, producing four 1,000-yard seasons and emerging as a key piece in Chicago's offensive overhaul. Tarheeb Still had an impressive rookie year. Ty Johnson, once a journeyman bouncing around practice squads, re-established himself in Buffalo last season and heads into 2025 with a new deal and a legitimate role. Edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue has piled 70.5 career sacks and tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo has shown potential in Tennessee with his blend of speed and physicality.
Maryland isn't cranking out first-rounders every spring, but it's solidly in the mix among programs developing consistent NFL talent, jumping from 22 active players three years ago to 29 now reflects that.
To Locksley's credit, he's developing a lot of lesser-heralded recruits into pros. Two-thirds of the 18 players who've been drafted since he arrived in 2019 were two-sttars, three-strs or unrated.
Full list of Maryland alums in the NFL:
Chad Ryland – PK, New England Patriots
Josh Woods – ILB, Atlanta Falcons
Beau Brade – S, Baltimore Ravens
Corey Bullock – OT/OG, Baltimore Ravens
Ty Johnson – RB, Buffalo Bills
Kaden Prather – WR, Buffalo Bills
Ruben Hyppolite II – LB, Chicago Bears
DJ Moore – WR, Chicago Bears
Tommy Akingbesote – DT, Dallas Cowboys
Nick Cross – S, Indianapolis Colts
Darnell Savage – S, Jacksonville Jaguars
Glendon Miller – S, Kansas City Chiefs
Josh Kaltenberger – OC, Los Angeles Chargers
Tarheeb Still – CB, Los Angeles Chargers
Gottlieb Ayedze – OT/OG, Las Vegas Raiders
Jakorian Bennett – CB, Las Vegas Raiders
DJ Glaze – OT, Las Vegas Raiders
Jordan Phillips – DT, Miami Dolphins
Dante Trader Jr. – S, Miami Dolphins
Tai Felton – WR, Minnesota Vikings
Jeshaun Jones – WR, Minnesota Vikings
Stefon Diggs – WR, New England Patriots
Deonte Banks – CB, New York Giants
Byron Cowart – DT, New York Jets
Spencer Anderson – OG/OC, Pittsburgh Steelers
Sam Okuayinonu – DE, San Francisco 49ers
Rakim Jarrett – WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jaelyn Duncan – OT, Tennessee Titans
Chig Okonkwo – TE, Tennessee Titans
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