The 2024 NFL Draft came to a conclusion on Saturday, April 27, with the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds taking place over the course of the day. As the final 156 selections came off the board, a total of eight players from Oregon and Oregon State saw themselves make the transition from the collegiate level to the professional ranks.
Oregon made up six of those selections, joining quarterback Bo Nix and offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson as Ducks to turn pro. The total of eight players set a program record for total number of players drafted from Oregon, with the previous record of six having happened seven times.
“Not bad. I think it’s exciting, now it’s about getting more of those guys in the first and second,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said following Oregon’s spring game of his drafted players. “You’re so thrilled for people that work their tails off for an opportunity and compete so hard for the Oregon Ducks, and for that to turn into future success for them, that’s something we’re really excited about. Those guys put blood, sweat, and tears into their efforts here and I know that’s going to carry over well. There’s some NFL teams getting really good players.”
Wide receiver Troy Franklin was the first to hear his name called in the fourth round. The Denver Broncos trading up to the second pick of the fourth round to select him 102nd overall. Franklin, the single-season receiving yards record holder for Oregon, rejoins his college quarterback of the last two seasons, with Bo Nix having been picked by the Broncos with the No. 12 overall pick.
Franklin falling to the fourth round was a surprise to many, including Lanning, but the Oregon coach believes in his former receiver’s ability to make an impact with Denver.
“I am certainly surprised that some teams missed on an opportunity to get him but I know that (Franklin) is going to make the best of the opportunity that he got,” Lanning said following the spring game. “I think he’s going to a great team with coaches that understand his strengths and he’s getting to play with his former quarterback... I’m excited about the situation that (Franklin) is walking into.”
Franklin’s selection started a run on Oregon players, as four more Ducks would hear their name called in the fourth round.
Cornerback Khyree Jackson was the next to hear his name called, with the Minnesota Vikings selecting him 109th overall. Jackson spent one year with the Ducks after transferring from Alabama and turning pro following his junior season. He recorded three interceptions, two sacks, seven passes defended and 34 total tackles with Oregon in 2023. At six-foot-four-inches tall, Jackson has imposing size for a cornerback and will look to compete for a starting role with the Vikings.
Ducks went back-to-back at 108 and 109, with the Atlanta Falcons selecting defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus immediately after Minnesota took Jackson. Dorlus was a First Team All-Pac-12 selection in 2023, recording 16 tackles for loss and seven and a half sacks.
It wasn’t long after the back-to-back selections of Jackson and Dorlus for another Oregon Duck to come off the board. With the 111th pick, the Green Bay Packers took safety Evan Williams. After four years at Fresno State, Williams transferred to Oregon for his fifth and final year of college football. As a Duck, Williams recored 82 tackles, five tackles for loss, four and a half sacks, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble. Lance Zierlein, a draft analyst for NFL.com, stated in his scouting report that Williams will project as a special teamer and a solid back up strong safety at the next level.
The fifth and final Duck to be taken in the fourth round was at pick No. 125, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Oregon running back Bucky Irving. Irving, another transfer, spent time at Minnesota before coming to Eugene. In two years with the Ducks, Irving rushed for over 1,000 yards in each season and finished with 6.2 yards-per-carry in his Oregon career.
“We thought he might go a little bit earlier,” Buccaneers Director of Player Personnel Mike Biehl told Buccaneers.com. “He’s a guy we brought in on a ‘Top 30’ visit and spent some time with him. We thought maybe he would be a second-day pick, but he falls to the third day... He had a little bit of a chip on his shoulder, thinking he should have gone earlier. We kind of like that. He’s just another right kind of character guy that we’ve been targeting. He fits that mold.”
Oregon State wide receiver Anthony Gould became the first Beaver taken in the draft since offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga was taken No. 14 overall. Gould was scooped up by the Indianapolis Colts in the fifth round, No. 142 overall. Gould, who displayed impressive speed running a 4.39 40-yard dash at the 2024 NFL scouting combine, immediately gives the Colts a down field threat and an asset in the return game.
In 2022, Gould was named a First Team All-American as a punt returner and finished his Oregon State career with two punt return touchdowns. As a receiver, Gould had 718 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 2023.
Oregon State safety Kitan Oladapo went in the same round as his teammate Gould, being selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round with the No. 169 overall pick. Oladapo, a former Central Catholic High School standout in Portland, was an All-Pac-12 Second Team selection in 2023 after recording two interceptions and eight pass break ups.
The eighth and final Oregon Duck to be selected in the 2024 NFL Draft was linebacker Jamal Hill, who the Houston Texans selected in the sixth round with the No. 188 overall pick. Hill, who converted from safety to linebacker for the 2023 season, is still learning the position. In 2023, Hill recorded 31 total tackles and a pair of sacks. He became the first ever Oregon Duck selected by the Texans since they became a franchise in 2002.
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