FAU may not have had a player selected in the 2021 NFL draft, but that didn’t stop a couple of former Owls from finding an NFL home.
A few hours after the draft ended Saturday evening, running back BJ Emmons signed with Seattle Seahawks while linebacker Leighton McCarthy signed with the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as undrafted free agents.
Emmons, who was the No. 4 running back prospect in the nation out of high school and played at Alabama in 2016, transferred to FAU and redshirted the 2018 season after spending 2017 at Hutchinson Community College (Hutchinson, Kan.).
His first season with the Owls got off to a rough start when he broke his ankle during the first quarter of the Owls’ season-opening loss to Ohio State on Aug. 31, 2019. He returned to the field against UTSA on Nov. 23, 2019, finishing the 2019 season with 237 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground on 51 attempts in five games played.
Emmons — who missed FAU’s last three games of 2020 — saw the field even less in 2020, rushing for 116 yards and one touchdown on 37 attempts in four games. He recorded 353 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground on 88 attempts during his two seasons with the Owls.
McCarthy ended his career at FAU with the second-most career sacks (20) and third-most quarterback hurries (18) in program history.
He finished his five-year career with the Owls with 161 tackles (78 solo) and 35 tackles for loss in 50 games played.
McCarthy was named to the All-Conference-USA second team after the 2020 season after leading the conference in sacks (nine) and tackles for loss (12.5) after moving from defensive end to outside linebacker during the offseason.
The Apopka native joined FAU from Wekiva High School in 2016, recording 52 tackles (nine for loss) and 4.5 sacks during his redshirt freshman season in 2017 en route to the Owls winning the C-USA title.
McCarthy recorded 39 tackles (three for loss) the following season before finishing the 2019 season with 10.5 tackles for loss and six sacks, with the Owls winning their second conference title during his tenure with the program.
FAU didn’t have a player selected in the NFL draft for the first time in three years.
Tight end Harrison Bryant was taken by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of last year’s draft while Devin “Motor” Singletary and Kerrith Whyte were selected by the Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears, respectively, in the 2019 draft.
John Raine was another former FAU player who was picked up by an NFL team Saturday, signing with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent.
Raine caught 56 passes and seven touchdowns for 530 yards across four seasons with the Owls, including 38 receptions and six touchdowns for 343 yards in 2019. He transferred to Northwestern for the 2020 season, recording 24 receptions and two touchdowns for 233 yards with the Wildcats.