New Knights in the NFL

 The 2013 NFL Draft was a historic one for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights had a school record seven players selected, and that mark was tops in the Big 10 and sixth best in the entire country, behind only Florida State, Alabama, LSU, Florida and Georgia. There weren't a lot of Rutgers players selected early, as five of the seven were day three picks (including four seventh rounders), but it's still an awesome feat. It's a true testament to the old coaching staff's recruiting, scouting and coaching abilities, as well as the hard work the players put in themselves during their years on the banks.

Rutgers North

It's no secret that New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick is quite fond of Rutgers' football program. Due in large part to the friendship he developed with Greg Schiano over the years, Belichick has established a pipe line of players going from Piscataway to Foxborough, and that pipe line grew even stronger during this draft. The Pats added three more Scarlet Knights in the draft, and afterwards, Belichick explained his fascination with Rutgers by stating: "[Rutgers players] are probably as ready for professional football as just about any kids coming out of college."

The first Rutgers player selected in the draft this year was corner back Logan Ryan, who went to New England in the third round with the 83rd overall pick (which also happened to be the pick the Bengals used to draft Mohamed Sanu last year). The Patriots then went back to Rutgers' secondary again with their second third round pick (91st overall), taking safety Duron Harmon.

Ryan is a very good fit in New England, as they prefer big, physical corners in their press/zone coverage scheme. He will be a bit buried on the depth chart this year, but he should contribute right away on special teams and be given a chance to earn a starting spot in 2014. The Patriots have a number of corners who will be free agents after this season, and he seems poised to be one of the Patriots' corners of the future. Ryan will also be reunited with his mentor Devin McCourty, so that should help him make his adjustment to the NFL smoother.

Harmon was a surprise pick this high in the draft, but he seems to be the kind of safety Belichick has historically preferred. The Patriots have had a lot of hard hitting/physical safeties over the years and Harmon fits that bill. He will compete to be the Pats' back up at strong safety, where he can be utilized as a run stopper and an intermediate zone defender. Adrian Wilson is the starter ahead of him, and he was just given a three year deal by New England this offseason.

The Patriots capped off their draft by picking another RU player, linebacker Steve Beauharnais in the seventh round with the 235th overall pick. Beauharnais dropped further than most people expected, and he didn't exactly end up in a great situation for him personally. The Pats have three good young linebackers who were all high draft picks, so it will be tough for him to earn playing time. But with his tremendous instincts and athletic ability, he should still find some kind of role in the pros for somebody.

Monster of the Midway

With 117th overall pick in the fourth round of the draft, the Chicago Bears drafted linebacker Khaseem Greene. Greene fell a bit because this draft was incredibly deep, but he is headed to an organization that is well renowned for its linebacker play. The Bears are keeping the Tampa 2 defense they have run for the last decade or so intact, and Greene is a great fit for that scheme as a weak side linebacker, since he is adept in coverage as a former safety. He will back up Lance Briggs --who is a free agent after this season-- and could figure prominently into the Bears' future plans on defense.

Seventh Round Run 

Ryan, Harmon and Greene were the only Rutgers players drafted in the first six rounds, but four Knights had their name called in the seventh and final round of the draft. The Arizona Cardinals selected tight end DC Jefferson 219th overall, the Washington Redskins tabbed Jawan Jamison as the 228th pick, Beauharnais went to the Patriots at pick 235, and corner Marcus Cooper was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the third to last pick of the draft (252nd overall).

Jefferson has yet to really put it all together as a tight end, but he ended up in a great situation. He will have a shot at immediate playing time in Arizona, since the Cardinals don't really have a stand out tight end on the roster. If all goes well and he gets coached up, he could develop into a starter there.

The Redskins were pretty much the best place Jamison could have landed in. Washington is pretty deep at running back, but Mike Shanahan has notoriously been very unpredictable with how he uses his running backs. Additionally, Jamison is a great fit for their zone blocking scheme with his slashing style.

Cooper will join a 49ers team that is very deep at corner. He might make their roster because of his special teams prowess, but he will likely be a practice squad player. With outstanding size and speed, Cooper has the raw materials you look for in a corner, but he will need some time to learn San Francisco's off zone scheme.

 

Undrafted Free Agents

Rutgers had seven players drafted, but as usual, they also had a number of players sign with teams as undrafted free agents. Wide receiver Tim Wright and defensive end/linebacker Ka'Lial Glaud signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, offensive tackle RJ Dill signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, corner back Brandon Jones signed with the Patriots, and wide receiver Mark Harrison signed with the Bears before being waived and claimed by the.....you guessed it, Patriots. I don't think any of these players will make the 53 man roster with their respective teams, but they all should end up on a practice squad somewhere.

Safety Mason Robinson (Jets) and defensive tackle Scott Vallone (Lions) were invited to rookie mini camps, but neither of them was given an opportunity to go to training camp with a team. I'm very surprised that nobody was willing to give Vallone a chance.

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Rutgers had a very talented team in 2012, and the draft further proved that. The Scarlet Knights are sending a total of twelve players to the NFL this year, and that's just an all around great thing for the program. The athletes who grew up as players and people at Rutgers get to move on and continue playing, and having sent all these players to the NFL can play to your advantage on the recruiting trail.