The NFL Draft begins Thursday night and will be held over the next three days. Offensive lineman X’Zauvea Gadlin, and other former Liberty players, are hopeful to get drafted this weekend.
Former Liberty wide receiver Demario Douglas became the tenth Flame to be selected in the NFL Draft a year ago as he was taken in the sixth round by the New England Patriots. Here’s a full list of Liberty football players that have been taken in the NFL Draft as well as their career stats:
WR FRED BANKS, 1985, 8th round, Cleveland Browns
Banks played in 80 games over eight seasons for the Browns, Miami Dolphins, and Chicago Bears. He finished his career with 105 receptions for 1,636 yards and 10 touchdowns to go along with one rush attempt for three yards.
WR KELVIN EDWARDS, 1986, 4th round, New Orleans Saints
Edwards played in 35 games in three seasons for the Saints and Dallas Cowboys. He finished his career with 49 receptions for 746 yards and 3 touchdowns while also rushing three times for 67 yards and one touchdown. He also played a role as a returner during his first two seasons, compiling 11 kick returns for 77 yards and seven punt returns for 155 yards.
DB RICHARD SHELTON, 1989, 10th round, Denver Broncos
Shelton’s career spanned five seasons for the Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers. He played in 44 games while finishing his career with three interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.
TE ERIC GREEN, 1990, 1st round, Pittsburgh Steelers
Green is the only Liberty alum to be selected in the first round, chosen with the 21st overall selection. He played in 120 games over 10 seasons with the Steelers, Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, and New York Jets. He was twice selected tot he Pro Bowl, doing so in 1993 and 1994. Green finished his career with 362 receptions for 4,390 yards and 36 touchdowns. He also had one kick return for 16 yards during his rookie campaign.
DB DONALD SMITH, 1990, 10th round, Minnesota Vikings
Smith played in three games in 1991 for the Dallas Cowboys without recording any stats.
RB RASHAD JENNINGS, 2009, 7th round, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jennings ended a nearly 20 year drought for the Flames in the NFL Draft when he was selected by the Jaguars. He went on to play in 93 games over seven seasons for the Jaguars, Oakland Raiders, and New York Giants. He finished his career with 930 receptions for 3,772 yards and 23 touchdowns to go along with 191 receptions for 1,469 yards and two touchdowns. Jennings also added 14 kick returns for 290 yards and had seven tackles during his career.
DB WALT AIKENS, 2014, 4th round, Miami Dolphins
Aikens played in 93 games over six seasons for the Dolphins. 2020 was his first year out of the league since being drafted. During his career, Aikens compiled 90 tackles, three passes defended, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.
WR ANTONIO GANDY-GOLDEN, 2020, 4th round, Washington Football Team
Gandy-Golden played in six games during an injury plagued rookie season. He finished with one reception for three yards and one rushing attempt for 22 yards. He did not record any stats in 2021. He was waived just prior to the start of the season but signed to the practice squad the following day. AGG retired from football prior to the 2022 season.
QB MALIK WILLIS, 2022, 3rd round, Tennessee Titans
As a rookie, Willis served as Ryan Tannehill’s backup for much of the season. He made his NFL debut in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills in the third quarter, completing 1 of 4 passes for 6 yards while rushing for 16 yards. He was a starter for two weeks during the middle of the season as Tannehill was sidelined due to illness. In his two starts, Willis completed 11 of 26 passes for 135 yards and an interception. On the season, Willis completed 31 of 61 passes for 276 yards and 3 interceptions. He also rushed 27 times for 123 yards and a touchdown.
Last year, the Titans brought in some competition behind Tannehill with rookie Will Levis. After Tannehill succumbed to injury, it was Levis who take over as the starter for the Titans at the end of the season. Willis did play in three games, completing 4 of 5 passes for 74 yards and rushing 5 times for 21 yards.
WR DEMARIO DOUGLAS, 2023, 6th round, New England Patriots
Douglas has a tremendous rookie campaign for the Patriots, one of the best for a wide receiver under Bill Bellicheck. He played in 14 games, making 7 starts, while hauling in 49 passes for 561 yards. He also rushed 8 times for 41 yards.
