Two MAC Players Drafted

It was a long three days for the MAC, as if had its least productive draft day in nearly a quarter of a century.  Only two MAC players were picked....Indianapolis picked up Danny Pinter in the 5th round....Pinter was an all-MAC lineman from Ball State.  And the LA Rams picked Sam Sloman in the 7th round....he was a kicker for Miami, second-team all-MAC.

The last time the MAC had this few players chosen was 1996, when Ball State LB Keith McKenzie was picked in the 7th round by Green Bay.  (McKenzie played for 8 years in the NFL, has a Super Bowl ring and is an assistant at Ball State today).

It's not a great statement on the state of football in the conference.  Yeah, maybe the pro days were an issue for some of the under-the-radar guys, but then again the Sun Belt tied its record with 7 players picked.  I'd say that it mostly is just a reflection of not having a ton of draft-quality players.

All-MAC QB Nathan Rourke is expected to play in the CFL as a Canadian native.  To add insult to injury, James Morgan was picked by the Jets and originally started at BG but transferred to FIU.  KJ Osborn starred at UB but was drafted in the 5th round as a Miami Hurricane.  All-MAC DL Mike Danna was drafted in the 5th round as a Michigan Wolverine but was first an all-MAC player at CMU.  Riley Neal signed a UDFA...he started at Ball State but was picked from Vanderbilt.

Speaking of UDFAs, those seem to be moving along slowly as well.  This is the area where the lack of pro days is more likely to be making an impact, in my opinion.  Hustle Belt notes 13 signees to date.  Offensive POY Levante Bellamy is on his way to Denver.  Defensive POY Treshaun Hayward has not been signed to date, to my knowledge.

BG had no players picked or signed, so far as  I know.  You can't be too surprised given the results on the field.  We had some terrific, resilient young men who stuck with us, but you don't get drafted for that.

So, we go into a holding pattern.  No one knows what's going to happen this Fall.  I have a feeling of foreboding.  I just worry that when it does come back, it's not going to ever be like it was before.  You think back on our great traditions across an entire athletic department and then you look and see what it's going to end up looking like, and I just think that massive changes are coming.  Perhaps it is a reckoning that was due.  Hopefully, I'm wrong.