Will Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele Be Cal's Next First-Round NFL Pick?

The Bears have had 27 players chosen in the first round, none since Jared Goff went No. 1 overall 10 years ago

Jared Goff | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Cal has had 27 players chosen in the first round of the NFL draft, dating back to Les Richter, who was chosen No. 2 overall in 1952 then famously sent to the Los Angeles Rams for 11 players in a record-setting draft-day trade.

The Bears won’t have a first-round pick this season, the 10th anniversary of the last time it happened. Jared Goff went No. 1 to the Rams in 2016, and they didn’t have to ship off 10 players to get him.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who spent three years in Berkeley and earned his undergrad degree before departing, is a near lock to be chosen No. 1 tonight by the Las Vegas Raiders when the draft gets under way (5 p.m. on ESPN & ABC). 

Some Cal fans may still claim Mendoza as one of their own, others cut ties with him the moment he left for another school. Fair enough.

Of course, most Cal fans believe they now have a quarterback with the chops to become the Bears’ next first-round pick — rising sophomore Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele.

Had a great time with Cal qb and Hawaii's own Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele. pic.twitter.com/wBYNEAtzN0

— Larry Beil (@LarryBeilABC7) April 23, 2026

JKS and new Cal coach Tosh Lupoi will be guests tonight on ABC 7’s “After the Draft” program tonight, beginning at approximately 8 p.m. Host Larry Beil will talk with the two about recently completed spring ball and expectations for next season.

But on draft night, the topic of Sagapolutele’s potential to become a 2028 first-round pick — maybe even one at the top of the draft — seems likely to be part of their discussion.

In the meantime, let’s evaluate how well Cal’s 27 first-round picks fared once they got into the league:

CAL'S FIRST-ROUND NFL DRAFT PICKS

QB Jared Goff: No. 1 in 2016 to Los Angeles Rams

Grade: A-minus . . . resume so far: nearly 40,000 passing yards, 256 TDs, 5 Pro Bowls, a Super Bowl

Cameron Jordan walks with Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris after a game | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

DE Cameron Jordan: No. 24 in 2011 to New Orleans Saints

Grade: A . . . 15 years as a DE, 132 sacks, 8 Pro Bowls, a Hall of Fame future?

DT Tyson Alualu: No. 10 in 2010 to Jacksonville Jaguars

Grade: B . . . played at least 14 games 12 of his 14 seasons: Solid

RB Jahvid Best: No. 30 in 2010 to Detroit Lions

Grade: D-minus . . . Elite speed but couldn’t outrun concussions, which shelved him after 2 seasons

C Alex Mack: No. 21 in 2009 to Cleveland Browns

Grade: A . . . 7-time Pro Bowl started all 196 games of his career

RB Marshawn Lynch: No. 12 in 2007 to Buffalo Bills

Grade: A-minus . . . 10K rush yards, 85 TDs, remembered for TD  he didn’t get the chance to score

Aaron Rodgers scrambles for yards i the 2011 NFL title game | Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

QB Aaron Rodgers: No. 24 in 2005 to Green Bay Packers

Grade: A . . . 4X MVP . . . can’t be another school with two such successful No. 24 picks

QB Kyle Boller: No. 19 in 2003 to Baltimore Ravens

Grade: D . . . big arm but more INTs (54) than TDs (48)

CB Nnamdi Asomugha: No. 31 in 2003 to Oakland Raiders

Grade: A . . . at his peak, Asomugha was a 2X first-team All-Pro

DE Andre Carter: No. 7 in 2001 to San Francisco 49ers

Grade: B . . . had 10+ sacks 4 times, 1 Pro Bowl in 13 solid seasons 

DB Deltha O’Neal: No. 15 in 2000 to Denver Broncos

Grade: B . . . 19 of his 34 career INTs came in 2 spectacular seasons

Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

TE Tony Gonzalez: No. 13 in 1997 to Kansas City Chiefs

Grade: A . . . most prolific TE in NFL history & a 10X first- or second-team All-Pro

LT Talk Glenn: No. 19 in 1997 to Indianapolis Colts

Grade: A-minus . . . started 154 games, had Peyton Manning’s back, went out with Super Bowl victory

DE Regan Upshaw: No. 12 in 1996 to Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

Grade: C . . . did best of his work in first 3 seasons

DE Duane Clemons: No. 16 in 1996 to Minnesota Vikings

Grade: C . . . forced 14 fumbles, recovered 11 over 10 seasons

Todd Steussie sets up to block against the Packers | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

LT Todd Steussie: No. 19 in 1994 to Minnesota Vikings

Grade: B-plus . . . played 14 seasons, started 185 games, 2X second-team All-Pro

WR Sean Dawkins: No. 16 in 1993 to Indianapolis Colts

Grade: B-minus . . . never a star, but caught 445 passes in 9 seasons

LB Ken Harvey: No. 12 in 1988 to Phoenix Cardinals

Grade: B-plus . . . 4X Pro Bowl pick played 11 seasons, had 89 sacks

TE David Lewis: No. 20 in 1984 to Detroit Lions

Grade: D . . . lasted 4 fairly quiet NFL seasons

QB Rich Campbell: No. 6 in 1981 to Green Bay Packers

Grade: F . . . Packers expected more than 7 games, zero starts in 4 seasons

LT Ted Albrecht: No. 15 in 1977 to Chicago Bears

Grade: C . . . after 5 seasons as a starter and dealing with back issues, Albrecht had enough

Chuck Muncie runs the ball for the San Diego Chargers | Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

RB Chuck Muncie: No. 3 in 1976 to New Orleans Saints

Grade: B . . . Self-destructive behavior prevented the 3X Pro Bowler from sustaining peak years

QB Steve Bartkowski: No. 1 in 1975 to Atlantą Falcons

Grade: B . . . Twice threw 30+ TD passes before that was that the norm

DE Sherman White: No. 2 in 1972 to Cincinnati Bengals

Grade: B-minus . . . solid pro started 149 games in 12 seasons 

Quarterback Craig Morton in 1969 | Darryl Norenberg-Imagn Images

QB Craig Morton: No. 5 in 1965 to Dallas Cowboys

Grade: B-plus . . . played 18 seasons, starting QB for Cowboys & Broncos in Super Bowl defeats

FB Johnny Olszewski: No. 4 in 1954 to Chicago Cardinals

Grade: B-minus . . . played 10 seasons in the NFL & AFL, 2 Pro Bowls

LB Les Richter: No. 2 in 1952 to Dallas Texans

Grade: A . . . Pro Bowl his first 8 seasons, 5X a first- or second-team All-Pro

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