'Noles in the NFL Draft: The 2010s
The 2010s is the most modern era of both FSU football and the NFL Draft. It was the first time since 1976 that Bobby Bowden wouldn't be on the sidelines for the 'Noles. Jimbo Fisher finally got the chance to take over and implement his vision in Tallahassee. To say it was a success would be an understatement. 29 straight wins, 3 ACC Championships and a national championship. But perhaps his biggest mark on the program was felt in the NFL. Fisher's time at Florida State produced 53 draft picks and most of them are still playing today. Let's find out where everyone ended up.
Should probably note here that myself and Dustin Franklin split this story the same way we split the decades. I'll be taking the odd years and Dustin will be writing the evens.
2010
1st Round, Pick 32-- Patrick Robinson, CB, New Orleans Saints: After being named 2nd-Team All-ACC his senior season at Florida State, Robinson impressed at the NFL Combine, and was the last pick of the first-round of the draft. He's currently on his second stint with the Saints, and he's also played with the San Diego Chargers, Indianapolis Colts, and Philadelphia Eagles, where he won a Super Bowl. Robinson has been a reliable cornerback in his career, and currently has 14 interceptions and 79 pass deflections.
6th Round, Pick 207-- Myron Rolle, S, Tennessee Titans: Some things are bigger than football. After two seasons with the Titans, and a brief run with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rolle decided to walk away from the game and pursue a career in the medical field. Rolle is currently a third-year neurosurgery resident at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital.
7th Round, Pick 217-- Dekoda Watson, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Watson is a 10-year pro who has accumulated 152 tackles and 6 sacks in his career. A journeyman in the league, Watson has had runs with the Bucs, Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers, and is currently with the Seattle Seahawks.
2011
1st Round, Pick 12-- Christian Ponder, QB, Minnesota Vikings: Ponder spent 6 seasons in the NFL with the Vikings, Raiders, Broncos, and 49ers. He threw for 6,658 yards and 38 touchdowns. Ponder and his wife Samantha now split time between Arizona and New York due to her work on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown.
2nd Round, Pick 55-- Rodney Hudson, OL, Kansas City Chiefs: Hudson is still active in the NFL and is headed into his 10th season. When he signed a free agency contract with the Raiders in 2015, he became the highest paid center at that time. He's a 3-time Pro-Bowler and has started 111 games.
7th Round, Pick 224-- Markus White, DE, Washington Redskins: White bounced back and forth between the Redskins and Buccaneers for 4 seasons but never recorded an official stat. He then spent 2 seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL.
2012
4th Round, Pick 105-- Nigel Bradham, LB, Buffalo Bills: Known for his hard-hitting playing style, Bradham has started every game he's played in since his second year in the pros. After playing for the Bills, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016, and is currently a free agent. He has 619 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, and 5 fumble recoveries on his resumé.
5th Round, Pick 144-- Zebrie Sanders, OT, Buffalo Bills: Sanders spent his rookie season on the IR, and was subsequently released. He's been with the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL since 2015.
6th Round, Pick 176-- Mike Harris, CB, Jacksonville Jaguars: Harris spent two seasons with the Jags. After being signed to the Lions' practice squad, the New York Giants signed him, and he was with them until 2015.
7th Round, Pick 241-- Andrew Datko, OT, Green Bay Packers: Datko spent time with the Packers' practice squad and was released in 2013.
2013
1st Round, Pick 16-- EJ Manuel, QB, Buffalo Bills: Manuel spent 5 seasons in the NFL with the Bills and Raiders. He threw for 3,767 yards along with 20 touchdowns. Since his playing days ended he's gone on to be a college football analyst for the ACC Network and other ESPN platforms.
1st Round, Pick 24-- Bjoern Werner, DE, Indianapolis Colts: Werner spent 4 seasons in the NFL with the Colts and Jaguars. He contributed 81 tackles and 6.5 sacks. Since retiring from football Werner as moved on to broadcasting NFL games for German TV.
1st Round, Pick 25-- Xavier Rhodes, CB, Minnesota Vikings: Rhodes is still active in the NFL and about to enter his 8th season. He spent 7 with the Vikings but recently signed a 1-year deal with the Colts. He's accumulated 373 tackles, 10 interceptions, and 73 pass breakups. At one time he was considered the best cornerback in the NFL and signed a 5-year, $70.10 million contract. Injuries have hindered him along the way as he looks to prove himself in Indianapolis.
2nd Round, Pick 40-- Tank Carradine, DE, San Francisco 49ers: Carradine's nickname is very fitting, because he is a tank of a human being. He's spent 7 seasons in the NFL with the 49ers, Dolphins, and Raiders. He has 77 tackles and 5.5 sacks. He's currently a free agent looking for a new team.
2nd Round, Pick 42-- Menelik Watson, OL, Oakland Raiders: Watson spent 5 seasons in the NFL with the Raiders and Broncos. He started 24 games and had recently taken time off but considers himself a free agent.
5th Round, Pick 154-- Chris Thompson, RB, Washington Redskins: Thompson has spent the first 7 seasons of his career with the Redskins. He has 1,194 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns along with 1,172 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He's currently a free agent in the NFL.
5th Round, Pick 162-- Brandon Jenkins, DE, Washington Redskins: Jenkins spent 1 season in the NFL and only accounted for 1 tackle. Injuries did Jenkins in; some felt he had the talent to be a 1st round pick.
6th Round, Pick 177-- Dustin Hopkins, K, Buffalo Bills: Hopkins spent 1 year in Buffalo but has found his home with the Washington Redskins, where he is still currently active.
6th Round, Pick 180-- Nick Moody, LB, San Francisco 49ers: Moody spent 4 seasons in the NFL with the 49ers, Seahawks, and Redskins. He accumulated 26 tackles over that time.
6th Round, Pick 206-- Vince Williams, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers: Williams is still active with the Steelers. He has 402 tackles and 17.5 sacks. He has become an anchor for the franchise and is known for his outlandish personality on Twitter.
7th Round, Pick 229-- Everett Dawkins, DT, Minnesota Vikings: Dawkins only appeared in 1 game in the NFL with the Cowboys in 2013. After hopping around to practice squads, he found a 3-year career in arena football.
2014
1st Round, Pick 28-- Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Carolina Panthers: Benjamin was a first-team All-American and the hero of the BCS National Championship game in 2013, and he parlayed that into a first-round pick. After having a productive rookie campaign, in which he had over 1,000 yards receiving and 9 touchdowns, Benjamin's production decreased every season thereafter, and he has been a free agent since the end of the 2018 season. After the Panthers, he played for the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs.
2nd Round, Pick 41-- Lamarcus Joyner, S, St. Louis Rams: Joyner has been a solid safety during his NFL tenure, and has started 52 of 81 games played. This upcoming season will afford Joyner the opportunity to have a unique stat attached to him; he'll have played for 2 teams, but in 4 different cities. After being drafted by the St. Louis Rams, he played with the team after their move to Los Angeles, and is currently with the Raiders, who have moved to Las Vegas from Oakland.
2nd Round, Pick 48-- Timmy Jernigan, DT, Baltimore Ravens: After being named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team and spending 3 seasons in Baltimore, Jernigan joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017, where he won a Super Bowl. Currently a free agent, it will be interesting to see where he and his 17.5 career sacks call home next season.
3rd Round, Pick 79-- Terrence Brooks, S, Baltimore Ravens: Brooks has bounced around the league as a backup defensive back so far in his career. Since the Ravens released him, he's seen the field for the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, and is now with the New England Patriots, where he had his best season as a pro last year.
4th Round, Pick 103-- Devonta Freeman, RB, Atlanta Falcons: Freeman led the NFL in rushing touchdowns in 2015, and was named second-team All-Pro. He's a two-time Pro-Bowler who is currently a free agent, after being released by the Falcons last month. So far in his career, he's gained 3,972 yards on the ground, and another 2,015 receiving out of the backfield. That offensive production has produced 43 total touchdowns.
4th Round, Pick 105-- Bryan Stork, C, New England Patriots: Concussions shortened Stork's NFL career, but not before he earned the starting job for the Patriots and won Super Bowl XLIX as a rookie. Since retiring, Stork has started his journey as a coach, and is currently the tight ends coach for former FSU offensive coordinator Randy Sanders, who is the Head Coach at East Tennessee State University.
5th Round, Pick 144-- Telvin Smith, LB, Jacksonville Jaguars: Smith quickly became a fan-favorite in Jacksonville, and was tremendously productive while on the field. In 5 seasons, he accrued 586 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, and 9 interceptions. 2017 saw Smith named second-team All-Pro and be selected to the Pro Bowl. In 2019, Smith announced before the season that he would be stepping away from the game.
2015
1st Round, Pick 1-- Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Winston spent the first 5 years of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His time in Tampa was up and down. He threw for 19,737 yards and 121 touchdowns but also threw 88 interceptions. He was the NFL's passing leader in 2019 but added 30 picks on the season. The organization decided to move on and bring in Tom Brady, so Winston is currently a free agent. Winston also does a lot of great work in his community supporting different charities and even starting his own for kids.
1st Round, Pick 19-- Cameron Erving, OL, Cleveland Browns: Erving spent 5 seasons in the NFL with the Browns and Chiefs. He's started 42 games and was a member of the 2019 Super Bowl Championship team in Kansas City. He is currently a free agent.
2nd Round, Pick 35-- Mario Edwards Jr., DE, Oakland Raiders: Edwards has spent 5 seasons in the NFL with the Raiders, Giants, and Saints. He has 93 tackles and 10.5 sacks. He is currently still active with the Saints going into the 2020 season.
2nd Round, Pick 39-- Eddie Goldman, DT, Chicago Bears: Goldman is still active with the Bears going into the 2020 season. He has 150 tackles and 12.5 sacks and is one of the highest paid players at his position.
2nd Round, Pick 50-- Ronald Darby, CB, Buffalo Bills: Darby is currently heading into his 6th season in the NFL. He spent 2 in Buffalo, 3 in Philadelphia and just signed a new deal with the Washington Redskins. He has 8 interceptions and 65 pass break-ups. Darby was also a starter on the 2017 Super Bowl Champion Eagles team.
3rd Round, Pick 78-- P.J. Williams, CB, New Orleans Saints: Williams is still active with the Saints heading into the 2020 season. He has 2 sacks, 8 interceptions, and 24 deflections.
4th Round, Pick 111-- Tre' Jackson, OG, New England Patriots: Jackson spent 1 season with the Patriots and landed a Super Bowl ring because of it. He started 9 games and appeared in 13. Since then he's bounced around the Orlando Apollos of the AAF and the Tampa Bay Vipers of the XFL.
5th Round, Pick 139-- Rashad Greene, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars: Greene spent 4 seasons with the Jaguars. He amassed 185 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also has a kick return for a touchdown. Greene is currently signed to the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL.
5th Round, Pick 155-- Karlos Williams, RB, Buffalo Bills: Williams only spent 1 season in the NFL but was well on his way to a lot more. He rushed for 517 yards and 7 touchdowns. After a few setbacks off the field, Williams is returning to football for the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL.
6th Round, Pick 194-- Nick O'Leary, TE, Buffalo Bills: O'Leary is still active with the Las Vegas Raiders in the NFL going into the 2020 season. He's also spent time with the Bills, Dolphins, and Jaguars. He has 668 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns.
7th Round, Pick 226-- Bobby Hart, OL, New York Giants: Hart spent 3 seasons with the Giants before making his way over to the Bengals in 2018 where he is still currently active. He's played in 65 games and started 53.
2016
1st Round, Pick 5-- Jalen Ramsey, CB, Jacksonville Jaguars: Ramsey quickly asserted dominance in the pros, and was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2016. The next season, he was a first-team All-Pro. Jalen has made 3 Pro Bowls, and is widely regarded as one of the top defensive backs in the game. He has 243 tackles, 10 interceptions, and 49 pass deflections so far in his promising career. After requesting a trade from the Jags, Ramsey has been with the Los Angeles Rams since last season.
2nd Round, Pick 49-- Roberto Aguayo, K, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Drafting a kicker in the second-round can be risky business, but the Buccaneers felt that Aguayo was a lock. He's the third most accurate field goal kicker in FBS history, and never missed a PAT. Unfortunately for the Bucs and Aguayo, his NFL career didn't see the same success. He spent only one season in Tampa Bay, converting just 71% of his kicks.
2017
2nd Round, Pick 41-- Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings: Cook is still with the Minnesota Vikings heading into the 2020 NFL season. Injuries kept him sidelined early on but in 2019 he became a Pro-Bowl selection. He's rushed for 2,104 yards and 17 touchdowns. Cook has started a meal and feeding program for local at-risk youth.
2nd Round, Pick 51-- Demarcus Walker, DE, Denver Broncos: Walker is still active with the Broncos as we head into the 2020 season. He currently has 32 tackles and 6 sacks.
5th Round, Pick 160-- Roderick Johnson, OT, Cleveland Browns: Johnson spent 1 season in Cleveland but has found a comfortable role with the Texans, where he is still active. He has played in 17 games and started in 3 of those.
6th Round, Pick 216-- Marquez White, CB, Dallas Cowboys: White spent 1 season in Dallas but has no official stats. Since then, he's joined the Orlando Apollos of the AAF and the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL.
2018
Round 1, Pick 17-- Derwin James, S, Los Angeles Chargers: Hard to have a more impressive rookie campaign than James did, as he made the PFWA All-Rookie Team, first-team All-Pro, and the Pro Bowl. Injuries shortened his sophomore season, but one of the most promising defensive players in the league is looking to bounce back this coming season. Through 21 games, James has 139 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 3 interceptions.
Round 3, Pick 75-- Derrick Nnadi, DT, Kansas City Chiefs: Nnadi has become a vital part of the Chiefs defense, and started every game this past season. So far in his career, he has 83 tackles, a sack, oh, and a Super Bowl ring. Nnadi also gives back to his local community through charity and volunteering. He was popularly responsible for getting a ton of pets rescued in the KC area.
Round 4, Pick 127-- Rick Leonard, OT, New Orleans Saints: Leonard has spent time on the practice squad for the Saints, Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals, and is now with the Houston Texans.
Round 4, Pick 130-- Josh Sweat, DE, Philadelphia Eagles: Sweat improved immensely between year one and year two, and recorded all 4 of his career sacks this past season, while seeing action in all 16 games.
Round 7, Pick 250-- Ryan Izzo, TE, New England Patriots: After missing 2018 due to injury, Izzo started 4 games for the Patriots in 2019 and had 6 catches for 114 yards and a touchdown. He is set to battle Matt LaCosse for the starting job in 2020.
Round 7, Pick 253-- Auden Tate, WR, Cincinnati Bengals: After grabbing 10 touchdowns his junior season in Tallahassee, many were shocked when Tate fell to the 7th-round of the Draft. After a quiet rookie season, Tate burst onto the scene in year 2, grabbing 40 passes for 575 yards and a score. With his ability to high-point a ball and natural play making skills, Tate is set to have an even bigger 2020 season.
2019
1st Round, Pick 16-- Brian Burns, DE, Carolina Panthers: Burns is heading into his 2nd season with Carolina. In 2019 he accounted for 25 tackles and 7.5 sacks. Burns looks to become an even bigger part of the Panthers' plans going forward.
6th Round, Pick 209-- Demarcus Christmas, DT, Seattle Seahawks: Christmas is headed into his 2nd season with the Seahawks and spent part of his 1st on the PUP list. He did not record any stats in 2019.
If you've missed any of our previous installments in this series, you can get caught up by checking out FSU's draftees from previous decades below.
