Cards Across the Pros: Louisville Players on NFL Rosters for 2026

Chris Bell – WR, Miami Dolphins

Oct 17, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Louisville Cardinals wide receiver Chris Bell (0) carries the football for a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes during the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A rookie, third-round pick who played for The Ville from 2022-2025, Bell has been announced as a starter for the Dolphins in Week One despite tearing his ACL vs SMU in November. Bell finished his career as a Cardinal with 151 receptions, 2,166 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.

Jarvis Brownlee Jr. – DB, New York Jets

Aug 14, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Dean Patterson (8) fights for yards against New York Jets cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (2) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A fifth-round round draft pick in 2024 to the Titans, Brownlee enters his second season with the Jets. With the Titans he saw action in 17 games while starting 14. He would finish the season with 75 tackles, nine pass deflections, an interception and a fumble recovery.

In two seasons with Louisville (2022-2023) he would record 96 tackles, 18 pass deflections, three interceptions and a fumble recovery.

Lamar Jackson – QB, Baltimore Ravens

Jan 4, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) rushes the ball past Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Nick Herbig (51) during the first half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The most decorated player to ever come out of the University of Louisville, Jackson is entering his ninth season with Baltimore, where he has been the MVP of the NFL twice (2019, 2023).

He was the youngest Heisman trophy winner ever in 2016, when he hoisted the trophy in New York as a 19-year-old. In his career as a Card, he threw for 9,043 yards and 69 touchdowns, while rushing for 4,132 yards and 50 more scores.

In 116 NFL appearances Jackson has 22,608 yards passing and 187 touchdowns to go with 6,522 yards rushing and 35 touchdowns.

Sheldon Rankins – DT, Houston Texans

Jan 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (90) takes the field prior to a game against the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 12th overall pick to the New Orleans Saints in 2016, Rankins has played for the Jets, Bengals and Saints & enters his fourth season with Houston.

Rankins really came on the scene as a junior at Louisville, recording 53 tackles, eight sacks and two interceptions. In his senior season, he recorded 58 tackles, six sacks and a fumble return TD against Boston College.

Across his pro career, he has recorded 281 tackles, 33.5 sacks, 49 tackles for loss, five forced fumble and an interception.

Ashton Gillotte – DE, Kansas City Chiefs

Gillotte was selected by the Chiefs in the third-round of the 2025 NFL Draft and made an immediate impact playing in all 17 games. He was credited with 38 tackles, 1.5 sacks and an interception.

At Louisville, he played in 51 games making 131 tackles and 26.5 sacks. He had seven tackles in The Ville’s win over then No. 11 Clemson in Death Valley during the 2024 season.

Bryan Hudson – OL, New York Giants

A First-team All-ACC lineman during Louisville’s 10-win season in 2023, Hudson started 32 of 36 games in his three season with the Cards. He was undrafted in 2024 and made stops on the Lions and Patriots practice squads before being signed by the Giants. He will be making his debut on the 53-man roster this season.

Jonathan Greenard – OLB, Philadelphia Eagles

Oct 23, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) gets pressure on Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A third-round draft pick in 2020 to the Houston Texans, Greenard enters his seventh season in the league. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2024 while he was playing with the Vikings. Greenard signed a four-year, $100 million deal with the Eagles that starts this season.

Greenard played at Louisville from 2015-2018, appearing in 25 games and recording 70 tackles and 19 sacks. He transferred to Florida in 2019 and was named first team All-SEC.

Mark Redman – TE, Green Bay Packers

Redman transferred to Louisville for his senior season in 2024. Prior to The Ville, he was an All-Mountain West performer at San Diego State making 59 receptions for 641 yards and five touchdowns. In his lone season with the Cards, he had 24 receptions for 256 yards and three touchdowns.

The tight end signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2025 and was on the practice squad, on August 30,2026 he was traded to the Packers for a 2028 seventh-round pick.

Yasir Abdullah – LB, Atlanta Falcons

Yasir Abdullah tackles Spencer Rattler. — Aug 15, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (2) scrambles from the pocket and fumbles the ball against Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Yasir Abdullah (56) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Abdullah was drafted by the Jaguars in the fifth-round of the 2023 draft after starring at Louisville from 2018-2022. During his career in The Ville he accumulated 210 tackles, 43 tackles for loss and 23.5 sacks. He was named Second-team All-ACC in 2021 & First-team All-ACC in 2022.

Claimed off waivers from Jacksonville in August, Abdullah is entering his first season in Atlanta after three in Jacksonville. He has played in 29 games, recording 21 tackles.

Quincy Riley – CB, New Orleans Saints

After an all-conference season at Middle Tennessee State in 2021, Riley found his way to Louisville for the 2022-2024 seasons. He had a pick-6 against Wake Forest in 2022 & for his career recorded 110 tackles and eight interceptions.

He was drafted in the fourth-round in 2025 to the Saints and played in all 17 games last season accounting for 35 tackles, 10 pass deflections, an interception and forced fumble.

Tyler Shough – QB, New Orleans Saints

Aug 28, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) warms up before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Shough was Louisville’s quarterback for the 2024 season after previously playing at Texas Tech and Oregon. He was a second-round pick to the Saints in 2025. Once Derek Carr announced his retirement after the draft, Shough and Spencer Rattler battled for the job and Shough ended up starting the back half of the season.

He was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for his play in January. He finished the season with 2,384 passing yards and 10 touchdowns, while rushing for 186 yards and three scores.

In his lone season at Louisville, he finished with 3,195 total yards and 23 passing touchdowns.

YaYa Diaby – LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jan 3, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Yaya Diaby (0) reacts in the first half against the Carolina Panthers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A Louisville standout from 2020-2002, he was named Third-team All-ACC in 2022. He had 94 tackles and 10.5 sacks before being drafted to the Buccaneers in the third-round in 2023. He has 142 tackles, 19 sacks and three fumble recoveries for his NFL career in Tampa Bay.

Kei'Trel Clark – CB, Arizona Cardinals

After playing his freshman season at Liberty, Clark transferred to The Ville and was a standout corner for three seasons (2020-2022). He suffered a torn-ACL in 2021, yet he still had 127 tackles, five interceptions, one touchdown and one sack in his time with the Cards.

He didn’t trade team mascots in the NFL, as a sixth-round pick to the Cardinals in 2023. He has 80 tackles, a sack, interception and seven pass deflections for his career.

Tutu Atwell – WR, Los Angeles Rams

Sep 28, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tutu Atwell (5) is congratulated by wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) after he ran for a touchdown on an 88-yard pass play in the fourth quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Atwell set the single-season receiving record at Louisville in 2019 with 1,276 yards, also leading the ACC in yards that season. A dynamic athlete, he was First-team All-ACC in 2019 and Second-Team All-ACC in 2020.

He was drafted in the second-round of the 2021 draft and will be entering his sixth season with the Rams, after briefly being traded to the Dolphins in the offseason. He has 105 receptions, 1,535 yards and five touchdowns in his pro career.

Wesley Bailey – LB, Los Angeles Rams

Bailey played one season at Louisville in 2025 where he started all 12 games and recorded 39 tackles, 7 tackles for loss and six sacks. After going undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, he signed with the Rams as a free agent. He dominated the preseason and made the 53-man roster for 2026.

Jordan Watkins – WR, San Francisco 49ers

Before transferring to Ole Miss for his last three seasons, the hometown-kid Jordan Watkins was pulling down passes for the Cards. The Butler High School product had 35 catches for 529 yards and four touchdowns in 2021.

After a productive career in Oxford, he was drafted in the fourth-round in 2025. He has two receptions for 26 yards last year in San Francisco.

Injured reserve:

Rene Konga - Dolphins

Jamari Thrash - Browns

Physically unable to perform:

Storm Duck - Dolphins

Isaac Guerendo - 49ers

Practice squad:

Russ Yeast - Bengals

Jawhar Jordan - Texans

Geron Christian - Jaguars

Rasheed Miller - Titans

Pete Nygra - Chiefs

Greedy Vance - Raiders

Corey Thornton - Panthers

Coaching staffs:

Jonathan Gannon - Packers, Defensive Coordinator

Dave Ragone - Rams, Associate Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks

Justin Rascati - Bengals, Pass Game Coordinator

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