The five highest NFL Draft picks in Louisville history
When former Louisville offensive tackle Mekhi Becton hears his name called during the 2020 NFL Draft, he has a chance to be the highest draft pick in the school's 101 year history. Currently projected to go anywhere from the No. 4 pick to the No. 14 pick, a majority of that range would warrant the title of highest draft pick in UofL history.
Until Thursday at 8:00pm EST when the draft officially kicks off on ESPN, ABC and the NFL Network, these are the five highest NFL Draft selections in Louisville history:
Joe Johnson (DE)
No. 13 overall (1994) - New Orleans Saints
A product of the Howard Schnellenberger era, the Louisville standout when on to have a solid professional career, playing eight years with the New Orleans Saints and two with the Green Bay Packers. He was a two-time Pro Bowler and won Comeback Player of the Year in 2000 after missing all of 1999 with a knee injury. Amassing 52.5 career sacks, he was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame in 2007.
Sheldon Rankins (DT)
No. 12 overall (2016) - New Orleans Saints
The lone Louisville draftee in 2016, Rankins is one of the better interior defense linemen in the NFL when healthy. He has played just two full seasons despite entering his fifth year at the next level. During the 2018 campaign he recorded eight sacks, good for second on the team behind Cameron Jordan. His 2016 rookie year was stunted due to a broken fibula, he ended the 2018 season with torn Achilles in the Divisional Round, and he suffered an ankle injury towards the end of the 2019 season.
Lenny Lyles (RB/DB/KR)
No. 11 overall (1958) - Baltimore Colts
A track & football star at the University of Louisville, he is only the fourth ever NFL Draft selection for the Cardinals. While he set records as a running back at the collegiate level (42 touchdowns, 1,207 yards in 1957), he was primarily a defensive back and kick returner in the pros. In 10 years with the Colts and 2 years with the 49ers, he logged 2,161 return yards.
Amobi Okoye (DT)
No. 10 overall (2007) - Houston Texans
The highest Louisville pick since the AFL-NFL merger, Okoye's draft stock rose tremendously following a senior season that earned him Second Team All-American honors. Once he go to the professional level, he was not as big of a force to be reckoned with as he was in college. The Texans released him after four seasons, and he had two stints in Chicago. However anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis put damper on his career afterwards, missing the 2013 season and limited to the Cowboys practice squad in 2014.
Ken Kortas (DT)
No. 9 overall (1964) - St. Louis Cardinals
Just the sixth-ever Louisville player to be selected in the NFL Draft, he remains the only Cardinal to be selected with a single-digit pick. Drafted by the St Louis Cardinals long before their move out to Arizona, he spent just one season there before spending the next four seasons as a Pittsburgh Steeler. His final season came as a Chicago Bear, retiring after the 1969 season.
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