Maryland Football: NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. very high on Terrapin defender
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With the 2025 NFL Draft just under three months away, several Terrapins are receiving high praise as analyst evaluate this year's draft class. Most recently, NFL analyst Mel Kiper Jr. offered high praise for Maryland defensive back Dante Trader Jr., referring to Trader as one of the best players in the Big Ten conference.
"He's always around the ball, and he doesn't miss open field tackles," Kiper said. "Dante Trader Jr., pound-for-pound, was one of the best players in the Big Ten. And I think for Maryland, for the Terrapins, he was a guy that screamed, 'look at me, why am I not getting more attention?' And he's going to get it. There's no question that he's going to get it in these months leading up to the draft."
ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. highlights Maryland safety Dante Trader Jr. on ‘First Draft’
— Inside the Black & Gold (@Insideblackgold) February 3, 2025
“Dante Trader Jr., pound-for-pound, was one of the best players in the Big Ten…he shows up passionately to play this game and aggressively to play this game each and every week” pic.twitter.com/gS20EN1l9e
During the 2024 season, Trader Jr. started 10 games for the Terrapins and finished with No. 2 on the team with 59 tackles, along with five pass deflections and one interception. He notched a career-high 11 tackles against Virginia, along with a critical interception in the first-half - earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week as a result.
As a multi-sport athlete, Trader Jr. could elevate his draft stock significantly in the coming weeks with the NFL Combine set to kick off on Thursday, Feb 27.
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- Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 16, 2024)
- Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List
- 2024 Athlon Sports Preseason Fourth-Team All-Big Ten
- 2024 Phil Steele Preseason Fourth-Team All-Big Ten
- 2024 Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
- 2024 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team nominee
- 2024 Shrine Bowl 1000
- 2023 CSC Academic All-District
- Enjoy more Maryland coverage on Maryland Terrapins On SI -
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Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. In January of 2025, he took over as Publisher for Maryland On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.
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