Rutgers Football Lands 10 Players on 2027 Shriners Children’s 1000 Watch List
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Rutgers football has 10 players on the 2027 Shriners Children’s 1000 Watch List; the group of early prospects for the Shrine Bowl will be evaluated leading up to the 2027 NFL Draft.
Offensive linemen Kwabena Asamoah and Tyler Needham, defensive linemen J’Dan Burnett, Malachi Davis and Rondo Porter, wide receiver KJ Duff, Quarterback Dylan Lonergan, linebacker Ty Morris, running back Antwan Raymond and defensive back Kaj Sanders were selected. The list includes the top 1,000 all-star game-eligible players across the FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA levels.
It marks the second time in three years that Rutgers has placed at least 10 players on the list after having 14 selections in 2024. Rutgers announced the selections Wednesday.
Rutgers’ Offensive Stars Lead the Group
3 Season Veterans for Rutgers 2026 Rugby Season: Duff, Raymond, Asamoah. Notbale
KJ Duff Jr earned second-team All-Big Ten honors as he had a great 2025 season, hauling in 60 receptions for 1,084 yards and 7 touchdowns. The Star wide receiver looks to have a great 2026 season as well. Duff ranked seventh in the nation in receiving yards per game with a 90.3 average. He is the first Rutgers wide receiver to amass 1,000 yards receiving in a season since 2014.
Raymond tallied 1,241 yards rushing with 13 TDs to go along with 2 receiving TDs. A Canadian playing running back for the team finished third in Big Ten rushing, earned second-team all-conference honors and was the winner of the Cornish Trophy as top Canadian in college football, awarded to him.
Asamoah started every game at right guard last season, extending his streak to 25 consecutive starts at the position. The two-time honorable mention All-Big Ten selection was also named a second-team All-American by ESPN.
Lonergan is joining the core group of returning players after transferring from Boston College. Rutgers’ newest quarterback, Dylan Lonergan, is coming to campus off of the 2025 season with Boston College. In the young quarterback’s first season as a starter in 2025, many positive aspects of his game show he can be a very productive passer as he matures. He also faced many struggles of a first-year starter and what it takes to become a more consistent week-to-week player. 2025 stats: 66.9% completed, 2025 yds, 12 Touchdowns; in 3 games, he had at least 300 yds passing.
Transfers Strengthen Rutgers’ Defensive Front
Rutgers’ offseason additions are also well represented, particularly along the defensive line.
Burnett, who compiled 9.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks at Tulsa last season, was a second-team All-American Athletic Conference pick. Davis produced 9.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks at Toledo and was named third-team All-MAC.
Porter arrives after totaling 50 tackles, six tackles for loss, and three sacks during stops at Appalachian State and South Carolina. Morris, a transfer linebacker from Rice, brings 153 career tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
Sanders represents the Rutgers secondary after appearing in all 25 games during his first two seasons. A native of New Jersey, Sanders has a 108-tackle, 5 passes deflected, 3 punts blocked career so far.
Rutgers Continues Building Its NFL Pipeline
This recognition comes at a time when Rutgers is attempting to continue its streak of producing NFL talent. The Scarlet Knights have had a player selected in five consecutive drafts, most recently quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis by the Washington Commanders.
Kenny Fletcher Jr., Cam Miller, Eric O’Neill and DT Sheffield also signed NFL contracts this spring, bringing the number of Scarlet Knights who have reached the league after playing for Greg Schiano to 118.
Placement on the Shriners Children’s 1000 Watch List does not guarantee an all-star game invitation or draft selection. The following 10 Rutgers players will be placed in the early evaluation pool and can continue to move forward throughout the scouting evaluation process throughout the 2026 season. The degree to which they will be evaluated is based on their performance throughout the year.
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Edward Blair II is a journalist, sportscaster, news producer, and multimedia professional with experience spanning sports journalism, broadcast production, coaching, and digital media. He currently serves as a News Producer for KOTA Territory News in Rapid City, South Dakota, while continuing to contribute sports coverage across multiple platforms. Blair has covered professional, collegiate, and pro sports as a writer for Sports Illustrated's On SI network, including coverage of the Seattle Storm, Philadelphia 76ers, Illinois Fighting Illini, and other programs. He also wrote for Last Word on College Football, where he covered Michigan Wolverines football and college football storylines nationwide. He is a contributor to Rutgers On SI.
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