Stanford Sends Three to the NFL on Draft Weekend

Sam Roush, CJ Williams and Collin Wright are headed to the NFL, continuing Stanford's pipeline to the pros

Nov 22, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal wide receiver CJ Williams (3) catches a touchdown pass during the fourth quarter against the California Golden Bears at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The pipeline from the Farm to the NFL is alive and well. Over the past three days, the Cardinal has sent three players to NFL franchises—two through the draft, and one signing immediately afterwards. Those two picks were the first time that Stanford has had multiple players taken in the draft since 2023.

The big name that was on everyone's board was Sam Roush, who went to the Chicago Bears with the No. 69 overall pick. The big tight end's blocking skills will make him a solid addition to an already solid Bears offense. Chicago selected tight end Colston Loveland out of Michigan with the No. 10 overall pick in last year's draft, so for them to select Roush fairly early means they have something planned.

The league may be in trouble.

Loveland hauled in 58 catches for 713 yards and six touchdowns in his first season in the NFL, and Roush's skillset should be a nice complement to where Loveland already excels.

CJ Williams to Jacksonville

Sep 27, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal wide receiver CJ Williams (3) catches the ball for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against San Jose State Spartans linebacker Jordan Pollard (1) at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

Williams began his collegiate career in the Pac-12 at USC, and transferred to Stanford after two seasons at Wisconsin, where he appeared in 25 games and made five starts. Over his five seasons, he caught 94 passes for 1,179 yards and eight touchdowns.

This past season with Stanford, he played in all 12 games, starting 11 of them, and grabbed 59 catches for a team-leading 749 yards and six touchdowns. Early in the season, Williams surpassed 100 receiving yards in three consecutive games against Virginia, San Jose State and SMU.

Williams was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the sixth round of the draft, taken with the No. 203 overall pick. He became the go-to option for Stanford quarterbacks last year, and he oftentimes delivered, collecting all six of his touchdowns in a six-game span.

He'll join 2025 draftee and former Cardinal receiver Elic Ayomanor in the AFC South. Ayomanor was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round (No. 136) of the 2025 draft, and put up 41 catches for 515 yards and four touchdowns in his rookie campaign.

Wright to the Texans

Jan 29, 2026; Mobile, AL, USA; American wide receiver Barion Brown (6) of LSU battle for a pass with American cornerback Collin Wright (6) of Stanford during American Senior Bowl practice at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Collin Wright was seen as a fringy draft pick, and ended up not hearing his name called during the draft itself. Still, he signed on with the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent right after the draft process. He was one of eight undrafted players signed by Houston.

Wright is seen as a little bit of a project, but the aspects of his game that are seen as needing improvement, like his first move or lack of burst, can be improved upon with coaching. The question is whether the improvements he makes will be enough for coaches to see him as a regular.

The intangibles are where he excels. He was a full-season captain for the Cardinal this past season, and a leader on the defensive side of the ball. Getting those skills out of an UDFA is a pretty shrewd move by the Texans, who can now see what happens with Wright's development in the coming months.

With three players landing with NFL teams over the weekend, the pipeline from the Farm to the NFL is alive and well. The hope is that with Andrew Luck as the program's GM and the Tavita Pritchard era underway, Stanford will continue to flood the league with talent, and perhaps even take over.