Syracuse football hopes 2026 is an anomaly with zero Orange NFL Draft selections

Part of selling the Syracuse program and his DART philosophy is that Fran Brown and staff will prepare top prospects to be drafted for NFL careers.

Dec 20, 2013; Salem, VA, USA; UW-Whitewater head coach Lance Leipold (left) shakes hands with Mount Union Purple Raiders head coach Vince Kehres before the game at Salem Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

When the ACC released the list of all league players selected in last week's NFL Draft, we already knew, of course, that no Syracuse players were announced for the (glaringly) third-time in five years (2022, 2024, and now 2026).

However, what totally surprised us after keeping tabs was the fact that Boston College had four players drafted, while fellow SU-peer schools Duke, Georgia Tech, Stanford, and Wake Forest combined for nine players selected during the draft held before record crowds this year in Pittsburgh.

Boston College, which has also owned the 'Cuse on the field in Brown's first two games opposing Eagles head coach Bill O'Brien, was second to only Clemson's and Miami's nine picks each, with those two schools impressively combining for 12 selections alone in Rounds 1-3.

That BC success in getting players drafted , is a nugget that can be used on the recruiting trail, and one that Brown's new-look 'Cuse staff will look to change as soon as the 2027 NFL Draft. It was only the prior season in which Brown's first draft produce four Orange draft choices for the first time since 2006.

Syracuse's new defensive coordinator had two of his Toledo players selected in the draft

When you take a look at the fact that some 92% (237 of 257) of players drafted in the NFL's seven rounds were from Power 4 conference (plus Notre Dame) schools, and the fact that new DC Vince Kehres had two of his Toledo defensive secondary starters from the 2025 season - Safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren 2nd round and CB Andre Fuller 7th round, among those 20 non P-4 players, that is most impressive.

It also bodes well for the future SU draft fortunes on that side of the ball, albeit perhaps not in '27 with so few seniors, but we certainly like the spring addition of junior LB Chris D'Appolonia whom Kehres brought with him from Toledo, as well as the unit's development potential moving forward.

With no 2026 draftees, eight former Orange players signed undrafted free agent contracts over the past weekend, and while it certainly helps to make an NFL roster as a draft choice, a notable eight former SU players who originally signed UDFA contracts, were active on 2025 NFL rosters, out of a total of 18 former Orange players in the league last season.

There are also not a lot of graduating seniors on this year's Orange offense, but one way or another in Brown's third season with a revamped staff, we would be shocked ff there is not at least one Syracuse player taken in next year's NFL draft.

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