The 2023 NFL draft is complete. Three former FCS players were selected on Day 2 of the draft, led by North Dakota State offensive lineman Cody Mauch going 48th overall in the second round. Here’s a breakdown of who got picked.
10 FCS players selected in the 2023 NFL draft
See every FCS player selected below:
Player | Position | School | Round (Pick) | Overall Pick | NFL TEAM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cody Mauch | OL | North Dakota State | 2 (17) | 48 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Marte Mapu | LB/S | Sacramento State | 3 (13) | 76 | New England Patriots |
Tucker Kraft | TE | South Dakota State | 3 (15) | 78 | Green Bay Packers |
Colby Sorsdal | OT | William & Mary | 5 (18) | 152 | Detroit Lions |
B.J. Thompson | DE | Stephen F. Austin | 5 (32) | 166 | Kansas City Chiefs |
Andrei Iosivas | WR | Princeton | 6 (29) | 206 | Cincinnati Bengals |
Titus Leo | LB | Wagner | 6 (34) | 211 | Indianapolis Colts |
Travis Bell | DT | Kennesaw State | 7 (1) | 218 | Chicago Bears |
Colton Dowell | WR | UT Martin | 7 (11) | 228 | Tennessee Titans |
Isaiah Bolden | CB | Jackson State | 7 (28) | 245 | New England Patriots |
The 10 FCS players drafted are less than the 20 players selected n 2022. However, it is more than the five players selected in the 2021 draft and and six players in the 2020 draft class.
WHO’S LEFT: FCS players to know for the 2023 NFL draft
Breakdown by conference
Here’s the complete breakdown of FCS selections by conference
Conference | # of Players Selected |
---|---|
MVFC | 2 |
Big Sky | 1 |
CAA | 1 |
WAC | 1 |
Ivy | 1 |
NEC | 1 |
ASUN | 1 |
OVC | 1 |
SWAC | 1 |
Breakdown by position
Position | # of Players Selected |
---|---|
OL | 2 |
LB* | 2 |
DL | 2 |
WR | 2 |
TE | 1 |
DB | 1 |
*Marte Mapu counted as a linebacker
LOOKING AHEAD: Way-too-early FCS tiers for every team entering the 2023 season
Notables
- No FCS player was selected in the first round for the first time in two years.
- A North Dakota State player has been selected in five straight years. Eleven have been selected since the Bison’s first FCS title in 2011. North Dakota State is the first FCS program with five straight years of draft picks since Florida A&M did so from 1994-98.
- The Bison have had an offensive lineman selected in the draft for three straight years and six total since joining the FCS in 2004.
- OL Cody Mauch (North Dakota State) and TE Tucker Kraft played in last year’s FCS championship game. South Dakota State won 45-21.
- Kraft is the fourth-highest South Dakota State player drafted into the NFL.
- Colby Sorsdal is the first William & Mary offensive player selected since 1992.
- No FCS player was selected in the fourth round for the first time since 2020.
- Andrei Iosivas holds the NCAA record for the fastest men’s 60 meter time run in an indoor heptathlon.
- Travis Bell is the first draft pick in Kennesaw State school history.
- Colton Dowell is the second UT Martin draft pick since 1996 and 12th overall.
- Isaiah Bolden‘s selection pushes Jackson State’s total number of FCS draft picks to 43, the most all time. That’s seven more than second place.
- The New England Patriots were the only NFL team to select multiple FCS players.
- The seventh round saw the most FCS players selected with three.
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One HBCU football player selected in the 2023 NFL draft
HBCUs saw a drop in NFL draft picks in 2023 with just one player selected after four players were picked in 2022. However, the one player is still more than the zero players selected in 2021.
MORE HBCU FOOTBALL: See all that happened in the 2022 HBCU Football season
Jackson State cornerback Isaiah Bolden was the lone HBCU draft pick, going 245th overall to the New England Patriots with pick 28 of the seventh round.
While the NFL draft has concluded, expect several FCS and HBCU players to find NFL homes as undrafted free agents.