CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As the NFL opens the 2022 regular season with the Buffalo Bills visiting the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, Sept. 8th, the Mid-American Conference is well represented across NFL rosters as clubs open regular season play. Currently there are 64 former MAC student-athletes on NFL active rosters to begin the 2022 season and many are making a significant impact at the professional level.
Last year the MAC had a pair of former student-athletes named to the 2022 NFL Pro Bowl – Las Vegas Raiders DE Maxx Crosby (Eastern Michigan) and Pittsburgh Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (Toledo). Crosby was named a Pro Bowl starter and also earned Pro Bowl Defensive MVP honors.
This past April, the MAC had six draft selections in the 2022 NFL Draft:
Skyy Moore, Western Michigan, WR -- Kansas City Chiefs (2nd Round, 54th pick)
Luke Goedeke, Central Michigan, OT -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2nd Round, 57th pick)
Bernhard Raimann, Central Michigan, OT -- Indianapolis Colts (3rd Round, 77th Pick)
Tycen Anderson, Toledo, S -- Cincinnati Bengals (5th Round, 166th Pick)
Samuel Womack, Toledo, CB -- San Francisco 49ers (5th Round, 172nd Pick)
Dominique Robinson, Miami, DE --Chicago Bears (5th Round, 174th Pick)
Former Kent State quarterback Julian Edelman was named Super Bowl MVP as part of the New England Patriots 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3, 2019 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Edelman finished with a game high 10 receptions for 141 yards. Edelman, a nine-year NFL veteran with the Patriots, won his third Super Bowl with New England and became the first former MAC student athlete to be named NFL Super Bowl MVP. He also became only the seventh wide receiver in NFL history to be named Super Bowl MVP. The victory came over the Los Angeles Rams, led by head coach Sean McVay, who played wide receiver for the Miami RedHawks from 2004-07, earning the team’s Scholar Athlete Award in 2007.
In three of the last nine NFL Drafts, the MAC has been represented with a top five overall selection. In 2017, Western Michigan wide receiver Corey Davis was selected as the fifth overall selection in the first round by the Tennessee Titans. In 2014, Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack was the fifth overall selection by the Oakland Raiders in the 2014 NFL Draft and in 2013, Central Michigan offensive tackle Eric Fisher became the first MAC football player to be selected as the overall No. 1 selection in the NFL Draft.
Former MAC Student-Athletes on Active NFL Rosters: (64 as of Sept. 8, 2022)
Arizona Cardinals
Jonathan Ward, RB, Central Michigan (3)
Atlanta Falcons
# Ka’dar Hollman, CB, Toledo (3)
# Caleb Huntley, RB, Ball State (1)
Baltimore Ravens
# Steven Means, LB, Buffalo (8)
Buffalo Bills
Reggie Gilliam, FB, Toledo (3)
Tommy Doyle, OT, Miami (2)
Quintin Morris, TE, Bowling Green (1)
Cam Lewis, CB, Buffalo (3)
# Ja’Marcus Ingram, CB, Buffalo (R)
# Greg Mancz, OL, Toledo (7)
Carolina Panthers
Taylor Moton, OT, Western Michigan (6)
Giovanni Ricci, TE, Western Michigan (2)
Chicago Bears
Dominique Robinson, DL, Miami (R)
Sterrling Weatherford, LB, Miami (R)
# AJ Thomas, DB, Western Michigan (R)
Cincinnati Bengals
Max Scharping, OL, Northern Illinois (4)
^ Tycen Anderson, S, Toledo (R)
Cleveland Browns
Kareem Hunt, RB, Toledo (5)
^ Elijah Nkansah, OT, Toledo (1)
Dallas Cowboys
Tarell Basham, DE, Ohio (6)
# Cooper Rush, QB, Central Michigan (5)
Denver Broncos
Darius Phillips, CB, Western Michigan (5)
Detroit Lions
N/A
Green Bay Packers
# Ray Wilborn, LB, Ball State (1)
Houston Texans
Troy Hairston, FB, Central Michigan (R)
# Demone Harris, DL, Buffalo (3)
# Mason Schreck, TE, Buffalo (4)
# Jordan Steckler, OL, Northern Illinois (1)
Indianapolis Colts
Wesley French, C, Western Michigan (R)
Danny Pinter, G, Ball State, (3)
Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan (R)
Jacksonville Jaguars
N/A
Kansas City Chiefs
Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan (R)
Andrew Wylie, G, Eastern Michigan (5)
# Mike Caliendo, OL, Western Michigan (R)
Las Vegas Raiders
Max Crosby, DE, Eastern Michigan (4)
Malcolm Koonce, DE, Buffalo, (2)
# Bryce Cosby, CB, Ball State (R)
Los Angeles Chargers
Khalil Mack, LB, Buffalo (9)
Storm Norton, T, Toledo, (3)
Los Angeles Rams
N/A
Miami Dolphins
N/A
Minnesota Vikings
# Bryant Koback, RB, Toledo (R)
New York England Patriots
N/A
New York Giants
Kenny Golladay, WR, Northern Illinois (6)
# Kalil Pimpleton, WR, Central Michigan (R)
New York Jets
Tyler Conklin, TE, Central Michigan (5)
Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan, (6)
New Orleans Saints
N/A
Pittsburgh Steelers
Dionte Johnson, WR, Toledo (4)
Chukwuma Okorafor, OL, Western Michigan, (5)
Robert Spillane, LB, Western Michigan, (4)
Philadelphia Eagles
^ Tyree Jackson, TE, Buffalo (2)
# Kayode Awosika, OL, Buffalo (1)
San Francisco 49ers
Jaylon Moore, OL, Western Michigan (2)
Samuel Womack, CB, Toledo (R)
^ Jimmie Ward, DB, Northern Illinois (9)
Seattle Seahawks
Nick Bellore, LB, Central Michigan (12)
Dee Eskridge, WR, Western Michigan (2)
^ Cody Thompson, WR, Toledo (1)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Luke Goedeke, OL, Central Michigan (R)
Scotty Miller, WR, Bowling Green (4)
Sean Murphy-Bunting, CB, Central Michigan (4)
Patrick O’Connor, DL, Eastern Michigan (4)
Tennessee Titans
Ola Adeniyi, OLB, Toledo (5)
# Thomas Odukoya, TE, Eastern Michigan (R)
# Logan Woodside, QB, Toledo, (3)
Washington Commanders
Armani Rogers, TE, Ohio (R)
# Jaret Patterson, RB, Buffalo (2)
^ Willie Beavers, G, Western Michigan (2)
# Practice Squad
^ Reserve/Opt-Out/Pup/IR
