Skip Navigation
MarylandToday

Produced by the Office of Marketing and Communications

Subscribe Now

Five Terps Selected in 2023 NFL Draft

By Maryland Athletics Staff

Led by first-round pick Deonte Banks, five University of Maryland football players were selected this weekend in the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City, Mo., the most for the program since 2009.

Maryland has now had a player chosen in six straight and 27 of the past 29 drafts.

“Having five players drafted this year is a testament to the program we’re building here at Maryland," said UMD head coach Michael Locksley. “Our goal is to develop everyone on our roster to have a chance to prove themselves at the next level. I’m so proud of these guys, and the guys that will sign with NFL teams in the coming days. I can’t wait to watch them all represent the Terps on Sundays.”

Defensive back Banks was selected by the New York Giants with 24th overall pick on Thursday, becoming the 18th UMD player to be chosen in the first round. Over the past six drafts, Maryland has had three first-round selections (Banks, D.J. Moore and Darnell Savage Jr.).

During his redshirt junior season last year, Banks registered nine pass breakups and an interception. A 2022 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection, he totaled 38 tackles (25 solo) for a much-improved Terps defense, which allowed its fewest points per game and total touchdowns since 2010. He starred at the 2023 NFL Combine, running a 4.35 40-yard dash and posting a 42" vertical jump and an 11'4" broad jump.

Defensive back Jakorian Bennett was chosen by the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth round on Saturday (No. 104 overall). In his senior year, he tied for third in the Big Ten in pass breakups (11) and for fifth in passes defensed (13). He finished the season with 39 tackles (26 solo), two interceptions and 1.5 tackles for loss and was named the Duke's Mayo Bowl MVP after picking off a pass to seal Maryland’s win over North Carolina State. He ran a 4.30-second 40-yard dash at the combine, the second-fastest time among defensive backs.

Kicker Chad Ryland was selected by the New England Patriots in Saturday’s fourth round (No. 112 overall). The first kicker drafted from Maryland since Dan Plocki in 1989, he made 19 of his 23 field goal attempts (82.6%) during his only season with the Terps. He connected on 16 of 17 attempts inside 50 yards, while also ranking first in the Big Ten and third nationally by making three from 50 yards or farther.

Offensive lineman Jaelyn Duncan was taken by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round on Saturday (No. 186 overall), making him the first Maryland offensive lineman to be drafted since Derwin Gray in 2019. A three-time honorable mention All-Big Ten selection, he blocked for a Terps passing offense that ranked third in the Big Ten in 2022, averaging 259.8 yards per game through the air.

Offensive lineman Spencer Anderson was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round on Saturday (No. 251 overall). He started 31 consecutive games at multiple positions for the Terps. A 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl participant, he posted the third-highest pass blocking grade of any Big Ten guard with over 800 snaps in 2022, via Pro Football Focus, with a score of 78.4.

Maryland Today is produced by the Office of Marketing and Communications for the University of Maryland community on weekdays during the academic year, except for university holidays.