Bruins in the 2016 NFL Draft

          The 2016 NFL Draft began last Thursday, April 28th, and boy is it packed with fellow Bruin football players! Out of 7 rounds, there was 1 UCLA player in the 1st round, 1 in the second round, 3 in the 5th round, and 3 in the 7th round.
          In case anyone was wondering who the #1 pick in the draft was, it was Jared Goff, the quarterback for the California Golden Bears and will be joining and possibly starting for your fellow Los Angeles Rams. Number 2 was FCS North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz, who is going to the Philadelphia Eagles. Numbers 3 and 4 were both Ohio State Buckeyes (defensive end Joey Bosa (going to the San Diego Chargers) and running back Ezekiel Elliott (going to the Dallas Cowboys)) and number 5 was Florida State cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who is headed to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
          The only UCLA Bruin that went in the first round of the draft was defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Clark was the 27th overall pick in the draft and is going off to the Green Bay Packers, joining former UCLA quarterback and teammate Brett Hundley. Clark was a major factor in UCLA's defense. Even when two of the biggest players on defense, Myles Jack and Eddie Vanderdoes went out with season-ending injuries, he tried his best to stop the opponent run game, which battered UCLA all season long. Even still, Clark was vital to the team.
          Speaking of UCLA linebacker Myles Jack, he was the 5th pick in the second round (36th overall) of the draft, joining Florida State cornerback Jalen Ramsey in going to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jack would've been one of the higher picks in the first round if it weren't for many concerns about his knee. Before the draft, Jack was projected to be the 4th or 5th overall pick. His last play as a Bruin was an interception that won the game against BYU 24-23. Interestingly enough, Myles Jack can play on both sides of the ball, being a running back when he is on offense. This compares to former Washington linebacker Shaq Thompson, who was a 1st round pick in last year's NFL Draft.
          The first Bruin to go into the 5th round of the draft (148th overall) was offensive tackle Caleb Benenoch. Benenoch is a big guy, so guarding the quarterback is just what he does best in football. Benenoch is heading off to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
          Running back Paul Perkins was drafted by the New York Giants right after Benenoch went to the Bucs. Perkins led the Pac-12 in rushing yards in his sophomore year, with 1,575 yards. His style of rushing as a running back can be compared to Marshawn Lynch (Yes, you read this right). Many times, when it looks like Perkins will be tackled for a loss of yards, he can spin off these tacklers and get positive yardage. One of UCLA's running back recruits, Brandon Stephens, can run like Perkins too, so Bruin fans will not need to miss the constant jukes by their running back.
          Five picks later, wide receiver Jordan Payton was drafted by the Cleveland Browns, which is ironically the same team that drafted USC quarterback Cody Kessler. Payton is the school's all-time reception leader and the first to surpass 200 catches.
          Finally, the three Bruins in the last round of the draft were linebacker Aaron Wallace (drafted by the Tennessee Titans), tight end Thomas Duarte (drafted by the Miami Dolphins), and wide receiver Devin Fuller (drafted by the Atlanta Falcons). All three of these players had great college careers and hopefully they will get some playing time in the pros.
          A few key UCLA players barely missed out on the draft. Three of these players are offensive center Jake Brendel, offensive guard Alex Redmond, and place kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn. Brendel and Redmond did a great job protecting quarterbacks Brett Hundley and Josh Rosen and Fairbairn kicked the longest field goal in school history (2nd longest in Pac-12 history) and won the Lou Groza Award, which is given to the best kicker in College Football each season. There was only one kicker that got into the draft: Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo, who is going to be reunited with former FSU quarterback Jameis Winston with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
          I wish all these UCLA players in the draft have great careers in the NFL. They may play against each other at some point, but they will be remembered for their great college careers at UCLA. Next week, I will return to previewing Pac-12 teams, as I will preview the USC Trojans next.