Six Former Independence Bowl Players Taken in the 2024 NFL Draft

Next time you're wondering if you should catch Shreveport's college football bowl game, the Independence Bowl, you should consider how many future NFL Draft picks you could be missing. Just over the last few I Bowl games, players like New York Giants starting quarterback Daniel Jones (Duke, 2018 Independence Bowl), Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers (Florida State, 2017), and Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Samuels (NC State, 2016) all played in Shreveport before getting taken in the NFL Draft.

You might even see some future Pro Football Hall of Fame players too. Not kidding, Hall of Fame players Bruce Smith (Virginia Tech, 1984), Willie Roaf (Louisiana Tech, 1990), and Alan Faneca (LSU, 1995 & 1997) all played in the Indy Bowl. There's also future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Eli Manning (Ole Miss, 2002) and future Hall of Fame linebacker Von Miller (Texas A&M, 2009), both who played in Shreveport's bowl game.

This year, there were 6 players that had played in the Independence Bowl who heard their names called during the 2024 NFL Draft. According to the Independence Bowl, here are their alumni that were drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft:

-Patrick Paul (OT – Houston, 2022)
2nd round (55th overall) to the Miami Dolphins

-Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (SAF – Texas Tech, 2023)
4th round (104th overall) to the Arizona Cardinals

-Tejhaun Palmer (WR – UAB, 2021)
6th round (191st overall) to the Cardinals

-Patrick McMorris (SAF – California, 2023)
6th round (198th overall) to the Dolphins

-Nathan Thomas (OT – Louisiana, 2022)
7th round (233rd overall) to the Dallas Cowboys

-Jaylen Key (SAF – UAB, 2021)
7th round (257th overall) to the New York Jets

In addition to the drafted players, 11 other former Indy Bowl players signed Undrafted Free Agent deals with NFL teams. Including Austin McNamara (P – Texas Tech, 2023) – UDFA to Cincinnati Bengals, Max Tooley (LB – BYU, 2021) – UDFA to Houston Texans, Xavier White (WR – Texas Tech, 2023) – UDFA to Indianapolis Colts, Baylor Cupp (TE – Texas Tech, 2023) – UDFA to Kansas City Chiefs, Ryan Rehkow (P – BYU, 2021) – UDFA to Chiefs, Clark Barrington (C – BYU, 2021) – UDFA to Las Vegas Raiders, Neal Johnson (TE – Louisiana, 2022) – UDFA to Los Angeles Rams, Al Blades Jr. (DB – Miami, 2019) – UDFA to Jets, Nelson Ceaser (Edge – Houston, 2022) – UDFA to Seattle Seahawks, Cole Spencer (G – Texas Tech, 2023) – UDFA to Tennessee Titans, and Tyler Owens (SAF – Texas Tech, 2023) – UDFA to Washington Commanders.