After five Bearcats were selected in the first 100 picks of the 2022 NFL Draft, four more former UC players were selected on Saturday.
Cincinnati cornerback Coby Bryant was selected by the Seattle Seahawks with the 109th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, while running back Jerome Ford was picked by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round at No. 156.
Linebacker Darrian Beavers (No. 182 overall to the New York Giants) and defensive lineman Curtis Brooks (No. 216 overall to the Indianapolis Colts) followed in the sixth round.
Cincinnati's nine picks are a school record, surpassing the 2009 draft that saw six Bearcats selected.
Only national champion Georgia (15) and LSU (10) had more picks than UC in 2022.
Cincinnati now has 16 draft picks since Fickell became UC's head coach in 2017.
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Bryant was a two-time team captain and became the first Bearcat to win the prestigious Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation's top defensive back, in 2021. He finished with 46 tackles and ranked third in the AAC with 11 pass breakups. The Cleveland, Ohio, native added three forced fumbles and three interceptions as Cincinnati led the country in pass efficiency defense (103.37). Led by Bryant, UC won a second-straight AAC Championship and a school-record 13 games en route to the College Football Playoff.
"I'm excited for Coby and his family," Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell said. "The Seahawks are getting a consummate pro who was a team captain for two years for us – and a cornerback who is good in every phase of the position. I've known Coby since he was a kid – running around with his older brother, so this is a really proud moment for me. Coby was one of the first players to commit to our program when I got here and we were selling a dream, and he fully bought in. His hard work and leadership are what really made this program what it was this past this season."
The two-time First Team All-AAC selection and 2021 First Team AFCA and Walter Camp All-American was a four-year starter for the Bearcats, finishing with 10 career interceptions and 45 passes defended over 63 career games.
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Ford emerged as one of the country's top running backs in 2021 after backing up another NFL Draft pick Gerrid Doaks in 2020.
"I'm thrilled for Jerome and his family. He was a game-changer for our program after transferring to us. He waited patiently his first year and became one of the best running backs in the country last fall. There aren't many players faster than Jerome. He can be a real weapon for the Browns. I'm excited to watch him continue to develop in the NFL."
The Browns drafted a Bearcat for a second straight season after selecting tackle James Hudson in the fourth round last season. It's also the second straight year a UC running back has been drafted after the Miami Dolphins selected Doaks last season. He's the 10th UC running back drafted all-time.
The Jacksonville, Fla., native collected All-AAC First Team honors and was named the AAC Championship MVP. He rushed for 1,319 yards (6.2 ypc) and 19 touchdowns, and caught another touchdown pass. His 19 rushing scores ranked seventh nationally and his 20 total touchdowns tied for sixth. Both of his TD marks tied school records.
The speedster averaged 101.5 yards per contest and had five 100-yard games. His best performance came against UCF when he totaled 179 rushing yards and four touchdowns – in the first half, and finished with 189 rushing yards. He capped the regular season with a 187-yard, two-touchdown performance en route to MVP honors in the AAC Championship win over Houston.
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Beavers was one of five finalists for the 2021 Dick Butkus Award and a First Team All-AAC selection after finishing fifth in the conference with 102 tackles and 11.5 TFLs to go along with 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. The versatile linebacker began his career as a safety at UConn before transferring back home to UC. He put on more than 100 pounds in college after starting at Colerain High School.
"I'm very excited for Darrian and his family," Fickell said. "The Giants are getting a versatile guy who can cover, rush the passer and stop the run. He entered college as a safety, and he's grown so much as a linebacker over the past couple of years. We are happy he decided to transfer back home. He was truly instrumental to our success the last few seasons. I think he's a guy who can become a really good NFL linebacker and have the opportunity to play for a long time."
He led UC with 10 tackles, two TFLs and one sack versus No. 1 Alabama in College Football Playoff Semifinals at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
He finished his career with 233 tackles, 14 sacks, 28 TFLs and three interceptions.
Beavers is the first Bearcat drafted by the Giants since tight end Adrien Robinson was picked in the fourth round in 2012. He's the first UC linebacker selected since Tyjuan Hagler went in the fifth round to the Indianapolis Colts in 2005.
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Brooks exploded on the scene for the Bearcats in his fifth season, earning First Team All-AAC honors and leading UC with 12.5 TFLs and 7.5 sacks. He led a UC defense that ranked fifth nationally in scoring defense (16.5) and tenth in total defense (318.4). He finished his career with 162 tackles, 12 sacks and 23 TFLs over 60 games.
"Congratulations to Curtis and his family," Fickell said. "The Colts are getting a relentless competitor who got better every year for us. He's a guy that truly loves football. I may be biased as a former defensive lineman, but I thought Curtis was really our defensive MVP for most of the season last fall. He was a catalyst in the trenches and a dominant player. I'm thrilled to see his NFL dreams come true today."
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2022 Cincinnati NFL Draft Selections
- CB Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, Round 1, Pick 4, New York Jets
- WR Alec Pierce, Round 2, Pick 53, Indianapolis Colts
- S Bryan Cook, Round 2, Pick 62, Kansas City Chiefs
- QB Desmond Ridder, Round 3, Pick 74, Atlanta Falcons
- DE Myjai Sanders, Round 3, Pick 100, Arizona Cardinals
- CB Coby Bryant, Round 4, Pick 109, Seattle Seahawks
- RB Jerome Ford, Round 5, Pick 156, Cleveland Browns
- LB Darrian Beavers, Round 6, Pick 182, New York Giants
- DL Curtis Brooks, Round 6, Pick 216, Indianapolis Colts
