South Dakota State offensive guard Mason McCormick and running back Isaiah Davis were selected and six Jackrabbits signed undrafted free agent deals as the 2024 NFL Draft took place last weekend.
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DETROIT — South Dakota State offensive guard Mason McCormick and running back Isaiah Davis were selected and six Jackrabbits signed undrafted free agent deals as the 2024 NFL Draft took place this past weekend.
McCormick was selected in the fourth round (119th overall) by the Pittsburgh Steelers while Davis was selected in the fifth round (173rd) by the New York Jets. McCormick and Davis were the 34th and 35th draft picks from South Dakota State. It was the fourth-straight year that a Jackrabbit was selected in the draft and the sixth time in program history that two SDSU players were taken.
SDSU offensive tackle Garret Greenfield signed with the Seattle Seahawks as a priority UDFA while Zach Heins (Los Angeles Chargers), DyShawn Gales (Cleveland Browns), Isaiah Stalbird (New Orleans Saints) and Jadon and Jaxon Janke (Houston Texans) also signed UDFA deals on Saturday evening.
Here’s a look at where each SDSU alum landed in this weekend’s draft process.
McCormick is coming off back-to-back All-American campaigns where he helped lead the Jacks to national championships in 2022 and 2023. After a strong draft process, McCormick was expected to go early on Day 3 and was selected with the 119th overall pick by Pittsburgh.
The Steelers went 10-7 and made the playoffs last season but spent significant resources on their offensive line in this year’s draft selecting Washington offensive tackle Troy Fautanu in the first round and West Virginia center Zach Fraizer in the second round.
Pittsburgh also added Isaac Seumalo from the Philadelphia Eagles and James Daniels from the Chicago Bears in free agency. Seumalo graded 12th among qualifying guards in Pro Football Focus’s overall grades last season and is expected to start at left guard while Daniels graded 33rd among qualifiers.
While McCormick spent the majority of his collegiate career at left guard a transition to battle with Daniels on the right side could be a possibility and lead McCormick – who received a congratulatory message from new quarterback Russell Wilson – to playing time early in his career.
Davis was selected with the 173rd overall pick by the New York Jets. Davis finished his collegiate career strong with 1,451 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2022 and 1,578 yards and 18 touchdowns this past season and was the 15th running back off the board in this year’s draft.
The Jets are coming off a rough season after quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles in the opening game of the year but Rodgers is expected to return this year. The Jets’ backfield is crowded with starter Breece Hall at the top of the depth chart but New York also added Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen in the fourth round.
The good news is Davis should have a chance to stick on the roster with 2023 fifth-round pick Israel Abanikanda and Xazvian Valladay as his main competition.
Greenfield was a fellow two-time All-American at SDSU and was projected as a Day 3 pick after a strong showing at the combine. After slipping out of the draft, Greenfield signed a UDFA deal with a $20,000 signing bonus and nearly $200,000 in guaranteed money according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
2022 first-round pick Charles Cross is set at left tackle but 2021 sixth-round pick Ston Forsythe and practice squad holdover Raiquon McNeal are also there. The Seahawks also added University of Findlay offensive tackle Michael Jerrell in the sixth round of the draft.
The Seahawks went 9-8 last season and finished third in the NFC West.
Heins became the latest SDSU tight end to hit the pros after signing with the Chargers on Saturday afternoon. Heins had 27 receptions for 410 yards and seven touchdowns during his final year in Brookings but also played a key role in the Jacks’ running game as a blocker.
The Chargers finished 5-12 last season and replaced head coach Brandon Staley with Jim Harbaugh, who should have a run-oriented approach in Los Angeles. Heins joins Will Dissly, Hayden Hurst, Donald Parham Jr. and Stone Smartt in the Chargers tight end room.
Gales signed a UDFA deal with Cleveland after recording 43 total tackles (two for loss) with two interceptions and five interceptions in his senior season.
Gales will join Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson Jr., Justin Hardee, Vincent Gray, Tony Brown, Kahlef Hallassie and South Dakota’s Myles Harden, who was selected in the seventh round of this weekend’s draft.
The Browns went 11-6 and lost to the Texans in the Wild Card round last season.
Stalbird joins the Saints on a UDFA deal after he recorded 80 total tackles (6.5 for loss), three sacks, an interception, six pass defenses and a forced fumble during his final year with the Jacks.
Stalbird spent time at safety during his time with the Jackrabbits but he also spent time at linebacker, which could lead to a battle for playing time with Pete Werner, Nephi Sewell, D’Marco Jackson, Willie Gay, Khaleke Hudson and Monty Rice in camp.
The Saints went 9-8 and missed the playoffs last season.
One of the top duos in the FCS, Jadon caught 57 passes for 946 yards and 10 touchdowns while Jaxon caught 51 passes for 818 yards and five touchdowns for the Jackrabbits last season.
Both players signed as UDFAs and will join a Texans receiver group that includes recently acquired wide receiver Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Noah Brown, John Metchie III, Robert Woods, Xavier Hudson, Johnny Johnson III, Steven Sims and Jared Wayne.
The Texans won the AFC South with a 10-7 record last season and fell to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Playoffs.
