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Christian Braswell selected by Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023 NFL Draft

Former defensive back Christian Braswell was drafted in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. – Photo by Tim Fuller / ScarletKnights.com

Former defensive back Christian Braswell of the Rutgers football team was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars as the No. 202 overall pick in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Braswell was the only Scarlet Knight selected.

Braswell becomes the 66th Rutgers player to ever be drafted into the NFL, dating back to 1940.

Braswell played at Temple for his first four collegiate seasons. After redshirting as a freshman, he started to get playing time in his sophomore season and showed his strength as a cornerback. In his three years with the Owls, Braswell played in 23 games, made 62 tackles, had three interceptions with a pick six, recovered two fumbles and forced three fumbles.

Braswell decided to transfer to Piscataway for his senior season and immediately made an impact as a defensive back after missing his first year due to injury. He played in all 12 games with five starts. Braswell accumulated career-highs with the Knights by recording 37 total tackles, hauling in three interceptions, taking one back to the end zone and defending 11 total passes.

For his efforts on the field in the 2022 season at Rutgers, Braswell was named to the Second Team All-Big Ten by Pro Football Focus and was an honorable mention by the media for the All-Big Ten team.

This offseason, Braswell attended the Hula Bowl, which is where skilled college players are watched by NFL scouts. His skilled play earned him a selection to the league that every college football player dreams of going to.

Outside of Braswell, multiple other Knights joined NFL teams as undrafted free agents (UDFA).

Former wide receiver Sean Ryan was signed as a UDFA by the Baltimore Ravens. Last season, Ryan had 26 receptions as well as team-highs in receiving yards (440) and touchdowns (three).

Aron Cruickshank was another wide receiver picked up by a team after the draft. Cruickshank was signed by the Chicago Bears and will look to be a short yardage and a kick and punt return threat for the Bears like he was at SHI Stadium on Busch campus.

On the defensive side of the ball, former defensive backs Christian Izien and Avery Young, as well as former defensive lineman Ifeanyi Maijeh were also signed as UDFAs.

Izien signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Young joined the San Francisco 49ers and Maijeh was signed by the Seattle Seahawks.

At the defensive back position for Rutgers, Izien totaled 15.5 tackles for losses with 19 combined passes defended through five seasons. Young accumulated 326 total tackles with 26 passes defended and five forced fumbles. Both players played five seasons on the Banks. On the defensive line, Maijeh made 60 tackles through 25 games played for the Knights.

Most notably, former Rutgers punter Adam Korsak, who set multiple punting records for the Knights, was not selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. Korsak now looks to join a team as a free agent, just like a few of his teammates.

Braswell and the five other Rutgers UDFAs will look to make an impact on the highest football stage when the 2023-2024 NFL season starts next fall.


For more updates on the Rutgers football team, follow @TargumSports on Twitter.


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