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The Story that Oregon's NFL Draft Success Tells Us

by:Ted Leroux•04/28/25
Jordan Burch
Oregon Ducks defensive end Jordan Burch at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. Photo by: © Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The ultimate evaluator of college football talent, the NFL Draft, delivers an unbiased, unfiltered
view of college football programs every spring, and this weekend saw Oregon stand up as one
of the top producing programs in the country.

The story of Dan Lanning’s time at Oregon has been all about growth and improvement. His win
totals have gone from 10 in 2022, to 12 in 2023, to 13 in 2024, and the same trajectory applies
for his development of Saturday starters into Sunday Studs. The 2024 NFL Draft saw the most
players drafted in the history of Oregon football at the time, with 8 players. This year’s Ducks
saw 10 players drafted, setting a new high mark. It’s worth noting, before Lanning stepped onto
campus, the previous record of most Ducks drafted in a single draft was 6, in so many ways
Lanning is taking this program to new heights.

What Mario Cristobal started on the line scrimmage, Dan has taken to a new level and this
year’s 1st round of the NFL Draft is an example of that. Derrick Harmon vaulted himself into the
1st round of this year’s draft with career highs in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks in the middle
of the Ducks defensive line. Although he only spent one season in Eugene, it’s clear his time
under Tony Tuioti took his game to a new level. The other side of the line of scrimmage saw the
other Duck taken in the first round, Josh Connerly Jr. Taken at 29th overall, Connerly gets the
privilege of playing for one of the best up and coming franchises in the league in the Washington
Commanders, as well as protecting one of the NFL’s best signal callers in Jayden Daniels.
Connerly was one of the first recruits signed by Dan Lanning, and is the poster child of this
staff’s ability to develop high school talent to their highest potential.

Having 2 first round picks was certainly a great start to what this weekend would become, but
Day 2 started to solidify the depth this draft class really had. Terrance Ferguson, Jordan Burch,
Jamaree Caldwell, and Dillon Gabriel were all drafted on Day 2. Day 3 saw Oregon stars Jordan
James, Jefferey Bassa, Ajani Cornelious, and Tez Johnson all drafted as well. These players will
certainly leave behind a lasting legacy, but for Oregon the machine is just getting revved up.

Oregon’s 10 draft picks trailed only Ohio State, Georgia, and Texas for the most in this year’s
draft, and it’s no coincidence that those are programs the Ducks are battling on the recruiting
trail for top prospects. No matter how much NIL has changed the game in college football
recruiting, the ultimate selling point has always been, and will always be – How can you get me
to the NFL? On the same weekend where players are moving on from Oregon officially, you
have players like Jackson Cantwell and Brandon Arrington on campus searching for the answer
to that question – How can Oregon get me to the NFL? The Answer, as Dan Lanning puts it, is
simple, “The proof is in the pudding”.

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