Gridiron Heroics partners with Draft Scout to give each school’s Top 5 NFL Draft prospects in the Big Ten. Welcome to a list of the Rutgers Top 5 NFL Draft prospects for 2023, as seen by Draft Scout.
Each week brings us closer and closer to one of the most anticipated days on the sports calendar — the NFL Draft. This year’s draft will be held in Kansas City, Mo. from April 27-29. Starting today? We take a look at the Rutgers seniors, the class of 2023. Since we don’t know yet which underclassmen will declare? We’ll reconfigure the rankings when that happens, so be sure to revisit us.
Our Big Ten Draft prospect series will run beginning Nov. 14 and will run for the next week, with three schools running per day in alphabetical order. A master conference list of the Big Ten’s Top 20 NFL draft prospects will wrap things up on Monday, Nov. 21. Please check the team links below frequently so you can check out the other schools’ top prospects as the week progresses.
BIG TEN TOP 20 PROSPECTS: Overall Big Ten Top Prospect List
BIG TEN EAST PROSPECTS: Indiana | Maryland | Michigan | Michigan State | Ohio State | Penn State | Rutgers
BIG TEN WEST PROSPECTS: Illinois | Iowa | Minnesota| Nebraska | Northwestern| Purdue| Wisconsin
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So, we all know that not every team in the country has five surefire draft picks on it. Some programs do, especially in some of the more elite conferences, but the vast majority don’t have that many top-flight prospects. But, we also know that the definition “top-flight” doesn’t always pan out, and at the same time that strong undrafted free agent everybody forgot? He ends up making an NFL and flourishing.
Below is a look at the Rutgers Top 5 NFL Draft Prospects, and how they project in the eyes of Draft Scout. Again, for now, we’ll go strictly with seniors (c/o 2023), as no underclassmen have been allowed to declare earlier yet, though when they do? We’ll update the lists below.
RUTGERS TOP 5 NFL DRAFT PROSPECTS
NO. 1 PROSPECT
NAME: Adam Korsak, P
DRAFTSCOUT PROJECTION: 6th-7th round
CAREER STATISTICS: Adam Korsak has played for Rutgers since 2018. In his time, he has punted 327 times for 14,360 yards. Korsak averages 43.9 yards per attempt, and his longest punt was for 79 yards in 2018. This season he has had 26 punts inside the 20, which is tied for first in all of college football. This makes him one of Rutgers Top 5 NFL Draft Prospects.
THE TRUTH: Korsak is one of the top punters in college football, tied for first in the number of punts within the 20-yard line. He should definitely be a 7th-round pick maybe the 6th. He has gotten free-agent tryouts from teams in need of a punter in 2021. Korsak does not do kick-offs but averaged 45.93 yards per punt in 2021, which is valuable for teams.
NO. 2 PROSPECT
NAME: Avery Young, FS
DRAFTSCOUT PROJECTION: 7th round-High Priority Free Agent
CAREER STATISTICS: Avery Young has played for Rutgers since 2018. In his career, he has a total of 271 combined tackles and 149 solo tackles. Young also totals 23 pass deflections, three interceptions, and four forced fumbles. In his five years, he also has two sacks. He has even done kick returns totaling 146 yards from punts and 51 yards from kickoffs. This makes him one of Rutgers Top 5 NFL Draft Prospects.
THE TRUTH: Young has been a highlight of this Rutgers defense. As he is listed as a junior, he can stay another year if he wishes, but he is a High Priority Free Agent for 2022. Rutgers is not a great team, and this will cause him to wait for free agency. In 2021, Young played 11 games with 78 total tackles, two tackles for loss, and two sacks. Young is a player to watch after the draft, as he will most likely get many tryouts.
NO. 3 PROSPECT
NAME: Christian Izien, SS
DRAFTSCOUT PROJECTION: High Priority Free Agent
CAREER STATISTICS: Christian Izien has played for Rutgers for four years. In those seasons, Izien has a total of 279 combined tackles, 181 tackles were solo, and 1.5 sacks. Izien also totals 16 pass deflections and four interceptions.
THE TRUTH: Izien will most likely not be looked at during the draft, but should get a free-agent tryout. In 2021, he played in 12 games and totaled 71 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits. Izien only had four pass breakups and no interceptions in 2021.
NO. 4 PROSPECT
NAME: Ifeanyi Maijeh, DT
DRAFTSCOUT PROJECTION: High Priority Free Agent
CAREER STATISTICS: Ifeanyi Maijeh has been with Rutgers since 2021, playing initially for Temple for three years. IMaijeh has 120 total tackles, 62 of them were solo, and nine sacks. Maijeh also has a total of two forced fumbles and two pass deflections.
THE TRUTH: Despite not being a top pick, Maijeh may still get a free agent tryout. Maijeh is listed as a high-priority free agent but could be downgraded to a priority free agent, due to his 2022 stats not being great. He has become more of a backup for Rutgers. Maijeh has shown a drastic change since 2019, not playing well recently.
NO. 5 PROSPECT
NAME: Kessawn Abraham, CB
DRAFTSCOUT PROJECTION: High Priority Free Agent
CAREER STATISTICS: Kessawn Abraham has played for Rutgers since 2018. In his five years, Abraham has a total of 60 combined tackles and 42 of them were solo tackles. Abraham also has a total of 11 pass deflections.
THE TRUTH: Abraham could be a team MVP the way he played in 2021, and a priority-free agent. He demonstrates the ability to continuously get better. As someone who was red-shirted, he could play another year and may stay to boost his stats more and move up in the draft projection. He most likely will not hear his name called during the draft, but could end up joining a team as a free agent.
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