Two-time Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year … Div. III Region 6 Defensive Player of the Year … Div. III first-team All-American … Three-time captain … Team MVP this past season with 8.5 sacks, 17 TFLs, 10 QB Hits, three forced fumbles, two interceptions … 19.5 sacks in 32 career games … Named to Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List,” before the season … Ripped off 6.91 seconds in three-cone drill, 4.25 seconds in short shuttle, vertically jumped 36.5 inches and ran 40 in 4.85 seconds at pro day after no combine invite … HOMETOWN: Naperville, Ill. Date of Birth: 2/27/01.
SCOUT’S TAKE: Those guys at the line of scrimmage in that conference know what they’re doing. He’s used to playing against big guys. Really productive. Gets sacks. Gets fumbles. He played some offense there. Ten carries for four touchdowns in goal-line situations.
WR Cole Burgess
Suny Cortland
6-1 192
Led SUNY Cortland to its first Div. III national title with 11 catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl win over unbeaten and defending national champ North Central … Scored the winner with 1:41 left … 87 receptions, 1,375 yards and 16 TDs during season … As junior earned first-team All-ECAC and All-Empire 8 with 11 of his 37 catches going for TDs … HOMETOWN: Greenwich, NY; Date of Birth: 2/11/00
SCOUT’S TAKE: Very productive player. Big, fast, explosive, tough. We want him to play to his testing numbers. Great numbers. He’s got a 41.5-inch vertical jump. Benched 21 reps. He has the height, weight, speed to play in the NFL. Can he make the jump from Div. III is the question.
RB Noah Cain
LSU
5-10 222
In 51 career games at Penn State and then LSU, rushed for 1,396 yards on 4.6 yards per carry with 25 TDs … Had a 10-TD season for LSU … Forced to re-locate to Denton, TX after Hurricane Katrina … Graduated from Penn State in May of 2022 with communications degree … Pursuing master’s at LSU … Spent 10 days in Africa with 10 teammates for LSU’s Study Abroad trip … HOMETOWN: Baton Rouge, LA; Date of Birth: 12/17/00
SCOUT’S TAKE: Big, physical, downhill runner who does a good job breaking tackles, picking up yards after contact. He has good strength in pass protection and he has upside as a three-down back.
LB Aaron Casey
Indiana
6-1 231
Given No. 44 in honor of Indiana’s George Taliaferro, the first African-American drafted by a National Football League team when the Bears took him in 1949 … Number worn by an upperclassman who showcases Taliaferro’s ideals: Great teammate, leading the locker room, student … Captain this past season … Three-year starter … Productive OLB with 109 tackles, 22 for loss, 6.5 sacks, three pass breakups, three forced fumbles in 2023 … First 100-tackle season for school since 2016 … Led Power 5 with tackles for loss or no gain (Pro Football Focus) … Nickname “Ace” … HOMETOWN: Douglasville, Ga.; Date of Birth: 6/12/2000
SCOUT’S TAKE: “Pretty cool he ‘ll be able to keep that No. 44 here. Heartbeat of that defense. Multi-year special teams starter. Left a big legacy over in Bloomington. Culture guy. Very instinctive. Good against the run. Good QB spy on third down.”
RB Elijah Collins
Oklahoma State
6-0 212
Eli … Before playing for the Cowboys last season, played in 41 games for Michigan State, where he was a captain … Finished career in Lansing with 1,506 yards and 11 touchdowns on 353 carries and a media and information degree … At Oklahoma State last season finished with 30 carries for 142 yards, two catches for 19 yards and a kickoff return for 10 yards … Had a 210-yard game in high school … As a high school junior, had 19 touchdowns rushing, receiving, kick return and interception … Played for a state championship basketball team .… HOMETOWN: Detroit; Date of Brith: 8/1/00
SCOUT’S TAKE: A starter at Michigan State in 2019, when he almost went for more than 1,000 yards, but Kenneth Walker comes in and has a historic career there. Saw him at Oklahoma State and what stood out was his size and build. He flashed some, but they had Ollie Gordon who rushed for over 1,500 yards. You’re talking about a guy when he was the guy he showed real 1,000-yard production at the Power 5 level, but the best runner in the conference just happened to be the starter on his team. Big, powerful guy who can carry the load throughout the preseason. Reminds me of Jacques Patrick, who we had here and has been in the league for a few years on practice squads.
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