Three rounds down, three former Allen football stars selected in the NFL draft.
Eagles alum Kyler Murray began the processions as the draft’s top overall pick to the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night, and two of his high school teammates followed suit by hearing their names called during the second day of the draft.
Allen’s offensive line took center stage locally, with alums Greg Little and Bobby Evans both learning their professional destinations. Little was picked early on Friday, drafted No. 37 overall to the Carolina Panthers, while Evans will head west to join the Los Angeles Rams after the Super Bowl runners-up picked the offensive lineman with the 97th pick.
The two linemen started at left tackle during their final collegiate campaigns, with Evans protecting Murray’s blind side at Oklahoma and Little anchoring the left side of the line at Ole Miss.
Little came away from his junior season with the Rebels picked as an All-America second-team selection by multiple outlets while also receiving all-SEC first-team honors. He was a finalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award – an accolade annually given to the top offensive player in Division I football.
Evans, meanwhile, manned left tackle for a Sooner line that, together, received the Joe Moore Award for the best offensive line in the country. Evans concludes his time in Norman as a three-time all-Big 12 selection, earning second-team honors in 2018.
Their selections mark a staggering three former Allen standouts to have been picked through the first three rounds in the 2019 draft. For comparison’s sake, Texas A&M and TCU both had two players selected during the first three rounds – the only colleges in Texas to do so.