Wake Forest NFL Draft Primer
4/24/2024 6:12:00 PM | Football
Learn all you need to know about the Demon Deacons ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Welcome to NFL Draft week Demon Deacon Nation. We are just days away from finding out where your favorite Wake Forest football players start their pro careers.
This year's class of NFL hopefuls have been key in the Demon Deacons seven bowl appearances since 2016 and one of the most successful stretches in program history. Additionally, this set of Demon Deacons helped the program capture both ACC Atlantic Division and Gator Bowl victories en route to a record tying 11 victories in 2021 and an eight-win season in 2022, the 10th in program history.
The talent that made those seven postseason appearances possible has been evident throughout the draft process with multiple Wake Forest players being invited to the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Game and accepting invites to the NFL Combine.
Watch Live
The draft will be televised live on ESPN, ABC and on the NFL Network. Round 1 starts this Thursday, April 25, at 8:00 p.m. ET. Rounds 2-3 will take place Friday, April 26, at 7:00 p.m. ET. Rounds 4-7 will follow on Saturday, April 27, at 12:00 p.m. ET.
GoDeacs.com will have full coverage of the NFL Draft as former Wake Forest players take their next step into the pros. Follow along right here on GoDeacs.com or by following along on our Twitter (@WakeFB), Instagram (wakefootball) and Facebook (WakeForestFootball) channels.
Dave Clawson NFL Draft Pedigree
The Demon Deacons could see a record number of players selected in the Clawson era this week during the annual draft festivities as three Deacs are projected to hear their names called.
Since 2016, the Demon Deacons have found a winning formula in one-score ball games, capturing three or more wins by one score in five of those seasons with a total of 21 wins in 38 such games. The Deacs hold the fourth-best winning percentage in those games since 2016 in the ACC.
All the aforementioned victories are due to having great players who perform well each week. The Deacs 54 All-ACC honors is the fifth most overall in the ACC since the 2019 season and Wake Forest is one of just six schools to have more than 50 honorees in that time span.
The Demon Deacons have had at least one player get selected in each of the last five NFL Drafts, dating back to 2017 with the most recent coming a year ago when Carlos "Boogie" Basham Jr. were chosen last season:
Wake Forest Football welcomed representatives from every NFL franchise to the turf of McCreary Football Field House on March 27 for 2024's edition of Wake Forest Pro Day.
Defensive back Caelen Carson, defensive back Chelen Garnes, offensive lineman Michael Jurgens, defensive back Malik Mustapha and linebacker Jacob Roberts all competed as coaches, scouts and executives from all 32 NFL franchises were in attendance as well as representatives from other leagues.
There were a number of impressive performances from the Demon Deacons a month ago including eye popping numbers from defensive back Caelen Carson and defensive back Malik Mustapha that have helped raise their draft stock over the past few months.
This year's class of NFL hopefuls have been key in the Demon Deacons seven bowl appearances since 2016 and one of the most successful stretches in program history. Additionally, this set of Demon Deacons helped the program capture both ACC Atlantic Division and Gator Bowl victories en route to a record tying 11 victories in 2021 and an eight-win season in 2022, the 10th in program history.
The talent that made those seven postseason appearances possible has been evident throughout the draft process with multiple Wake Forest players being invited to the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Game and accepting invites to the NFL Combine.
Watch Live
The draft will be televised live on ESPN, ABC and on the NFL Network. Round 1 starts this Thursday, April 25, at 8:00 p.m. ET. Rounds 2-3 will take place Friday, April 26, at 7:00 p.m. ET. Rounds 4-7 will follow on Saturday, April 27, at 12:00 p.m. ET.
GoDeacs.com will have full coverage of the NFL Draft as former Wake Forest players take their next step into the pros. Follow along right here on GoDeacs.com or by following along on our Twitter (@WakeFB), Instagram (wakefootball) and Facebook (WakeForestFootball) channels.
Dave Clawson NFL Draft Pedigree
The Demon Deacons could see a record number of players selected in the Clawson era this week during the annual draft festivities as three Deacs are projected to hear their names called.
Since 2016, the Demon Deacons have found a winning formula in one-score ball games, capturing three or more wins by one score in five of those seasons with a total of 21 wins in 38 such games. The Deacs hold the fourth-best winning percentage in those games since 2016 in the ACC.
All the aforementioned victories are due to having great players who perform well each week. The Deacs 54 All-ACC honors is the fifth most overall in the ACC since the 2019 season and Wake Forest is one of just six schools to have more than 50 honorees in that time span.
The Demon Deacons have had at least one player get selected in each of the last five NFL Drafts, dating back to 2017 with the most recent coming a year ago when Carlos "Boogie" Basham Jr. were chosen last season:
- Kevin Johnson | 2015 NFL Draft | CB | First Round | Houston Texans
- Marquel Lee | 2017 NFL Draft | LB | Fifth Round | Oakland Raiders
- Jessie Bates III | 2018 NFL Draft | S | Second Round | Cincinnati Bengals
- Duke Ejiofor | 2018 NFL Draft | EDGE | Sixth Round | Houston Texans
- Phil Haynes | 2019 NFL Draft | OL | Fourth Round | Seattle Seahawks
- Justin Strnad | 2020 NFL Draft | LB | Fifth Round | Denver Broncos
- Justin Herron | 2020 NFL Draft | OL | Sixth Round | New England Patriots
- Carlos "Boogie" Basham Jr. | 2021 NFL Draft | EDGE | Second Round | Buffalo Bills
- Zach Tom | 2022 NFL Draft | OL | Fourth Round | Green Bay Packers
- Ja'Sir Taylor | 2022 NFL Draft | CB | Sixth Round | Los Angeles Chargers
- Kobie Turner | 2023 NFL Draft | DL | Third Round | Los Angeles Rams
- AT Perry | 2023 NFL Draft | WR | Sixth Round | New Orleans Saints
Wake Forest Football welcomed representatives from every NFL franchise to the turf of McCreary Football Field House on March 27 for 2024's edition of Wake Forest Pro Day.
Defensive back Caelen Carson, defensive back Chelen Garnes, offensive lineman Michael Jurgens, defensive back Malik Mustapha and linebacker Jacob Roberts all competed as coaches, scouts and executives from all 32 NFL franchises were in attendance as well as representatives from other leagues.
There were a number of impressive performances from the Demon Deacons a month ago including eye popping numbers from defensive back Caelen Carson and defensive back Malik Mustapha that have helped raise their draft stock over the past few months.
Players Mentioned
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