The History Of The 26th Draft Pick (2013-2017)
2013 | Green Bay Packers | Datone Jones, DE, UCLA
Datone Jones, Green Bay Packers
The Packers selected Defensive End Datone Jones with their 26th pick in 2013. In his 68 career games, he never saw regular snaps, and averaged under a tackle a game. He ended his career playing 1 game for the Cowboys in 2018, and 1 game for the Raiders in 2020- with CFL stints mixed in between.
2014 | Philadelphia Eagles | Marcus Smith, LB, Louisville
Marcus Smith, Philadelphia Eagles
Marcus Smith had a 3-year stint with the Eagles, recording only 3.5 sacks over his tenure. He finished his career with a year in Seattle in 2017, followed by a cup of coffee with Washington in 2018.
2015 | Baltimore Ravens | Breshad Perriman, WR, UCF
Breshad Perriman, Baltimore Ravens
Now here's a name anyone familiar with Fantasy Football will recognize. This promising wide receiver never lived up to his potential. His best statistical season was with his 3rd team in his first 4 years; the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That season he caught 36 balls, for 645 yards, and added 6 touchdowns. Perriman played all the way through the 2022 season, re-signing with the Bucs, and logged 9 receptions for 110 yards.
2016 | Denver Broncos | Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis
Paxton Lynch, Orlando Guardians
I must admit, this is starting to get discouraging.
Lynch had his NFL debut in week 4 of 2016 when Trevor Siemian went down with an injury. He finished the game with 170 yards and a passing TD- leading the Broncos to a 27-7 victory. He was serviceable in his 2 starts that season, throwing for 497 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT. Lynch injured his shoulder in the third preseason game the following season, sidelining him for the first 10 games of the season. He got his first start that season in week 12 and injured his ankle in the 3rd quarter. The following season he was named the backup to Case Keenum and recorded 2 more starts the rest of his career.
2017 | Atlanta Falcons | Takkarist McKinley, DE, UCLA
Takkarist McKinley, Atlanta Falcons
Takkarist had a solid first 3 seasons with the Falcons. He was a mainstay on defense and recorded 16.5 sacks- along with 72 tackles. In November 2020, he was dropped to waivers and claimed by the Bengals, and then the 49ers, but was unable to pass his physicals due to a lingering groin injury. The Cowboys signed him in 2022 after a season with the Rams where he recorded just 16 snaps in 4 games. He is now currently a free agent.
