Drew Kendall picked by Philadelphia Eagles, becoming third member from Boston College to be drafted
He joins defensive end
Donovan Ezeiruaku
(44th; Cowboys) and
Ozzy Trapilo
(56th; Bears) to form the first BC draft class with at least three players selected since 2019.
Kendall, a 6-foot-4-inch, 308-pound force from Norwell, starred at Noble & Greenough School and was the No. 1 recruit from Massachusetts in the Class of 2021.
He redshirted as a freshman, started 11 games as a redshirt freshman, then started all 13 games as a redshirt sophomore. Kendall was a captain and all-Atlantic Coast Conference first-team selection this past season as a redshirt junior, anchoring a reliable unit alongside childhood friend and teammate Trapilo.
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'It's really special,' Kendall said of his shared journey with Trapilo. 'It's awesome. It's a little more comforting knowing you've got someone doing it at the same time as you, especially someone who's one of your best friends since you were little.'
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Kendall posted a team-best 83.1 pass block grade as well as a 76.8 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus this past season. He allowed just five pressures out of 350 drop-back snaps and helped the offense post four games of 200-plus rushing yards and two games of 300-plus.
Kendall is the first BC center drafted since
Andy Gallik
went to Tennessee in 2015, and the fifth Eagles center drafted since the NFL moved to a seven-round format in 1994.
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His father,
Pete Kendall
, also starred at BC and went 21st overall to the Seahawks in the 1996 NFL Draft. Pete, a guard and center who started 188 games over 13 seasons, retired in 2008.
'I've really tried to listen to him my whole youth career and in high school,' Kendall said. 'That's a big part of where I am today.'
O'Brien said at BC's Pro Day he thinks NFL lineage does play a role in molding strong pro players.
He said in a release that Kendall is a smart, tough, dependable player with tremendous leadership qualities, calling him the 'best center in the ACC' last year.
'He is a bright guy who made all the calls up front on every play,' O'Brien said. 'He has a tremendous work ethic to go along with a consistent approach to his daily life.'
Much like his father, Kendall is diversifying his skill set so he's primarily a center and could also play guard 'in a pinch.' He trained with Trapilo, former Eagle and NFL star
Chris Lindstrom
, and offensive line expert
Dante Scarnecchia
in the months leading up to the draft.
Kendall said his focus in recent months has been ensuring he's in the best football shape possible and mastering technique with Scarnecchia's guidance.
'He's a legend,' Kendall said. 'He's a Patriots legend. He's an NFL legend. He's an offensive line guru. It's just learning from him, focusing on a lot of things he saw in my game.'
At Pro Day, Kendall said he would be happy to go anywhere. He was projected to go in the middle-to-late-rounds, which is how it unfolded.
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Kendall joins an offensive line that has established itself as one of the best in the league and is fresh off a dominant showing in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs.
He's elated to live out a childhood dream and eager to maximize the opportunity.
'It's all about the opportunity we get,' Kendall said. 'Doesn't matter if you're a second-round pick, a fifth, or a sixth, or undrafted. It's about when you get in the building, what do you do with that opportunity?'
Mullings heading to Titans
Kalel Mullings
, the 2019 Gatorade Player of the Year in Massachusetts while at Milton Academy, went 188th overall in the sixth round to the Titans.
Mullings, a 6-foot-2-inch, 226-pound running back who grew up in West Roxbury, won a national championship with Michigan in the 2023-24 season. He started his collegiate career primarily at linebacker and on special teams, then added running back to his repertoire as a junior and senior.
This past season, as a graduate student, he racked up 185 carries for 948 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.
Former Deerfield star drafted
Wide receiver
Elic Ayomanor
, who helped Deerfield Academy win the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Class A Bowl in 2021, went 136th overall in the fourth round to the Titans.
The 6-foot-2-inch, 206-pound Ayomanor, originally from Alberta, Canada, was a top-10 recruit in Massachusetts in the Class of 2022. He made his presence felt at Stanford and earned second-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference honors this past year as a redshirt sophomore.
Also headed to NFL
Jackson Hawes
, a Georgia Tech tight end who started his career at Yale, went 173rd overall in the fifth round to the Bills. Hawes, a 6-5, 253-pound pass-catcher originally from Utah, was a two-time all-Ivy League second-team selection.
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Ajani Cornelius
, a 6-5, 310-pound offensive tackle who started his collegiate career at the University of Rhode Island before transferring to Oregon, went 204th overall in the sixth round to the Cowboys.
Moments later,
Chase Lundt
, a 6-7, 304-pound offensive tackle who starred at the University of Connecticut, went 206th overall to the Bills.
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