A trio of former Bahamas Bowl players drafted into the NFL

An international event that has been a staple on the Bahamian sports calendar since its inception continues to prove its worth, producing top talent from year to year.

Once again, student-athletes who participated in the Bahamas Bowl were drafted into the National Football League (NFL).

Going into last weekend’s NFL Draft, a total of 23 former players in the Bahamas Bowl had heard their names called in the annual draft from 2015-2019. They were joined by three additional players this year – two from the 2019 Bahamas Bowl and the other from the year before. The two participating conferences in the Bahamas Bowl, Conference USA (10 players) and the Mid-American Conference (two players), combined for 12 total selections in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Taken in the third round by the Pittsburgh Steelers, No. 102 overall, was defensive end Alex Highsmith out of Charlotte. The Charlotte 49ers lost convincingly to the Buffalo Bulls in last year’s game, 31-9. It was the second-most lopsided loss in the history of the Bahamas Bowl, and the first bowl win for the Bulls in program history.

In the fourth round of the draft, the New York Jets took Highsmith’s teammate, offensive lineman Cameron Clark, with the No. 129th pick overall. Finally, in the seventh round with the No. 221 pick overall, the Carolina Panthers drafted cornerback Stantley Thomas-Oliver III out of Florida International University (FIU). The FIU Panthers defeated Toledo in the 2018 Bahamas Bowl game, 35-32.

For the first time, the NFL Draft was held in a virtual format due to the restrictions in place as a result of the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic that has taken the world by storm, ceasing sporting events worldwide.

With Hightower’s selection, at least one Bahamas Bowl athlete has been taken in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft in five consecutive years. The 22-year-old edge rusher was tied with the 13th best score for players from his position at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine. He is a third-team All-American as named by the Associated Press (AP), becoming the first 49ers player to earn AP All-America honors. Hightower was first-team all conference in both his junior and senior seasons. This past season, he was fourth in the nation in sacks (14) and fifth in tackles for loss (21.5).

Clark was a three-year starter for Charlotte and a first-team All-Conference USA selection as a senior in 2019, splitting time between offensive tackle and guard positions. The 22-year-old massive offensive lineman was tied with the sixth-highest score among guards at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. Clark helped anchor an offensive line that led Conference-USA and ranked 30th in the nation in rushing offense (a school-record 203 yards per game).

Thomas-Oliver converted from a wide receiver in 2017 to a solid defensive back in his final two seasons with the Panthers. He was a second-team All-Conference USA selection this past season, and an honorable mention All-Conference USA performer in 2018.

The Bahamas Bowl game’s top overall draftee was former Western Michigan wide receiver Corey Davis by the Tennessee Titans in 2017. He was the No. 5 overall selection. A bowl-record of seven former Bahamas Bowl players were taken in the 2016 NFL Draft, and a total of 30 former Bahamas Bowl players have played in at least one game in the NFL, including nine undrafted players.

Bahamian offensive lineman Chris Ferguson, who played collegiately at the University of Cincinnati, was hoping to hear his name called last weekend, but unfortunately wasn’t drafted, and will now hope to sign as an undrafted free agent with any of the NFL teams in the next few weeks.

As for the Bahamas Bowl, it is the longest-running international bowl game in college football history and is owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN. The seventh annual game is set for December 2020 at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium in Nassau, The Bahamas.

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/2020/04/29/a-trio-of-former-bahamas-bowl-players-drafted-into-the-nfl/