Ex-Terps McFarland, Brooks now Steelers
Dolphins pick former Navy standout Perry in 7th round
The Pittsburgh Steelers added a pair of Maryland standouts in the NFL draft Saturday, taking running back Anthony McFarland Jr. in the fourth round and safety Antoine Brooks Jr. in the sixth round.
McFarland, the No. 124 overall pick, was the first Terp taken in the 2020 draft. Brooks was taken at No. 198.
A former top recruit at DeMatha Catholic who redshirted his freshman season in College Park, McFarland rushed for a combined 1,648 yard yards in 2018 and 2019. He averaged nearly 8 yards per carry en route to Freshman All-America honors, but his production slipped last season (5.4 yards per carry) as he dealt with a high ankle sprain.
The 5-foot-8, 208-pound McFarland impressed at the NFL scouting combine with his 4.44-second 40-yard dash. He is also a capable receiver, catching 17 passes for 126 yards last season.
In Pittsburgh, he’ll compete for snaps with starter James Conner and backups Jaylen Samuels and Benny Snell Jr., a fourth-round pick himself last year.
The 5-11, 220-pound Brooks, a Lanham native, was a second-team All-Big Ten selection as a junior and senior. He finished the 2019 season leading the Terps with 87 tackles (8 1⁄2 tackles for a loss) and tied for the team lead with five pass breakups, earning team Most Valuable Player honors.
In Pittsburgh, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds are established at safety, but the Steelers lack experienced depth behind them. Brooks projects as a box safety in the NFL.
Maryland has had multiple players drafted for three straight years and five of the last six. The Terps have also had a defensive back selected in three of the last five NFL drafts as Darnell Savage Jr. was chosen in the first round last year and Sean Davis was taken in the second round of the 2016 draft.
Perry to Dolphins
Malcolm Perry became the 17th Naval Academy graduate to be selected in the NFL draft. Only three Midshipmen were chosen from 1965 through 2014.
However, Perry becomes the third Navy product picked since 2015, joining long snapper Joe Cardona (New England Patriots) and quarterback-turned-wide receiver Keenan Reynolds (Baltimore Ravens).
Perry, like Reynolds, was a recordsetting quarterback in college who will be asked to make the conversion to wide receiver at the professional level. He was invited to the NFL combine as a slot receiver and also practiced, then played that position at the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Many NFL general managers and player personnel directors view Perry as a Swiss Army knife player somewhat in the mold of New Orleans Saints multiposition standout Taysom Hill. Perry, like Hill, could line up at slot receiver, in the backfield on third down or as a Wildcat quarterback.
Perry excelled as both a slotback and quarterback in Navy’s triple-option offense while amassing 4,359 rushing yards, second all time behind Reynolds.
The 5-9, 190-pound speedster finished with 40 rushing touchdowns, which ranks fourth in program history.