Temple has record four players taken in draft
Temple cornerback Harrison Hand only had two words to express his joy after he was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday.
“A BLESSING!” Hand tweeted.
Hand wasn’t the only Owl able to express that sentiment as the draft came to a close. Two of his teammates, linebackers Shaun Bradley and Chapelle Russell, would hear their names called later in the day. Bradley went to the Eagles in the sixth round and the Buccaneers took Russell in the seventh round, making it a record setting day for Temple.
In all, four Owls were taken, the most ever. Center Matt Hennessey went in the third round to the Atlanta Falcons Friday night.
Hand was the 24th player taken in the fifth round, No. 169 overall. Bradley was the 17th pick in the sixth round, No. 196 overall. Russell was with the 27th selection in the seventh round, No. 241 overall.
It’s the second straight year and the fourth time in the last five years that Temple had three players drafted. It’s also the fourth time in the last five years that the Owls have had a defensive back taken and the fifth straight year Temple has had multiple players drafted, the only school outside of the Power 5 to do so, according to Temple.
A graduate of Cherry Hill (N.J.) West High School, Hand came to Temple after two years at Baylor, where he played for former Owls coach and now Carolina Panthers head man Matt Rhule. Hand quickly earned a starting spot and played in 12 games for the Owls (8-5) and recorded
59 tackles (43 solo), three interceptions, eight pass breakups and one forced fumble. In three seasons, Hand saw action in
34 games, registered 114 tackles, 19 PBUs and four interceptions.
“Only had Harrison for the one year,” Temple head coach Rod Carey said. “Came back home and obviously performed at a really high level for us and would expect that he will be doing the same on Sundays.”
Bradley played in 50 games in his career and was a two-time All-AAC selection. He had 256 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, three interceptions, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery in his career.
“Shaun was one of those leaders that I don’t know I’ll ever have again in my coaching career,” Carey said. “He led and people listened and it was a joy to watch. I know that will translate into the NFL for him. Really excited about his future.”
Russell overcame two ACL tears in his career to play in 45 games for the Owls. In his four seasons, he totaled 237 tackles,
19.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, nine pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and six fumble recoveries, five of which came in
2018 when he led the nation win that category.
“Chapelle was the second in charge for our team this year with Shaun (Bradley),” Carey said. “Another great leader. Sound, sound football player that just continuously did his job. I know that the Buccaneers will enjoy that as much as we enjoyed it.”