10 FORMER BLUE DRAGONS ON OPENING DAY NFL ROSTERS
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
Starting with defensive back Jerry Jacobs on Thursday night in Kansas City, there are 10 former Hutchinson Community College football players on NFL Opening Day Rosters for the 2023 season.
Jacobs, who plays for the Detroit Lions, opens the 2023 NFL season on Thursday night against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Former Blue Dragons will be on both sidelines Thursday night as former Hutchinson head coach Andy Hill (1994-95) is now a special teams assistant for the Chiefs.
As the 2023 NFL season starts this week, there are 10 former Blue Dragons on active rosters, four more former Dragons on NFL developmental squads and four former coaches now working in the league.
The longest-tenured former Blue Dragon in the NFL is All-American Cordarrelle Patterson, who begins his third season with the Atlanta Falcons and 11th overall professional season.
Patterson, who played at Hutchinson in 2010 and 2011 before moving on to Tennessee, is still one of the most feared kickoff return specialists in the NFL. He has nine career returns for touchdowns and averages 29.5 yards per return. Patterson owns an NFL record that can never be broken after he returned a kickoff 109 yards in his rookie season of 2013.
The newest member of the Blue Dragon Club in the NFL is Las Vegas Raiders' defensive back Jakorian Bennett, who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Another NFL rookie is receiver Mitchell Tinsley, who was an undrafted free agent signee by the Washington Commanders.
The Green Bay Packers have a pair of former Blue Dragons in All-Pro linebacker Devondre Campbell and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt.
Campbell begins his eighth season overall and his third with the Packers. Campbell was one of Green Bay's top tacklers last season with 96 tackles. He started his career in 2016 with the Falcons. Wyatt is still the highest-drafted Blue Dragons, going to the Packers in the first round with the 28th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
One of the most successful former Blue Dragons in the NFL will begin his season on the suspended list. Alvin Kamara will begin his seventh season with the New Orleans Saints in 2023. Kamara has rushed for 5,135 yards and has 3,753 receiving yards with 71 career touchdowns.
Jacobs moved into the Lions' starting defensive secondary last season and will begin his third year in the NFL on Thursday against the Chiefs. Jacobs has one career interception and 76 total tackles in his first two seasons.
The other three Blue Dragons on active rosters are Markus Golden, who is now with the Pittsburg Steelers, Gerald Everett with the Los Angeles Chargers and Jeremiah Ledbetter, who now plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Four former players are on NFL developmental squads: The San Francisco 49ers have Jason Poe and Leroy Watson. The Denver Broncos signed Art Green and the New England Patriots signed Johnny Lumpkin.
Brandon Staley begins his third season as the Los Angeles Chargers' head coach. Staley was a linebackers coach for the Blue Dragons in 2010 and 2011. Staley is 19-16 in his first two years with the Chargers with one playoff appearance.
Staley hired 2022 Blue Dragon offensive coordinator Phil Serchia to the Chargers' staff for 2023.
The other former Dragon coach in the NFL is Chris Tabor, who is now a special teams assistant with the Carolina Panthers.
Two other former Blue Dragon players are currently playing in the Canadian Football League. Les Mauro currently plays for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Kyle Wilson plays for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.