Cuse players take their talents to next level
Cuse players take their talents to next level
Two Syracuse football players were selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, with defensive end Alton Robinson taken in the fifth round and punter Sterling Hofrichter taken in the seventh round.
Alton Robinson was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks with the 148th pick. A native of Converse, Texas, he began his career at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M before joining the Orange in 2017. He was second-team All-ACC as a junior after recording a team-high 17 tackles for loss and 10 sacks.
As a senior, he was an All-ACC honorable mention, recording 4.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss. He came on strong at the end of the season, recording 21 tackles and two sacks in the final three games.
He will pair up with second-round pick and defensive end Darrell Taylor (Tennessee) to try to bolster a pass rush that produced only 28 sacks last season and tied for 29th in the NFL.
Sterling Hofrichter was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the seventh round with the 228th pick in the draft. A native of Valrico, Florida, he joined the Orange in 2015 and redshirted. He then started the next four years for SU, where he was a Ray Guy Award candidate all four years and a finalist his senior year, which was also his best season. He averaged 43.9 yards per kick and pinned opponents inside the 20 a total of 29 times as a senior. It was good enough to earn him AP third team All-American honors.
He ranks first all-time in SU history in punting yardage with 11,651 and second in average at 43.27. Hofrichter will try to beat out Ryan Allen, who spent last year as the Falcons punter after spending six years with the New England Patriots.
He joins fellow SU alum Riley Dixon as a punter in the NFL. Dixon is currently the punter for the New York Giants.
Despite not hearing their names called in the NFL Draft, four former SU players signed with NFL teams after the draft as undrafted free agents. DE Kendall Coleman signed with the Indianapolis Colts, WR Sean Riley signed with the New England Patriots, WR Trishton Jackson signed with the Los Angeles Rams, and OL Evan Adams with the Baltimore Ravens.
Coleman, an Indianapolis native, was a four-year starter for the Orange and logged 137 tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss, and 15.5 sacks.
Riley, the team’s primary returner for four years and slot receiver for two, ranks third all-time in SU history with 4,358 all-purpose yards.
Jackson caught 66 passes for 1,023 yards and 11 touchdowns in his one full season with the Orange, garnering him All-ACC second-team honors.
Adams appeared in 49 games in his career at SU. He played 3,464 snaps over his four years at SU and was credited with 146 knockdown blocks.
is a graduate student in the Magazine, Newspaper and Online Journalism program with a Sports Communications Emphasis. Upon his graduation, he hopes to work behind-the-scenes at a team or a major network contributing to the world of sports.
