Three former Auburn standouts selected on final day of NFL Draft

The Auburn Tigers have not found a ton of success on the field in recent years — at least not nearly as much as their fans would like — but they have still done a solid job of sending players to the next level.

With the coming and going of the 2025 NFL Draft this past weekend, this year was no different and the Tigers had three former players selected in the draft.

Auburn fans who wanted to see their players selected had to wait until the final day on Saturday, but it was indeed a busy afternoon on The Plains.

The first name to come off the board for Auburn was legendary Tigers running back Jarquez Hunter. In the fourth round with the No. 117 overall pick, the Los Angeles Rams made Hunter their new ballcarrier:

One round later, Hunter’s teammate would join him out West.

In the fifth round with the No. 158 overall pick, the Los Angeles Chargers snagged themselves a playmaker who was an Auburn star when they took wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith:

In the sixth round with the No. 194 overall pick, the Jacksonville Jaguars grabbed themselves a stud pass rushing defender in Jalen McLeod as the final Tiger taken in the draft ahead of a flurry of free agent signings.

In terms of significant undrafted free agent signings, quarterback Payton Thorne signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, linebacker Eugene Asante signed with the Miami Dolphins, tight end Rivaldo Fairweather landed with the Dallas Cowboys, and punter Oscar Chapman signed with the Minnesota Vikings.

Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.