No UCLA players selected in first round of 2015 NFL draft
Quarterback Marcus Mariota jogs onto the field at the Rose Bowl before Oregon’s game vs. UCLA on Oct. 11. The former Duck was chosen second overall by the Tennessee Titans in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft on Thursday. (Jose Ubeda/Daily Bruin staff)
By camayak
May 1, 2015 12:39 p.m.
2015 NFL Draft – First Round
Pac-12 Players Selected
| Pick | NFL team | Player name | Position | School |
| 2 | Tennessee Titans | Marcus Mariota | QB | Oregon |
| 6 | New York Jets | Leonard Williams | DT | USC |
| 12 | Cleveland Browns | Danny Shelton | DT | Washington |
| 13 | New Orleans Saints | Andrus Peat | OT | Stanford |
| 17 | San Francisco 49ers | Arik Armstead | DE | Oregon |
| 18 | Kansas City Chiefs | Marcus Peters | CB | Washington |
| 20 | Philadelphia Eagles | Nelson Agholor | WR | USC |
| 25 | Carolina Panthers | Shaq Thompson | OLB | Washington |
| 30 | Green Bay Packers | Damarious Randall | FS | Arizona State |
For the first time in three years, no Bruins were selected in the first round of the NFL draft.
Former UCLA inside linebacker and 2014 Butkus Award winner Eric Kendricks and former UCLA defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa were projected as potential first-round picks, but neither heard his name called in the first 32 picks made on the first night of the draft.
A total of nine players from the Pac-12 were selected in the first round, which tied with the Atlantic Coast Conference for the most players selected. Former Oregon quarterback and 2014 Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota was selected second overall by the Tennessee Titans.
Mariota completed 17 of his 27 pass attempts for 210 yards and two touchdowns against UCLA on Oct. 11 at the Rose Bowl. He added another 75 yards and two touchdowns on the ground to lead the Ducks to a 42-30 victory over the Bruins.
Mariota’s departure is a welcome one for many Pac-12 coaches, including UCLA coach Jim Mora. In the week leading up to the Bruins’ 2013 contest against Oregon, Mora jokingly hoped for a night like Thursday to come sooner.
“I don’t know how excited I am to watch him,” Mora said days before UCLA was blown out on the road by Oregon 42-14. “There’s some teams up there (in the NFL) that could use a quarterback. If they could have a supplemental draft today and some team could take him, that’d be awesome.”
The New York Jets used the sixth pick of the draft to select USC defensive tackle Leonard Williams, who was predicted to go higher. Williams logged four solo tackles against UCLA in the teams’ annual rivalry match, which the Bruins won 38-20 on Nov. 22.
The third Pac-12 player to go was another defensive tackle – Danny Shelton from Washington – who the Cleveland Browns selected with the 12th pick, followed by the New Orleans Saints’ selection of former Stanford offensive lineman Andrus Peat with the 13th overall pick.
Former Oregon defensive tackle Arik Armstead was taken 17th overall by the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs took former Washington defensive back Marcus Peters with the next pick. Former USC wide receiver Nelson Agholor went 20th overall to the Philadelphia Eagles, while another former Husky – linebacker Shaq Thompson – was taken 25th overall by the Carolina Panthers. Former Arizona State safety Damarious Randall rounded out Thursday’s Pac-12 selections when he was picked 30th overall by the Green Bay Packers.
Two quarterbacks – Mariota and former Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston – were selected in the first round. If quarterback Brett Hundley’s name is called either Friday or Saturday, he would be the first UCLA quarterback drafted since Cade McNown in 1999.
Compiled by Andrew Erickson and Claire Fahy, Bruin Sports senior staff.
