NEW ORLEANS (May 1, 2023) – Ten of the 31 players selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft are alums of the Allstate Sugar Bowl while 36 players who were on Allstate Sugar Bowl rosters were selected in the Draft overall. Over the last eight years, 287 Sugar Bowlers have been selected in the NFL Draft.
 
The top three picks in this year's Draft were on Sugar Bowl rosters. Number one overall selection Bryce Young, who was drafted by the Carolina Panthers collected the Miller-Digby Award as the Most Outstanding Player in the most recent Allstate Sugar Bowl. Young completed 15-of-21 passes for 321 yards and five touchdowns as he led Alabama to an impressive 45-20 victory over Kansas State. Young's Crimson Tide teammate, star linebacker Will Anderson, Jr., was selected No. 3 overall by the Houston Texans. The No. 2 overall pick, also by the Texans, was Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. While Stroud didn't play in the Sugar Bowl, he was a redshirt freshman on the Buckeyes' 2020 team that defeated Clemson in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl on January 1, 2021.
 
Young is the sixth straight No. 1 pick with Sugar Bowl connections. Last year's top pick, defensive end Travon Walker from Georgia, collected three tackles as a true freshman for the Bulldogs in their 26-14 victory over Baylor in the 2020 Allstate Sugar Bowl. The 2021 No. 1 pick, Trevor Lawrence from Clemson, threw for 400 yards in the 2021 Sugar Bowl. The top picks in the 2018 (Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma), 2019 (Kyler Murray, Oklahoma) and 2020 (Joe Burrow, LSU) Drafts were all Manning Award winners, the award for the top collegiate quarterback in the nation presented by the Sugar Bowl. Mayfield also starred in the 2017 Sugar Bowl, earning the Miller-Digby Award as the game's Most Outstanding Player, while Burrow also won the Sugar Bowl's Corbett Award for the top amateur athlete in the state of Louisiana.
 
The Allstate Sugar Bowl hosted the Allstate Louisiana Kickoff on Sept. 4, 2022. That event added seven players to the Sugar Bowl draft total as LSU had six players selected (BJ Ojulari, Anthony Bradford, Kayshon Boutte, Jay Ward, Jaquelin Roy, Jarrick Bernard-Converse) and Florida State had one draftee (Jammie Robinson).
 
This year's draft also included another Manning Award winner as the 2022 honoree, Stetson Bennett from Georgia, was tabbed in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Rams.
 
The 287 Sugar Bowlers (only includes players on Sugar Bowl rosters, not Manning Award winners or participants in other Sugar Bowl events) selected in the last eight NFL Drafts include 67 first-rounders (10 this year, nine last year, eight in 2021, nine in 2020, eight in 2019, five in 2018, eight in 2017 and 10 in 2016). Prior to the 36 picks in this year's Draft, the Sugar Bowl saw 40 picks last year, 34 picks in 2021, and 36 in 2020, as well as 40 alums selected in 2019, 35 in 2018, 32 in 2017 and 34 in 2016.
 
In the 2023 Draft, Alabama led the way with 10 Sugar Bowlers drafted, including three in the first round. Ohio State and Clemson, which both played in the 2021 Allstate Sugar Bowl, and Georgia, which played in the 2020 Sugar Bowl, each had six Sugar Bowl players drafted. K-State from this past year's Sugar Bowl had four selections and Ole Miss, which played in the 2022 Sugar Bowl (January 1), had three selections.
 
Allstate Sugar Bowlers in the 2023 NFL Draft

Name	School	Sugar Bowl(s)	NFL Team	Round (Overall)
Bryce Young	Alabama	2022 (12/31)	Carolina Panthers	1 (1)
C.J. Stroud	Ohio State	2021#	Houston Texans	1 (2)
Will Anderson, Jr.	Alabama	2022 (12/31)	Houston Texans	1 (3)
Paris Johnson	Ohio State	2021	Arizona Cardinals	1 (6)
Jahmyr Gibbs	Alabama	2022 (12/31)	Detroit Lions	1 (12)
Jaxon Smith-Njigba	Ohio State	2021	Seattle Seahawks	1 (20)
Myles Murphy	Clemson	2021	Cincinnati Bengals	1 (28)
Bryan Bresee	Clemson	2021	New Orleans Saints	1 (29)
Nolan Smith	Georgia	2020	Philadelphia Eagles	1 (30)
Felix Anudike-Uzomah	K-State	2022 (12/31)	Kansas City Chiefs	1 (31)
Jonathan Mingo	Ole Miss	2022 (1/1)	Carolina Panthers	2 (39)
Julius Brents	K-State	2022 (12/31)	Indianapolis Colts	2 (44)
Brian Branch	Alabama	2022 (12/31)	Detroit Lions	2 (45)
Tyler Steen	Alabama	2022 (12/31)	Philadelphia Eagles	3 (65)
Byron Young	Alabama	2022 (12/31)	Las Vegas Raiders	3 (70)
Zach Harrison	Ohio State	2021#	Atlanta Falcons	3 (75)
Trenton Simpson	Clemson	2021	Baltimore Ravens	3 (86)
Jordan Battle	Alabama	2022 (12/31)	Cincinnati Bengals	3 (95)
Siaki Ika	Baylor	2022 (1/1)	Cleveland Browns	3 (98)
Cameron Latu	Alabama	2022 (12/31)	San Francisco 49ers	3 (101)
Dawand Jones	Ohio State	2021#	Cleveland Browns	4 (111)
Tavius Robinson	Ole Miss	2022 (1/1)	Baltimore Ravens	4 (124)
Stetson Bennett	Georgia	2020#	Los Angeles Rams	4 (128)
K.J. Henry	Clemson	2021	Washington Commanders	5 (137)
Jordan McFadden	Clemson	2021	Los Angeles Chargers	5 (157)
Henry To'oTo'o	Alabama	2022 (12/31)	Houston Texans	5 (167)
Christopher Smith	Georgia	2020	Las Vegas Raiders	5 (170)
Robert Beal, Jr.	Georgia	2020#	San Francisco 49ers	5 (173)
Warren McClendon, Jr.	Georgia	2020	Los Angeles Rams	5 (174)
Davis Allen	Clemson	2021	Los Angeles Rams	5 (175)
Josh Hayes	K-State	2022 (12/31)	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	6 (181)
Luke Wypler	Ohio State	2021#	Cleveland Browns	6 (190)
Deuce Vaughn	K-State	2022 (12/31)	Dallas Cowboys	6 (212)
DeMarcco Hellams	Alabama	2022 (12/31)	Atlanta Falcons	7 (224)
Nick Broeker	Ole Miss	2022 (1/1)	Buffalo Bills	7 (230)
Kenny McIntosh	Georgia	2020	Seattle Seahawks	7 (237)

 
# On team but did not participate in Bowl
 
The Allstate Sugar Bowl has established itself as one of the premier college football bowl games, having hosted 28 national champions, 102 Hall of Fame players, 52 Hall of Fame coaches and 21 Heisman Trophy winners in its 89-year history. The 90th Allstate Sugar Bowl Football Classic, which will double as a College Football Playoff Semifinal, is scheduled to be played on January 1, 2024. In addition to football, the Sugar Bowl Committee annually invests over $1 million into the community through the hosting and sponsorship of sporting events, awards, scholarships and clinics. Through these efforts, the organization supports and honors thousands of student-athletes each year, while injecting nearly $2.4 billion into the local economy in the last decade.