The 11-2 Tulane Green Wave will play the 6-6 Virginia Tech Hokies in the 2023 Go Bowling Military Bowl. How many NFL Draft prospects will play in this game, and what are their projections at the next level?
Go Bowling Military Bowl Prospect Preview
Tulane entered the postseason with a record of 11-1. Unfortunately, an SMU loss prevented Willie Fritz from concluding his tenure at Tulane with back-to-back AAC titles. But the team will still have a chance to finish the year with a Power Five victory.
Several impact players for Tulane will not be available in the Military Bowl. Quarterback Michael Pratt opted out, and wideout Jha’Quan Jackson and Jarius Monroe will also enter the 2024 NFL Draft pool. Meanwhile, guard Prince Pines entered the transfer portal.
Tulane NFL Draft Prospects
Michael Pratt, QB
After a storied four-year Tulane career that saw him amass 9,611 yards, 90 touchdowns, and 26 interceptions, Michael Pratt has officially declared for the 2024 NFL Draft. He’ll opt out of his team’s bowl game and appear at the Reese’s Senior Bowl in the offseason.
In a 2024 NFL Draft QB class that largely lacks depth, Pratt has the profile to potentially sneak into the top 100 with a good pre-draft process. He possesses decent baseline talent and toughness and compounds those with field vision, accuracy, anticipation, and pocket navigation ability.
Patrick Jenkins, DT
If he declares for the 2024 NFL Draft, Patrick Jenkins would be one of the top Group of Five sleepers on the defensive side of the ball. A former TCU transfer, Jenkins logged 5.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss in a 2023 campaign that earned him a first-team All-AAC nod.
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At 6’2″, 305 pounds, Jenkins is a twitched-up interior rusher who exudes “bull in a china shop” energy with his destructive potential. For his size, he has impressive power capacity and torquing freedom, which helps him disrupt against the pass and the run.
Sincere Haynesworth, C
Sincere Haynesworth will no doubt be circled by more than a few NFL teams looking for a late-round or priority free agent sleeper at the center position.
While he might not be an elite athlete or power threat, he’s a four-year starter and first-team All-AAC competitor with excellent natural leverage and football IQ.
Virginia Tech NFL Draft Prospects
Antwaun Powell-Ryland, EDGE
Antwaun Powell-Ryland might be a name to watch in the 2025 NFL Draft cycle, as opposed to 2024. But after transferring from Florida, he became one of the ACC’s sack leaders, with 9.5 sacks and 13.5 TFLs in 2023. At 6’3″, 244 pounds, Powell-Ryland has the raw talent, and he’s starting to put things together.
Norell Pollard, DT
Every cycle, sawed-off disruptors go overlooked in the NFL Draft and end up securing rotational roles at the NFL level. Norell Pollard could be one of those players in the 2024 NFL Draft cycle. At 6’0″, 288 pounds, Pollard — who amassed four sacks and 7.5 TFLs in 2023 — has the leverage, motor, and shock in his hands to exceed his draft billing.
Dorian Strong, CB (2025)
Dorian Strong will be returning to Virginia Tech for a fifth season in 2024, but he’s a prospect to watch early for the 2025 NFL Draft cycle. Though he’s undersized at around 6’0″, 174 pounds, he’s an incredibly natural, high-energy cover man who earned True Freshman All-American honors in 2020.