The Temple Owls had an NFL Draft streak in which more than one of their players was selected each year from 2016 to 2020. Since the 2020 NFL Draft, however, the Owls have fallen off the map. Can they get back on the board with their 2024 NFL Draft class?
Temple Owls NFL Draft Prospects
The Owls haven’t had a winning record since 2019, and it wouldn’t have been fair to expect that in Stan Drayton’s first year with the team. The Owls went 3-9 in 2022. But in a stroke of luck, they didn’t lose many key pieces in the offseason, and they’ll have a chance to build off of their work in 2022 this coming year.
Temple wasn’t completely without loss, to be sure. They did see the departure of their leading receiver Jose Barbon to the NFL, and they lost their top interior pass rusher — Darian Varner — as a transfer to the Wisconsin Badgers.
Nevertheless, the Owls bring back most of their key pieces on what was quietly a talented 2022 defense. And on offense, sophomore QB E.J. Warner is back to compound growth after a 2022 season that had its flashes. And at the center of it all is an upperclassmen group that could surprise.
Edward Saydee, RB
Edward Saydee could end up being a deep sleeper in the 2024 NFL Draft RB class. He’s listed at 5’11”, 215 pounds entering the 2023 season, and is coming off a 2022 campaign in which he amassed 639 yards and six touchdowns on 149 carries and added 36 catches for 262 yards.
He’s a capable receiving back who also shows off a good functional floor when it comes to vision and run pacing. He doesn’t have elite speed or burst, but he compensates well.
Dante Wright, WR
Part of Dante Wright’s production outlook depends on how Temple’s QB situation shakes out, but the veteran WR is undoubtedly a name to watch.
The 5’9″, 180-pound pass catcher found immediate success as a freshman at Colorado State in 2019, putting up 57 catches for 805 yards and four scores and breaking the 1,000-yard mark in scrimmage yards. He transferred out of Colorado State early in 2022 and has the separation ability and versatility to provide a spark for the Owls.
D’Wan Mathis, WR
You may remember D’Wan Mathis as the player who had the short-lived, ill-fated run as the Georgia Bulldogs’ starting quarterback in 2020 before Stetson Bennett eventually ran with the job.
Mathis has a short stint as Temple’s starter, but he’s now making a full-time move to wide receiver entering the 2023 season. He has just six career catches, but at 6’6″, 210 pounds, he has a long, well-built frame that could translate in the pass-catching phase.
David Martin-Robinson, TE
The Owls have a couple of TE prospects who could, at the very least, enter the PFA pool as intriguing buy-low options. The more experienced of the two is team captain David Martin-Robinson, a 6’4″, 255-pound spectacle who went for 33 catches, 366 yards, and two touchdowns in just nine games last year.
Martin-Robinson still isn’t an incredibly nuanced route runner, but he has good functional athleticism and play strength — two important building blocks.
Jordan Smith, TE
Temple’s other potential TE prospect is Jordan Smith, a 6’5″, 230-pound monolith who was originally a WR before eventually converting to TE. He’s more of a move TE who blends positional lines for the Owls.
He can play in-line, but he looks more comfortable split out into the slot, where he can use his athleticism to separate and his frame to box out defenders. After hauling in 25 catches for 346 yards and four scores in 2022, Smith is on the rise.
Jerquavion Mahone, DT
Temple’s defensive line, in the wake of Darian Varner’s departure, is set to be anchored by former Kentucky transfer Jerquavion Mahone. Mahone is listed at 6’4″, 290 pounds but sometimes appears heavier than that on tape.
He doesn’t have the most consistent get-off as a pass rusher, but he’s a dense force at the middle of the line. He’s difficult to displace, and he has the prying strength to erode gaps and secure tackles for loss (six in 2022).
Lancine Turay, DL
Interestingly, Lancine Turay is almost in the opposite mold of his teammate Mahone. While Mahone is a dense, immovable lineman, Turay is a lean, lanky hybrid at 6’6″, 250 pounds.
His lacking mass visibly detracts from his power capacity on the interior, but Turay uses his combination of burst, lateral twitch, and flexibility to remain a threat across the front. The brother of NFL lineman Kemoko Turay, Lancine notched a career-high 2.5 sacks and 3.5 TFLs in 2022.
Layton Jordan, EDGE
Bottom line: Layton Jordan is a playmaker. Though he’s a tough NFL projection at 6’2″, 220 pounds, he dominated in all phases in 2022, with 53 tackles, 18.5 TFLs, nine sacks, two pick-sixes, two pass deflections, and three forced fumbles.
He’s athletic enough to shade out into the flats and cover short routes, and he has the burst and bend to be a threat as a pass rusher. He can get under tackles with a smooth dip-and-rip or win with active hands.
Jordan Magee, LB
Jordan is Temple’s most productive 2024 NFL Draft prospect, but Jordan Magee is almost just as intriguing, albeit less versatile, as an off-ball linebacker. The 6’3″, 225-pound Magee racked up a team-leading 86 tackles in 2022 to go along with nine TFLs, 4.5 sacks, three pass deflections, and a forced fumble.
His lighter frame does come at the cost of strength as a finisher, but he’s a stellar athlete who can sidestep and roll around blocks, as well as drop to depth in coverage.
Yvandy Rigby, LB
Magee’s running mate in the linebacker room is Yvandy Rigby — a redshirt senior who also produced at a high clip in 2022. Alongside Magee, Rigby picked up 82 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, two sacks, and three pass deflections.
He’s not the athlete Magee is, and that shows up with his lack of recovery speed in coverage. But at 6’2″, 225 pounds, he’s an active and sturdy tackler who can use his wide frame to envelop ball carriers.
Jalen McMurray, CB
Though he’s just a redshirt sophomore, and though he’s noticeably light at 6’0″, 175 pounds, Jalen McMurray is worth keeping tabs on in the Temple secondary. He broke out in 2022 with 49 tackles, a TFL, two forced fumbles, a pick, and seven pass deflections, establishing himself as a playmaker in the secondary.
He’s a snappy athlete who can enter phase with suddenness, and he has the eyes and quick reaction ability to hawk on passes in off-man and zone.
Elijah Clark, CB
Opposite McMurray at the CB position for the Owls is redshirt senior Elijah Clark. Clark is very different from McMurray in terms of build, with a 6’3″, 195-pound frame that boasts elite positional length.
Clark can use that length to dictate reps at the line in press coverage, and he can also use it to obstruct passing lanes and deflect throws, as he showed in 2022 with five pass deflections. He could be a fringe 2024 NFL Draft prospect.
Alex Odom, S
Rounding out Temple’s secondary is returning safety Alex Odom, who accumulated 75 tackles, four TFLs, two interceptions, and two pass deflections in a strong 2022 showing. At 6’0″, 205 pounds, Odom has the ideal size for the safety position, and he has a degree of versatility.
He doesn’t have top-end athletic tools, and he needs to improve the consistency of his pursuit angles, but he can play two-high, roam into the box, or play off-man against stacked WR looks.
Other Notable Names
- Amad Anderson Jr., WR
- Victor Stoffel, OT
- Wisdom Quarshie, G
- Richard Rodriguez, C
- Diwun Black, LB
- Jacob Hollins, LB
- Dominick Hill, CB
- Elijah Darevil, S
Temple Owls Schedule
- Week 1
BYE - Week 2
Sept. 2: vs. Akron Zips - Week 3
Sept. 9: at Rutgers Scarlet Knights - Week 4
Sept. 16: vs. Norfolk State Spartans - Week 5
Sept. 23: vs. Miami Hurricanes - Week 6
Sept. 28: at Tulsa Golden Hurricane - Week 7
Oct. 7: vs. UTSA Roadrunners - Week 8
Oct. 14: at North Texas Mean Green - Week 9
Oct. 20: vs. SMU Mustangs - Week 10
BYE - Week 11
Nov. 4: vs. Navy Midshipmen - Week 12
Nov. 11: at South Florida Bulls - Week 13
Nov. 18: at UAB Blazers - Week 14
Nov. 25: vs. Memphis Tigers - Week 15
BYE
