LOS ANGELES — Even when a college football team struggles, that doesn’t mean there wasn’t talent on its roster. Take the 2024 UCLA football team for example. Despite a 5-7 season, the Bruins helped develop the NFL’s most recent Defensive Rookie of the Year in linebacker Carson Schwesinger.
But one season after Schwesinger, who was drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the first pick of the second round in 2025, sped to stardom, UCLA might not have its name represented in the this year’s NFL draft. It would be reflective of the Bruins sputtering to a 3-9 record in 2025 after head coach DeShaun Foster was fired three games into the season.
It would be the first time since 2012, the final season of coach Rick Neuheisel’s tenure, that UCLA hasn’t had a player selected in the draft.
Offensive lineman Garrett DiGiorgio could have the best chance to prevent that from happening. At 6-foot-7 and 319 pounds, DiGiorgio is a versatile lineman with the ability to play both positions on the right side. He was a four-year starter, playing right tackle during his first three seasons at UCLA, before moving inside last year.
“A physical presence within the interior, DiGiorgio has limitations as an athlete but projects as a swing guard with the potential to stick on a depth chart due to his functional strength in the ground game,” Ryan Fowler, an NFL draft evaluator for NBC Sports, told the Southern California News Group.
Gary Smith III, on the other side of the trenches, also has a chance to hear his name called in Saturday’s later rounds. The 6-foot-1, 319-pound Smith started all 12 games at defensive tackle for UCLA during his redshirt senior season after transferring over from Duke.
“There are always spots in the league for guys that can eat up space in the middle and allow linebackers to flow behind him,” Fowler said of Smith. “A mature and powerful prospect, his six years of Power Four experience should present a short grace period as he adjusts to the size and speed of the NFL.”
Three other UCLA prospects could hear their names called this weekend – offensive lineman Courtland Ford, safety Key Lawrence and running back Jalen Berger.
Worth noting is that last year, in addition to Schwesinger, Bruins edge rusher Oluwafemi Oladejo was taken by the Tennessee Titans as the 20th pick of the second round (52nd overall). One day later, three more Bruins were called out: Linebacker Kain Medrano was drafted in the sixth round by the Washington Commanders and defensive tackle Jay Toia (Dallas Cowboys) and Moliki Matavao (New Orleans Saints) went in the seventh round.