USF might have been spectators only on the opening night of the NFL draft, but the Bulls can always say they had an up-close look at three players who went in the first round.
It’s easy to remember the night when overall No. 1 pick Cam Ward came to Raymond James Stadium and torched the Bulls. He passed for 404 yards and three touchdowns in Miami’s 50-15 win.
Included in that blitz was a 76-yard touchdown pass to Samuel Brown late in the first half. The lightning bolt came just two plays after the Bulls had taken a 15-14 lead.
He then led the Hurricanes to a TD and their first drive of the third quarter, and school was out after that.
"I don't mean to keep talking about the quarterback, but that's a guy – that was his 48th start,” Bulls coach Alex Golesh said afterward.
“That's a guy that's seen it all, done it all. We knew we would have to affect him to have success defensively, and just can't get him on the ground.”
Two weeks before that game, the Bulls were at Alabama.
Two Crimson Tide players also went in the first round. Dallas chose guard Tyler Booker, and Philadelphia traded up to get linebacker Jihaad Campbell, Alabama.
Campbell was in beast mode against the Bulls in ‘Bama’s 42-16 win.
He had 11 total tackles that night, including eight solo ones, to lead the Tide’s defense. He had one tackle for a loss, got a half-sack, and broke up a pass.
He also got a facemask penalty.
Booker, meanwhile, moved from his usual left guard position to left tackle against the Bulls. It was his first time starting there, but Tide coach Kalen DeBoer was pleased with how he played.
“I thought he looked really good in practice. I was excited on Tuesday when he took some reps there. And we rotated a lot of different groups, or multiple groups of guys at different spots throughout the week,” DeBoer said afterward.
“But he looked good there. And I was very confident going in tonight with him at left tackle."
The Bulls will likely have another memory of that night in Alabama when Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe is taken, likely in the second round.
He had a fairly pedestrian night against USF, completing 17 of 27 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked three times.
Other potential familiar names who could go in the second or third round include cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. of East Carolina, although he didn’t play against USF last season because of a knee injury.
Miami tight end Elijah Arroyo projects as a third-round selection. He caught two passes for 25 yards against the Bulls.