Hampton, Austin Selected in 2019 NFL Draft
Apr 27 | Football
Saints take Hampton with 177th pick; Jets choose Austin with 196th pick
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers football senior safety Saquan Hampton and senior cornerback Blessuan Austin were both selected during the third day of the 2019 NFL Draft. Hampton was chosen in the sixth round as the No. 177 overall pick by New Orleans, while Austin was picked in the sixth round as the No. 196 overall pick by the New York Jets.
It marks the second consecutive year two Scarlet Knights were drafted into the league, as Kemoko Turay (Indianapolis) and Sebastian Joseph-Day (Los Angeles Rams) both came off the board in 2018. With the selections, Rutgers has now had two or more picks in the NFL Draft in four of the last seven years, totaling 14 in that span.
Hampton, an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick, tied for the league lead and ranked 12th nationally with 1.3 passes defended per game in 2018 on 13 pass breakups and three interceptions. The free safety also totaled 65 tackles, including a game-high 11 versus then-No. 4 Michigan, three tackles-for-loss and a fumble recovery. In the game at Wisconsin, he became the first Scarlet Knight since 2012 with multiple interceptions in a contest. He was honored with the Homer Hazel Award as most valuable player on the team last season. Overall, the Hamilton, New Jersey, native played in 39 college games with 177 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss, 24 passes defended and five interceptions.
For more information on Rutgers football, follow @RFootball on Twitter and Instagram, and for details on purchasing tickets, visit RutgersGameday.com or call 866-445-GORU. For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.
It marks the second consecutive year two Scarlet Knights were drafted into the league, as Kemoko Turay (Indianapolis) and Sebastian Joseph-Day (Los Angeles Rams) both came off the board in 2018. With the selections, Rutgers has now had two or more picks in the NFL Draft in four of the last seven years, totaling 14 in that span.
With the 177th pick in the 6th round, the #Saints select safety Saquan Hampton from @RFootball! #SaintsDraft pic.twitter.com/ox1A5qnBCs
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) April 27, 2019
Hampton, an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick, tied for the league lead and ranked 12th nationally with 1.3 passes defended per game in 2018 on 13 pass breakups and three interceptions. The free safety also totaled 65 tackles, including a game-high 11 versus then-No. 4 Michigan, three tackles-for-loss and a fumble recovery. In the game at Wisconsin, he became the first Scarlet Knight since 2012 with multiple interceptions in a contest. He was honored with the Homer Hazel Award as most valuable player on the team last season. Overall, the Hamilton, New Jersey, native played in 39 college games with 177 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss, 24 passes defended and five interceptions.
Austin played in 27 career games for Rutgers, totaling 89 tackles, 23 passes defended and four interceptions as a starter since his debut. The cornerback from Queens, New York, was named honorable mention All-Big Ten in 2016 by the media after ranking second in the conference and 12th nationally with 1.4 passes defended per game. His final college game included two tackles-for-loss and a pick in the win over Texas State.New York kid stays home.
— #TakeFlight (@nyjets) April 27, 2019
📰 https://t.co/XBUHn5JDqC#NFLDraft | #TakeFlight pic.twitter.com/eLJt6cLlEW
For more information on Rutgers football, follow @RFootball on Twitter and Instagram, and for details on purchasing tickets, visit RutgersGameday.com or call 866-445-GORU. For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.
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