#NFLKnights 2024 Season Preview
Sep 03 | Football
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Sixteen former Rutgers football standouts are on NFL rosters to begin the 2024 season. The list includes seven active players, six members of practice squads and three on injured reserve. After he was selected in the second round of this year’s draft, DB Max Melton is set to make his NFL debut for Arizona on Sunday at Buffalo (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
2023 Season Recap
Fifteen Scarlet Knights logged snaps in the league last fall, while 10 advanced to the playoffs. Three – Sebastian Joseph-Day (San Francisco), Isiah Pacheco (Kansas City) and Logan Ryan (San Francisco) – played in Super Bowl LVIII, as Pacheco helped the Chiefs to their second consecutive Super Bowl title. Pacheco finished the game with 92 yards of total offense, becoming the fifth Rutgers football player with multiple Super Bowl rings.
Pacheco was one of several offensive standouts from Rutgers in the NFL last fall, as three Scarlet Knights – Gus Edwards (13), Pacheco (9) and Bo Melton (1) – combined for 23 touchdowns during the regular season. It marked the most in an NFL season for Rutgers since Ray Rice (12), Mohamed Sanu (5), Kenny Britt (4) and Tiquan Underwood (2) combined for 23 touchdowns during the 2012 NFL campaign.
Edwards, who finished tied for fifth in the league with 13 scores on the ground with Baltimore, signed with the Los Angeles Chargers. On defense, Christian Izien intercepted two passes – becoming just the fourth undrafted player in NFL history with an interception in each of his first two NFL games. Izien was one of three rookies to log snaps in their first professional seasons, joining Christian Braswell (Jacksonville) and J.D. DiRenzo (Carolina).
After an 11-year NFL career and an appearance in last year’s Super Bowl, Logan Ryan announced his retirement. A two-time Super Bowl champion with New England, Ryan finished his professional career with 755 tackles, 98 passes defended, 20 tackles-for-loss, 19 interceptions and 13 sacks in 154 career games.
Active (7)
Andrew DePaola
LS | Minnesota
2024 Season Outlook: A Pro Bowl selection in each of the past two seasons, DePaola begins his fifth year as the primary long snapper with Minnesota and 10th in the NFL. DePaola appeared in all 17 games for the Vikings last season and earned a nod to the Pro Bowl along with Second Team All-Pro accolades from the Associated Press.
Gus Edwards
RB | Los Angeles Chargers
2024 Season Outlook: After he spent his first five seasons with Baltimore, Edwards signed a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Chargers. Edwards turned in a career season in 2023, posting single-season career highs in games played (17), starts (nine), rushing yards (810), rushing touchdowns (13) and rushing attempts (198) for the Ravens. His 13 touchdown runs tied for third among NFL running backs and ranked No. 2 among AFC running backs. Edwards added 12 receptions for 180 yards (15.0 avg.) last year, both career highs.
Christian Izien
DB | Tampa Bay
2024 Season Outlook: Izien begins his second season with Tampa Bay after a breakout rookie campaign as an undrafted free agent. In 17 games last season, Izien finished with 65 tackles, two interceptions, two passes defended and a forced fumble. Izien became just the fourth undrafted player in league history with an interception in each of his first two career games.
Sebastian Joseph-Day
DL | Tennessee
2024 Season Outlook: Joseph-Day signed with Tennessee in the offseason and is penciled in as a starter along the Titan’s defensive line. The six-year NFL veteran appeared in 16 games with the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers, finishing 2023 with 36 tackles, 11 QB hits, three tackles-for-loss and three sacks. Joseph-Day appeared in his third career Super Bowl this past season and was one of three former Scarlet Knights to advance to Super Bowl LVIII (Isiah Pacheco, Logan Ryan).
Gettin Busy ?? @packers | @Getbusy__bo
— Rutgers Football (@RFootball) August 24, 2024
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Bo Melton
WR | Green Bay
2024 Season Outlook: Melton earned a spot on Green Bay’s 53-man roster after a breakout season last fall, where he finished with 16 catches for 218 yards and a touchdown in five regular-season games. Melton recorded a breakout game on New Year’s Eve against Minnesota with six catches for 105 yards and a touchdown, becoming the first receiver for Green Bay to go over 100 yards in a game last season. Melton also added three rushes for 21 yards along with a tackle on special teams.
Max Melton
DB | Arizona
2024 Season Outlook: Melton was selected in the second round, pick No. 43, of the 2024 NFL Draft by Arizona, becoming the first RU player to be taken in the second round since Kemoko Turay (Indianapolis Colts, pick 52) in 2018 and highest pick from Rutgers since Anthony Davis (San Francisco 49ers, pick 11) and Devin McCourty (New England Patriots, pick 27) both went in the first round in 2010. An honorable mention All-Big Ten pick each of the last two seasons, Melton played in 43 games with 40 starts at cornerback for Rutgers. The Mays Landing, New Jersey, native collected eight interceptions with 22 pass breakups, contributing 114 tackles with nine for loss, four fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. He blocked four punts on special teams.
Isiah Pacheco
RB | Kansas City
2024 Season Outlook: A 2024 Pro Bowl alternate, Pacheco showed why he is one of the most electric offensive players in the NFL after he finished his second professional season with 205 carries for 935 yards and seven touchdowns along with 44 catches for 244 yards and two scores. Pacheco tallied three games with 100 or more yards on the ground, which included a career-high 130 yards in a win against Cincinnati on New Year’s Eve. Pacheco earned his second consecutive Super Bowl ring after he helped Kansas City defeat San Francisco, 25-22, in Super Bowl LVIII, finishing the game with 92 yards of total offense, including 59 rushing yards and 33 receiving yards.
Injured Reserve (3)
JaQuae Jackson
WR | New England
2024 Season Outlook: Jackson appeared in two games for New England during the preseason, hauling in a 38-yard touchdown reception for the first catch of his NFL career. Jackson suffered a season-ending injury in his second game and was put on injured reserve.
Deion Jennings
LB | Baltimore
2024 Season Outlook: Jennings enjoyed a productive preseason for Baltimore as an undrafted free agent, registering 10 tackles and five solo stops. Jennings suffered an injury at the end of camp and was placed on injured reserve.
Isaiah Washington
WR | Baltimore
2024 Season Outlook: After he signed with Baltimore as an undrafted free agent, Washington hauled in a six-yard reception in his first preseason game. Washington was also placed on injured reserve by the Ravens.
Practice Squad (6)
Tre Avery
DB | Tennessee
2024 Season Outlook: After back-to-back seasons on Tennessee’s active roster, Avery will begin his third NFL campaign on the Titans’ practice squad. An undrafted free agent in 2022, Avery has appeared in 29 career games for Tennessee, producing 11 tackles, 11 passes defended and three tackles-for-loss.
Christian Braswell
DB | Jacksonville
2024 Season Outlook: Braswell was signed to Jacksonville’s practice squad after he appeared in three games last season as a rookie. Braswell was drafted in the sixth round, pick No. 202 by the Jaguars in 2023.
Shawn Bowman
TE | Jacksonville
2024 Season Outlook: Jacksonville signed Bowman to its practice squad after he appeared in three games during the preseason with 99 snaps and a 12-yard reception. Bowman was signed as an undrafted free agent earlier this year by the Jaguars after he spent a graduate season with the Scarlet Knights.
Michael Burton
FB | Denver
2024 Season Outlook: Burton enters his 10th NFL campaign after he appeared in all 17 games for the Broncos last season as the team’s primary fullback, where recording nine carries and picking up six first downs. Burton also contributed four tackles on special teams and forced a fumble.
Isaiah Iton
DL | Tennessee
2024 Season Outlook: Iton turned heads as an undrafted free agent with Tennessee after he finished the preseason with three tackles and a sack. Iton was signed by the Titans to their practice squad.
Jude McAtamney
PK | New York Giants
2024 Season Outlook: McAtamney signed as an international exemption with the New York Giants’ practice squad after a productive preseason. McAtamney appeared in three preseason games for the Giants, connecting on two field goals from 43 and 23 yards, making an extra points and handling five kickoffs.
The following Scarlet Knights also saw action in training camp this summer.
Name (Previous Team)
- Ireland Brown (Miami)
- J.D. DiRenzo (Carolina)
- Michael Dwumfour (Chicago)
- Olakunle Fatukasi (Los Angeles Rams)
- Tyreek Maddox-Williams (Arizona)
- Willington Previlon (Pittsburgh)
- Sean Ryan (Baltimore)
- Kemoko Turay (Carolina)
