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Indiana Football: The first round drought continues for Hoosiers

By Adam Childs

BLOOMINGTON, IN - OCTOBER 12: Whop Philyor #1 of the Indiana Hoosiers makes a first down catch during the third quarter of the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Memorial Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - OCTOBER 12: Whop Philyor #1 of the Indiana Hoosiers makes a first down catch during the third quarter of the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Memorial Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images) /
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The Indiana football team hasn’t had a first-round pick since 1994 and that drought continued on Thursday as no Hoosier was again taken.

To no one’s surprise, the Hoosiers didn’t have a player picked in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night. Indiana didn’t have any first-round talent available for the draft so it was assumed that the drought would continue.

With no Hoosiers being selected in the first round it made it 26 years in a row where Indiana was shut out of the first round. In 2010 Rodger Saffold came close as he was picked with the first pick on the second round by the Rams.

During their drought, the Hoosiers have had eight players picked in the second round. They just haven’t been able to move up into the first round.

The last first-round pick for the Hoosiers was wide receiver Thomas Lewis in 1994 by the New York Giants. Lewis was largely a bust as he only lasted four years in the league catching just 74 total passes, with 53 of them coming in one year.

Vaughn Dunbar was drafted in the first round just two years before Lewis and Eric Moore was the 10th pick overall in 1988. Dunbar also was viewed as a bust as he made it just five unproductive seasons. Moore was a little more successful as he won a Super Bowl with the 1990 New York Giants.

We wrote about how Whop Philyor could break that streak next year, but his size could be a negative for NFL teams looking to draft him. But if he has a big senior year he could vault himself up the draft board.

The other name to look for is Michael Penix Jr. If he can stay healthy and keep improving he could be the next best chance for the Hoosiers. Quarterbacks are at a premium in the NFL no matter what school you come from. Penix Jr could be able to slide into the first round if he can show the promise he showed last year before getting injured.

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WIll the Hoosiers break the drought next year? Indiana fans hope so and they can finally hear their school announced on the first night of the draft.

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