For the first time since 2021, Georgia Tech saw multiple former players selected during the NFL draft.
The annual event, which concluded Saturday in Green Bay, Wisconsin, saw former Tech tight end Jackson Hawes selected 173rd overall by Buffalo and former Tech defensive tackle Zeek Biggers taken 253rd overall by Miami.
“The most exciting thing is the new chapter, you know what I mean?” Hawes said during a Saturday conference call with media. “It’s something that when I first started playing high school football or when I first got to Yale, or when I first got to Georgia Tech, I think turning the page to a new chapter is the exciting thing.”
A Yale graduate who spent one season with the Yellow Jackets, Hawes became the second Tech tight end selected in the draft in the past six years, joining current Green Bay Packer Tyler Davis, who was picked by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020. Hawes’ selection also is the highest ever for a Tech tight end in terms of both round and overall pick.
Hawes established himself as premier blocking tight end by ranking eighth nationally in both run blocking (74.7 grade) and pass blocking (74.9 grade) among tight ends, according to Pro Football Focus. He also caught 16 passes for 195 yards.
A Salt Lake City native, Hawes (6-foot-4, 253 pounds) played at Yale from 2019-23 and caught 35 passes for 371 yards and six touchdowns. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Yale and studied business administration during his one year at Tech.
Biggers became the second Tech defensive lineman selected in the past three NFL drafts, joining Keion White, a second-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2023.
“I was nervous for sure,” Biggers said during a Saturday conference call with media. “I was with my family a little bit (Friday), and I have a party later on (Saturday), but it was definitely just calm. We waited patiently, we have faith in God and we knew that something was gonna happen, he brought me this far.”
Biggers (6-5, 322) played in 47 games in four seasons at Tech. He totaled up 104 tackles, including nine for a loss, and two sacks. He also recorded seven pass breakups blocked four field goals. Biggers was an honorable-mention all-ACC selection as a senior in 2024.
A Salisbury, North Carolina, native, Biggers earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Tech in December.
Other notable signings
After the draft concluded Saturday, a handful of other former Jackets inked with NFL teams.
Former Tech offensive lineman signed a free agent deal with the Falcons. Williams (6-6, 315) started a program record 53 games for the Jackets spending most of his career at right tackle.
Former Tech wide receiver Chase Lane, who began his career at Texas A&M, received an invitation to New York Giants rookie camp. Lane (6-foot, 195) had 30 catches for 376 yards and two touchdowns in his time at Tech.
Former Tech defensive end Sylvain Yondjouen received an invite to Carolina Panthers rookie camp. From Belgium, Yondjouen (6-4, 260) spent six seasons with Tech and had 24 tackles (six for a loss) and 2.5 sacks as a senior in 2024.
Other former Jackets to go pro over the weekend included defensive Kyle Kennard, who finished his career at South Carolina, being selected 125th overall by the Los Angeles Chargers and linebacker Demetrius Knight taken 49th overall. Knight played for Charlotte and then South Carolina after transferring from Tech in 2022.
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