Multiple Coastal Carolina players selected in the NFL Draft for just the second time

Coastal Carolina tight end Isaiah Likely may soon have 2019 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson throwing him passes.

Likely was selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday by the Baltimore Ravens.

Likely was joined as a draft selection by CCU teammate and outside linebacker Jeffrey Gunter, who was taken by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round at 252nd overall in the 262-pick draft.

The Chants previously had more than one player taken in the draft just once, in 2014 when Lorenzo Taliaferro and receiver Matt Hazel were taken in the fourth and sixth rounds.

Likely and Gunter give CCU nine players drafted in the program’s 19-year history, and Likely is the third to be taken in the fourth round or earlier.

Jerome Simpson was taken by Cincinnati in the second round in 2008 and Taliaferro was chosen by Baltimore in the fourth round in 2014.

Likely (6-foot-4, 245 pounds) will be behind two-time Pro Bowl selection Mark Andrews, who is entering his sixth season in the NFL, on the Baltimore depth chart at tight end.

He was chosen 139th overall and was the second tight end taken by the Ravens in the fourth round Saturday. They also selected Iowa State’s Charlie Kolar with the 128th pick.

The two additions give the Ravens five tight ends on the roster. They also have ninth-year pro Nick Boyle and second-year pro Ben Mason out of Michigan.

Likely was the ninth tight end selected this week, behind Colorado State’s Trey McBride in the second round, Virginia’s Jelani Woods, UCLA’s Greg Dulcich and Ohio State’s Jeremy Ruckert in the third round, and Washington’s Cade Otton, San Diego State’s Daniel Bellinger, Kolar and Wisconsin’s Jake Ferguson in the fourth round.

In addition to the two draftees, at least seven Chants signed contracts with NFL teams following the draft — by far the most in program history — and two of them are joining Gunter with the Bengals.

Both wide receiver Jaivon Heiligh and running back Shermari Jones have signed undrafted free agent contracts with Cincinnati. Inside linebacker Silas Kelly has also signed an undrafted free agent agreement with the Cleveland Browns. All undrafted free agent contracts are for three years while drafted players receive four-year contracts when they sign.

Signing contracts to attend mini-camps were defensive lineman C.J. Brewer with the New York Jets, receiver Kameron Brown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, safety Alex Spillum with the Green Bay Packers, defensive back Derick Bush with the Chicago Bears, linebacker/safety Kendricks Gladney with the Los Angeles Chargers, and linebacker Teddy Gallagher with the Carolina Panthers.

Additionally, linebacker Enock Makonzo was chosen by the Edmonton Elks as the No. 4 overall pick in the first round of the 2022 Canadian Football League (CFL) Draft on Tuesday night.

Likely’s credentials

Likely is easily the most prolific tight end in school history with 133 receptions for 2,048 yards and 27 TDs in his career.

In 2021, Likely hauled in 59 receptions for 912 yards, both of which were second on the team, and led the Sun Belt Conference with 12 receiving touchdowns. His receiving yards and touchdowns both ranked second among all tight ends in FBS, and he averaged an explosive 15.5 yards per catch.

At Arkansas State on Oct. 7, Likely had career highs with eight receptions for 232 yards — the third-most receiving yards in a single game in Sun Belt history — and a CCU single-game record four receiving touchdowns.

“Isaiah Likely is going to show everybody that not only are you getting the most versatile, movable chess piece at the tight end position in this draft, but you’re also getting a player that’s going to connect with the team and community both on and off the field,” Likely told Justin Melo of The Draft Network. “You’re going to get a leader that’s going to show up to work and practice early. I’ll stay in the meeting room, I’ll stay in the film room.”

At the NFL Combine in early March, Likely showcased a 36-inch vertical leap, which was the best among tight ends in this year’s draft class.

Each team was allowed to bring up to 30 players to its facility for interviews, meetings and physicals, and Likely had at least six top-30 visits with the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts, according to reports.

Over the last two years, Likely was named a second-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Pro Football Network (PFN) and College Football All-SIS.

He was also named a 2021 John Mackey Award semifinalist and was a two-time first-team All-Sun Belt pick (2020 and 2021).

“I think from just his physical tools, being as big as he is and he can really, really run, and his ball skills are second to none,” CCU coach Jamey Chadwell said. “He’s such a matchup nightmare, especially in our league, the way he can run and just catch the football. ... But I think what really made him turn into a special player was ... he really wanted to win and whatever it took to win is what he cared about more than anything.”

Gunter’s credentials

At the combine, Gunter (6-4, 260) posted top-10 showings among edge rushers in five drills — including the fifth-fastest shuttle run (4.35 seconds) and 3-cone drill (7.21 seconds). He also posted a 35.5-inch vertical and 4.70-second time in the 40-yard dash. At CCUs Pro Day on March 18, he bench-pressed 225 pounds 30 times.

He was a three-time All-Sun Belt selection, earning first-team honors in 2018 and 2020 and second-team last season. His 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in 2021 both ranked in the top 10 in the Sun Belt in the regular season.

He also had two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, five quarterback hurries, a pass break-up and a blocked kick.

“You talk about Jeff and just the ability for him to get off the edge and rush the passer, but also be a great run stopper,” Chadwell said. “He’s a complete player. ... He’s capable of getting after the quarterback and also dropping into pass coverage, and so I think that’s what makes him unique with his size and length.”

The Durham, N.C., native transferred to N.C. State prior to his junior season in 2019 in part for family reasons but returned to CCU for the past two seasons.

Gunter’s agent, Jerard Roggio of Sportstars, said Gunter had “in-depth conversations” with every NFL team, and believes his knowledge of the game, passion for the game, personality and character made him more attractive to teams.

“I’ve been doing this quite a while, and he is one of the most refreshing athletes that I’ve had the pleasure of working with and teaming up with in quite a while,” Roggio said. “I think everybody knows what kind of a kid Jeffrey is and how great of a mother Jennifer is. ... He’s a special guy. He’s a kid that has just constantly preached team, constantly been selfless in a very selfish business. It’s a pleasure to work with him and I look forward to being his agent for the next 10 to 15 years in the NFL and everything after football as well.”

CCU players selected in the NFL Draft

This story was originally published April 30, 2022 at 2:01 PM.

Alan Blondin

The Sun News

Alan Blondin covers golf, Coastal Carolina University athletics, business, and numerous other sports-related topics that warrant coverage. Well-versed in all things Myrtle Beach, Horry County and the Grand Strand, the 1992 Northeastern University journalism school valedictorian has been a reporter at The Sun News since 1993 after working at papers in Texas and Massachusetts. He has earned eight top-10 Associated Press Sports Editors national writing awards and more than 20 top-three S.C. Press Association writing awards since 2007.