The 2023 NFL Draft is underway throughout the weekend as teams look to prepare for the 2023 season. This years class is full of talent all around the nation, and the LSU Tigers have many players who are looking to find a new home.
The Purple and Gold have names from Kayshon Boutte, Jay Ward, to BJ Ojulari waiting to hear the names called to continue their football careers.
Stay tuned here for more updates throughout the draft:
The first Tiger to be taken off the board in this year's draft is BJ Ojulari. With the 41st pick, the Arizona Cardinals have selected Ojulari.
In his three seasons with the Tigers, the former first-team all SEC player totaled 335 tackles, 33 sacks, four forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries.
In the 2022 season for the Bayou Bengals, Ojulari was voted by his teammates as one of the three captains for the team and wore the No. 18 jersey which is given each year to the player who best represents all the outstanding traits of an LSU football player.
His character and locker room presence was a major impact for the Tigers this season as they were led to the SEC championship under his leadership
After the departure of future hall of famer J.J. Watt, The Cardinals are in need of a threat off the edge to help get to the quarterback, and Ojulari will look to continue his success with the Tigers in the big leagues.
With the 108th pick in the NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks have selected guard Anthony Bradford.
Coming in at 6 feet tall and 4 inches with a weight of 332 pounds, Bradford looks to be a huge addition to a Seattle Seahawks offensive line that ranked 8th in most sacks allowed in the 2022 season.
In his 29-game stint with the Tigers, Bradford started a total of 17 times during his 4 years at LSU, 10 at right guard, 5 at left tackle and 2 at right guard. His versatility throughout the line will be a big addition to Seattle's weak line.
With the 134th pick in the NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings have selected LSU DB Jay Ward.
The versatile DB will be a huge addition to a weak Minnesota secondary that has recently lost former LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson.
In his 46 appearances for the Tigers, Ward started a total 23 games where he appeared at various positions such safety, cornerback and nickel back. During this time, Ward totaled 164 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 6 interceptions.
Ward will bring great depth all over the field and look to follow in Peterson's footsteps as a dangerous threat in Minnesota's secondary.
With the 141th pick in the NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select Jaquelin Roy.
In his three seasons with the Tigers, Roy totaled 67 tackles, 57 QB hurries, 14 QB hits, and 5 sacks.
During his junior season Roy played in 13 games and recorded 38 tackles, 5 assists, 19 QB hurries, 5 QB hits, and 2 sacks on the year. Following the season-ending injury to Mason Smith, Roy led the purple and gold's defensive line in the locker room and on the field.
The 6 foot and 4 inch 315 pound lineman will look to provide the Vikings with a dominant force on the field and will join his former teammate Jay Ward in the Twin City to provide some help on their defensive front.
With the 187th pick in the NFL Draft, the New England Patriots select Kayshon Boutte.
Boutte spent 3 years with the Tigers and appeared in 27 games with 21 starts. In that time, Boutte was able to rack up 131 receptions for 1,782 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Boutte wore the No. 7 in 2022, which is the number presented to the best playmaker on the team from the state of Louisiana like players such as Tyrann Mathieu and Leonard Fournette.
Following the departure of the Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, Boutte is set to compete for a spot to display his talents on the big stage.
With the 204th pick in the NFL Draft, the New York Jets select LSU cornerback Jarrick Bernard-Converse.
After starting four seasons at Oklahoma State, Bernard-Converse transferred to LSU to help give them a lift in their secondary. Bernard-Converse played in 13 games where he started nine at cornerback and safety for the Tigers.
In his one season with the Tigers, Bernard-Converse racked up a total of 44 tackles, five passes defended and two interceptions.
With a New York secondary that is already filled with talent from the likes of Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed, Bernard-Converse will look use his versatility to give the Jets a boost in depth at the cornerback and safety positions.
Update:
The NFL Draft has concluded and the Tiger’s had a total of six players drafted, but big names such as Ali Gaye, Mekhi Garner and Jaray Jenkins headline the remaining of the Purple and Gold that are hopeful to be signed to a team as an unrestricted free agent to compete for a roster spot in training camp.