Thursday, April 23, 2026

Draft Musings

With the NFL Draft kicking off tonight, the Bengals.com site has a lengthy story about the most prominent Dartmouth product in the modern NFL headlined, The Scouting And Selection Of Bengals Legend Reggie Williams 50 Drafts Ago: 'I've Got To Take This Call.' The AI summary for the story reads:
Reggie Williams, a standout linebacker from Dartmouth, was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 1976 NFL Draft. Despite being pursued by the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts with a lucrative offer, Williams chose the Bengals, prioritizing his passion for the NFL over money. His decision was influenced by the Bengals’ interest and the positive scouting reports from Howard Brinker, who had a close relationship with Bengals founder Paul Brown.

Find the story HERE.

#

FCS Football Central has a piece headlined How Many FCS Prospects Could Be Selected In The 2026 NFL Draft? The site lists four FCS players who are "locks," three who have "Draftable Grades," and "Five Wild Card Names To Know (UDFA Locks, Dark Horse Draft Picks)."

Among the handful or so in the "wild card" category is former Dartmouth offensive tackle Delby Lemieux, who has been widely recognized as a possible draft pick at center.

Find the full FCS Football Central story HERE.

#

Curious about Dartmouth's NFL Draft picks over the years?

All-Time Dartmouth Draft Picks
1939 - RB Bob MacLeod, Brooklyn Dodgers
1960 - RB Jack Crouthamel, Los Angeles Chargers
1963 - LB Don McKinnon, Boston Patriots
1968 - DB Gordon Rule, 11th round, 299th pick, Green Bay Packers
1971 - DB Willie Bogan, 8th round, 207th pick, Baltimore Colts
1976 - LB Reggie Williams, 3rd round, 82nd pick, Cincinnati Bengals
1976 - WR Tom Flemming, 17th round, 465th pick, Cleveland Browns
1978 - DE Gregg Robinson, 6th round, 143rd pick, New York Jets
1998 - LB Zack Walz, 6th round, 158th pick, Arizona Cardinals
2004 - TE Casey Cramer, 7th round, 228th pick, Tampa Bay Bucs

How about around the rest of the Ancient Eight?

Ivy League Draft Picks Since 2000

Year

Name

School

Pos

Team

Rd

Pick

#

2000

Isiah Kacyvenski

Harvard

LB

Seahawks

4

25

119

2001

Dennis Norman

Princeton

OT

Seahawks

7

22

222

2001

Than Merrill

Yale

S

Buccaneers

7

23

223

2001

Eric Johnson

Yale

TE

49ers

7

24

224

2002

Jeff Hatch

Penn

OT

Giants

3

13

78

2004

Casey Cramer

Dartmouth

TE

Buccaneers

7

27

228

2004

Nate Lawrie

Yale

TE

Buccaneers

6

16

181

2005

Ryan Fitzpatrick

Harvard

QB

Rams

7

36

250

2006

Kevin Boothe

Cornell

OT

Raiders

6

7

176

2007

Zak DeOssie

Brown

LS

Giants

4

17

116

2010

David Howard

Brown

DT

Titans

7

34

241

2011

Shane Bannon

Yale

FB

Chiefs

7

20

223

2013

Mike Catapano

Princeton

LB

Chiefs

7

1

207

2013

J.C. Tretter

Cornell

OT

Packers

4

25

122

2013

Kyle Juszczyk

Harvard

HB

Ravens

4

33

130

2014

Caraun Reid

Princeton

DT

Lions

5

18

158

2016

Seth Devalve

Princeton

TE

Browns

4

40

138

2016

Cole Toner

Harvard

C

Cardinals

5

33

170

2018

Justin Watson

Penn

WR

Buccaneers

4

7

144

2018

Foyesade Oluokun

Yale

LB

Falcons

6

26

200

2022

Rodney Thomas

Yale

S

Colts

7

18

239

2023

Andrei Iosivas

Princeton

WR

Bengals

6

29

206

2024

Kiran Amegadjie

Yale

OT

Bears

3

11

75

2024

Hunter Nourzad*

Cornell

C

Chiefs

5

24

159

2024

Nick Gargiulo*

Yale

C

Broncos

7

36

256

2025

Jalen Travis*

Princeton

OT

Colts

4

25

127

2025

Jackson Hawes*

Yale

TE

Bills

5

37

173

Ivy League Picks By Position Since 2000

Offensive Line - 9
Tight End - 5
Linebacker - 3
Fullback/H Back - 2
Wide Receiver - 2
Safety - 2
Defensive Line - 2
Quarterback - 1
Long Snapper - 1

FCS Draft Picks Since 2000

2025 – 15
2024 – 12
2023 – 11
2022 – 24
2021 – 6
2020 – 6
2019 – 14
2018 – 19
2017 – 15
2016 – 20
2015 – 18
2014 – 19
2013 – 19
2012 – 15
2011 – 21
2010 – 19
2009 – 15
2008 – 24
2007 – 17
2006 – 16
2005 – 17
2004 – 15
2003 – 14
2002 – 18
2001 – 20
2000 – 28

#

EXTRA POINT
Because our robot vacuum does such a good job I went off in search of an addition to our vacuum family for the second floor. I felt lucky to find a "refurbished" model of the same vac for a significantly lower price. It had a two-year guarantee, so I thought, 'What the heck?' and ordered one. I eventually decided to use the new one downstairs and move our veteran vac upstairs.

The refurbished model worked fine for a couple of months, but then started spinning in place instead of meandering around the downstairs. I tried everything the manual suggested to get the thing working properly again, to no avail. Customer support was exemplary, going so far as to have me email videos of the vac spinning aimlessly, along with a few stills of various connections. I tried everything the person on the other end suggested over a couple of weeks of back-and-forth emails, but nothing fixed the issue.

I eventually clicked on the warranty on the site where I bought the thing and answered a ridiculous number of questions – including whether I had tried all of the suggestions the support staff had recommended. When I finished the questionnaire, I received an automated response telling me I was entitled to a replacement.

Great, I thought.

As it turned out, they did not have the identical vacuum available, and instead offered two alternatives. One also had a mopping function, which was of no interest. Mr. Google informed me the other replacement sold for just about the same price we paid for the refurbished model. Because that was what it cost brand new, I figured it probably wasn't of the same quality as the original. But it had to be better than one that just spins, so I clicked in the appropriate box and a scant two days later it was on our doorstep.

My first impression was that it did indeed seem cheaper. But after the first week of use I realized two things. First, it's a lot noisier than the other one. And, surprise, it's significantly more powerful. I don't know how long it will last until it breaks down, but for now I'm pretty happy with it.

I did mention it was more powerful, right? I wasn't happy about that this morning at about 5 when I heard a huge crash downstairs. When I went down I found the new vac had managed to knock over a TV table we'd left up. While it was at it, the thing jarred a remote control onto the floor where it landed buttons down, turning on the TV.

So now we have a robot vacuum that not only cleans the house, but rearranges the furniture and apparently likes to watch TV. At this point I’m less worried about how long it will last and more concerned about what it’s planning to do next.