After Indiana football’s historic 2024 season in which it went 11-2, eight former Hoosiers have moved on to the NFL.
The San Francisco 49ers drafted a pair of former Indiana football players in the 2025 NFL Draft on Saturday: defensive tackle CJ West and quarterback Kurtis Rourke. West was the 113th overall pick in the fourth round, while Rourke was the 227th overall pick in the seventh round.
West became the highest pick for a Hoosier since tight end Ian Thomas was chosen by the Carolina Panthers with the 101st selection in the 2018 draft. West is the second Indiana defensive tackle to be selected in the top four rounds of the common draft era, joining Carl Barzilauskas, who was the fourth overall pick in the 1974 draft.
Rourke’s selection marked the first draft since 2018 in which Indiana had multiple players drafted. He is the first Hoosier quarterback to be picked since Nate Sudfeld was selected by Washington in 2016.
West and Rourke are the 174th and 175th Hoosiers to be selected in the NFL draft, respectively.
Although West and Rourke were the only former Hoosiers to be drafted, six others were signed by respective teams as undrafted free agents.
Las Vegas Raiders signed LB Jailin Walker
Walker, who followed head coach Curt Cignetti from James Madison University to Indiana, started in all 13 games during his lone season in Bloomington. The 6-foot-1 linebacker notched 82 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks.
The Richmond, Virginia, native recorded two interceptions, three forced fumbles and 10 pass deflections en route to earning honorable mention All-Big Ten from the conference coaches and media.
Jacksonville Jaguars signed DL James Carpenter
Carpenter, who also arrived at Indiana from JMU, accumulated 37 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and five sacks.
The Roanoke, Virginia, native was a two-time finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, which honors the college football’s most outstanding player who began his career as a walk-on.
Los Angeles Rams signed OL Trey Wedig
Wedig transferred to Indiana from Wisconsin — where he previously played for now-Indiana offensive line coach Bob Bostad — after spending his first four collegiate seasons with the Badgers.
Wedig made 13 starts in the Hoosiers’ historic 11-2 season, grading as the second-best offensive tackle in the Big Ten and the sixth-best among Power Four schools, according to Pro Football Focus.
Minnesota Vikings signed WR Myles Price
Price arrived in Bloomington after playing four seasons at Texas Tech University, where he started 25 of 42 total games as a Red Raider. He earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors twice during his time in Lubbock, Texas.
In his lone season as a Hoosier, Price made 11 starts and appeared in all 13 games. He made 38 receptions for 466 yards and caught three touchdowns. Price also spent time on special teams as a punt returner, gaining 289 yards across 23 returns.
Pittsburgh Steelers signed WR Ke’Shawn Williams
Williams played four seasons at Wake Forest University prior transferring to Indiana. He played 46 games with the Demon Deacons, notching 1,385 yards receiving and five touchdowns.
The Philadelphia native appeared in all 13 games with the Hoosiers, catching 39 passes for 448 yards and five touchdowns.
Detroit Lions signed TE Zach Horton
Horton also transferred to Indiana after three seasons under Cignetti at JMU. In his lone season in Bloomington, Horton caught 21 passes for 189 yards receiving and four touchdowns.
He earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors, establishing himself as one of the premier blocking tight ends in the conference.
***
The New England Patriots selected former Indiana defensive back Kobee Minor, who played for the Hoosiers in 2023 under former head coach Tom Allen, with the final pick in the draft, meaning Minor is “Mr. Irrelevant.”
Minor previously played three seasons at Texas Tech before transferring to Indiana for 2023. He then transferred to the University of Memphis for the 2024 season. In his final collegiate season, Minor racked up 38 total tackles, seven tackles for loss and six pass deflections.
