NEW ORLEANS – Following a breakthrough 2020 season in which the Sun Belt paced all FBS conferences with 21 non-conference victories and had a pair of teams listed in the final AP Poll, Coaches Poll and College Football Playoff Rankings for the first time in conference history, four former Sun Belt football standouts were selected in the 2021 NFL Draft. 
 
The Sun Belt has produced at least one selection in 14-straight NFL Drafts and has claimed multiple picks in 13 of the past 14. The Sun Belt tied a conference record with seven NFL Draft picks in 2020. 

SHEMAR JEAN-CHARLES — DB, APP STATE
App State defensive back Shemar Jean-Charles was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round with the 178th overall pick. Jean-Charles became the first FBS First Team All-American in Mountaineer program history in 2020 and led the team to five bowl wins and four Sun Belt Conference championships in five years in Boone, N.C. 


 

???????? ????.@AppState_FB's @sherm_ftc is the first Sun Belt player off the board in the 2021 @NFLDraft. #SunBeltFB x #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/iVoReM24Kx

— Sun Belt (@SunBelt) May 1, 2021

TARRON JACKSON — DE, COASTAL CAROLINA
Coastal Carolina defensive end Tarron Jackson was taken by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round with the 191st overall pick. Jackson was a consensus All-American and the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year in 2020. In five years in Conway, S.C, he was a three-time All-Sun Belt Conference honoree. 


 

?????????? ?????? ????????.@CoastalFootball's @tarron_jackson emptied his tank at the college level, showcasing an edge-setting ability that got his name called during the 2021 @NFLDraft.#SunBeltFB x #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/ZHy5xuneU3

— Sun Belt (@SunBelt) May 1, 2021

ELIJAH MITCHELL — RB, LOUISIANA
Louisiana running back Elijah Mitchell was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round with the 194th overall pick. Mitchell capped his collegiate career with a program record 127 rushing yards in the 2020 SERVPRO First Responder Bowl—the most by a Ragin’ Cajun in a bowl game—and was a three-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection in four years in Lafayette, La. 


 

???????? ?????????? ??????.@RaginCajunsFB's @EliMitch15 heard his name called during the 2021 @NFLDraft—now the real work begins. #SunBeltFB x #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/o7q09TTBT6

— Sun Belt (@SunBelt) May 1, 2021

KAWAAN BAKER — WR, SOUTH ALABAMA
South Alabama wide receiver Kawaan Baker was taken by the New Orleans Saints in the seventh round with the 255th overall pick. Baker was a Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference pick in 2020, following back-to-back Honorable Mention All-Sun Belt Conference selections in 2018 and 2019. In five years in Mobile, Ala., he was a three-time All-Sun Belt Conference honoree. 
 

???????????? ???? ?????? ??????????.@WeAreSouth_FB's Kawaan Baker earned three All-Sun Belt Conference nods en route to being selected in the 2021 @NFLDraft. #SunBeltFB x #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/7PaOLwKV7b

— Sun Belt (@SunBelt) May 1, 2021