Kansas State football continued its strong track record of producing NFL talent with the 2025 NFL Draft over the weekend.
While Jacob Parrish, D.J. Giddens, and Marques Sigle were all projected to be selected, their draft rounds remained uncertain. All three players had impressive combine performances, which should have helped boost their draft position.
While K-State fans were interested in seeing where those three players ended up, many fans also closely followed the draft to see where former quarterback Will Howard, the program’s all-time touchdown leader, would land.
Here is a look at where these former Wildcats will be playing next season.
Jacob Parrish, CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Parrish became the first Wildcat selected, going to the Buccaneers in the third round with the 84th overall pick. Parrish is a tad undersized at 5-foot-10, but he plays beyond his height with the physicality he brings. Parrish has good ball skills and elite man-to-man coverage that Tampa Bay will enjoy.
Parrish, a product of Olathe North, joins former Wildcat safety Josh Hayes as the two look to play a role in the secondary of Tampa Bay for the upcoming years.
DJ Giddens, RB, Indianapolis Colts
Giddens had an impressive combine, highlighted by a 4.43 forty-yard dash. Giddens is a big back that is extremely shifty and durable, while also only fumbling once in his K-State career.
The 6-foot-1 back’s size and weight, plus his speed, give him the potential to be one of the biggest steals in the draft for the Colts, who selected him in the fifth round at overall pick No. 151.
He will also join another former Wildcat in JuJu Brents, who has shown promise early in his career despite battling injuries. Giddens will be the backup to Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, but with Taylor’s previous injury history and the long NFL season, Giddens will get his shot at the pro level.
Marques Sigle, S, San Francisco 49ers
Sigle went off the board just nine picks after Giddens, landing with the 49ers in the fifth round at pick No. 160.
Like Giddens, Sigle also had a good combine as he ran the fastest forty-yard dash of everyone in the safety group. His speed was on display at K-State, playing well in both coverage and tackling in the box.
He will be dangerous as a gunner on special teams with his ability to fly down the field and make tackles. He also provides depth and solid experience in the secondary if he gets thrown into action.
Will Howard, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Howard may have come off the board later than some expected, but he fell into a great situation with the Pittsburgh Steelers at Pick No. 185 in the sixth round.
Howard proved he could play at a high level when he led K-State to a Big 12 Championship in 2022, and most recently won the national championship at Ohio State.
The Steelers needed a quarterback and didn’t take one until Howard. It is not often for a sixth-round pick, especially a quarterback, to be able to come in and compete for the starting job, but Howard will have that opportunity in Pittsburgh’s current roster state.
In Pittsburgh, he will join another former K-State quarterback, Skylar Thompson, as the two former teammates will now join forces in the NFL once again.
Also in the QB room, and the current leader to start for the Steelers is former Oklahoma State Cowboy Mason Rudolph. Reports have also linked Pittsburgh to a potential pursuit of future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers.
UDFA’s / Rookie minicamp invitees
Keenan Garber, CB – Minnesota Vikings (UDFA)
Easton Kilty, T – New Orleans Saints (UDFA)
Ty Bowman, WR – Denver Broncos (rookie minicamp invite)
Austin Moore, LB – Kansas City Chiefs (rookie minicamp invite)
Chris Tennant, K – Kansas City Chiefs (rookie minicamp invite)
