Every Oregon Ducks Player Drafted and Where They Landed in the NFL

The Oregon Ducks continue to experience success on draft night, as the 2026 NFL Draft became the seventh-straight year that a Duck has been selected in the first round.

Oregon Ducks' Live NFL Draft Tracker

The Ducks finished with two players drafted in the first round on Thursday night and another in the third round on Friday. More selections could be on the way on Saturday.

Oregon broke the program record for most players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft with 10 players hearing their names called. While that record may live to see another year, the Ducks should be sending plenty of players to the next level.

Stay up to date with every draft pick out of Oregon throughout the weekend with Oregon Ducks on SI’s NFL Draft tracker below.

Offensive Lineman Alex Harkey to the Los Angeles Chargers

Another Oregon offensive line starter heads to the professional level. The Los Angeles Chargers selected former Ducks offensive tackle Alex Harkey with the No. 206 pick in the sixth round. Harkey was announced as a guard, confirming an expected move to the inside.

Harkey is another player who spent one season in Eugene as a transfer. He earned his spot along the starting unit and helped the Ducks’ offensive line become one of the most reliable units in the nation.

Wide Receiver Malik Benson to Las Vegas Raiders

Wide receiver Malik Benson joins the list of Ducks selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. He transferred to Oregon ahead of his final season in 2025.

Benson exceeded expectations with the Ducks and could do the same with the Las Vegas Raiders. Las Vegas drafted him No. 195 overall in the sixth round, and he now looks to make the season-opening roster.

Linebacker Bryce Boettcher to Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts selected linebacker Bryce Boettcher in the fourth round with the 135th pick.

Boettcher leaves Eugene with a legacy as a multi-sport athlete for the football and baseball teams. The Houston Astros previously drafted him in the MLB, so Boettcher will have the option to play either football or baseball professionally.

Cornerback Jadon Canady to Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs drafted cornerback Jadon Canady in the fourth round with the 109th pick after he spent one season as a transfer at Oregon.

Canady has the opportunity to show that he’s a late-round draft steal and make his way up the depth chart.

Offensive Lineman Emmanuel Pregnon to the Jacksonville Jaguars

The first Ducks player selected in the third round was offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon, who heads to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Pregnon spent one season in Eugene after transferring from the USC Trojans. Pregnon was a standout on the Oregon offensive line, which finished as a finalist for the Joe Moore award. Pregnon had the chance to be selected late in the first round, but ultimately fell to the No. 88th pick in the third round.

He’ll contend for a starting position on the Jaguars, where he’ll be tasked with protecting quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Safety Dillon Thieneman Drafted by the Chicago Bears

The Ducks have produced multiple first-round draft picks in back-to-back years. Defensive tackle Derrick Harmon and offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. were both late first-round selections in 2025. The 2026 draft featured Sadiq at No. 16 and Thieneman at No. 25.

Thieneman only spent one season in Eugene, but it was a memorable one. He ended up with 92 tackles, five pass deflections, two interceptions and a sack after transferring from the Purdue Boilermakers.

He’ll now head back to the Midwest after the Chicago Bears used their pick on him. Thieneman was the first defensive player selected in the first round by the Bears since they chose linebacker Roquan Smith in 2018.

Tight End Kenyon Sadiq Heads to New York

Sadiq became the first Ducks player selected in the 2026 NFL Draft when the New York Jets picked him at No. 16. Sadiq became the highest-drafted Oregon player since quarterback Bo Nix was picked No. 12 by the Denver Broncos in 2024.

The former Ducks tight end finished his junior season at Oregon with eight touchdowns and 560 receiving yards on 51 receptions. After spending a couple of years behind tight ends Terrance Ferguson and Patrick Herbert in the depth chart, he received his opportunity to flourish in the Ducks' offense in 2025.

Thursday's selection made Sadiq the first Oregon tight end selected in the first round since 1975 and the second Ducks first-round tight end selection all-time. The Rams drafted Ferguson in the second round in 2025, so Oregon is looking more and more like a desirable spot for tigh ends with professional ambitions.

Sadiq will have Jets quarterback Geno Smith throwing to him next season, with New York potentially having the opportunity to select a quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Kenyon Sadiq and Dillon Thieneman Projections

Two Oregon players seem to be consensus first-round draft picks entering the Thursday, April 23, NFL Draft: tight end Kenyon Sadiq and safety Dillon Thieneman. Sadiq and Thieneman were also the only two Ducks juniors to declare for the draft a year early.

Thieneman is widely considered a mid-to-late first-round pick, with multiple mock drafts linking him to the Minnesota Vikings. Some mock drafts predicted Sadiq to be a top-15 pick over the past couple of months, but he’s been projected to go everywhere from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 15 to the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 23.

While Oregon defensive coordinator Chris Hampton told the Eugene media ahead of the draft that he’d be joining Thieneman in the green room, Sadiq told Oregon Ducks on SI reporter Bri Amaranthus that he’d be with family in Idaho.

“lt'll be so special. Something that you literally work your whole life for. I've been playing football since before I can even remember. So, getting to this point is just pretty surreal,” Sadiq said. 

Offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon is the third Duck who could end up in the first round. Many mock drafts entering the week predicted him to be a second-round pick. However, some believe he could wind up getting selected at the end of the first round.

Oregon Ducks Prepare for Another Big NFL Draft

Outside of Sadiq, Thieneman and Pregnon, Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff developed plenty of players into coveted draft prospects this season.

Like Sadiq and Pregnon, cornerback Jadon Canady, wide receiver Malik Benson and offensive lineman Alex Harkey were transfers who made the most of their only season in Eugene. Canady, Benson and Harkey received mostly projections as Day 3 picks.

Longtime Oregon standouts, linebacker Bryce Boettcher and running back Noah Whittington, also headed into the start of the draft on April 23 as projected selections.

The Ducks additionally have special teams players – long snapper Luke Basso, kicker Andrew Boyle, punter James Ferguson-Reynolds, punter Ross James and kicker Atticus Sappington – offensive linemen Matthew Bedford, Charlie Pickard and Isaiah World, cornerback Theran Johnson and wide receiver Gary Bryant Jr., among the list of players looking for NFL opportunities.

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