The Baltimore Ravens selected Gophers offensive tackle Daniel Faalele in the fourth round with the 110th overall pick, the first of three U players to be taken on the Day 3 of the NFL draft on Saturday.
Gophers defensive end Esezi Otomewo went to the Vikings in the fifth round, and tight end Ko Kieft was picked by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round. On Friday, Gophers edge rusher Boye Mafe was taken in the second round by the Seattle Seahawks.
Faalele's selection ended a 16-year drought without a Minnesota offensive lineman picked in the NFL draft dating back to 2006, when center Greg Eslinger went to the Broncos in the sixth round and Mark Setterstrom went to the St. Louis Rams in the seventh.
"When I took my pre-visit to the Ravens, I had a really good feeling," Faalele said. "Coach D [Ravens offensive line coach Joe D'Alessandris] is an awesome coach. We had a great meeting, and he talked about how he's coached Orlando Brown and stuff before. He just gave me that confidence to know I'm in good hands. I had a good feeling there that we would be a good fit."
An All-Big Ten First Team honoree in 2021, Faalele is the highest drafted offensive lineman out of Minnesota since the Giants picked center Brian Williams 18th overall in 1989.
He brings a massive 6-8, 384-pound frame to the NFL to protect quarterback Lamar Jackson after manning the right side of the Gophers' line in 2018, 2019 and 2021. He opted out of the 2020 season because of COVID-19 concerns.
A native of Melbourne, Australia, and an IMG Academy product, Faalele should be an intriguing project with some versatility for the Ravens. He opened scoring in the 2021 Guaranteed Rate Bowl with a 2-yard touchdown plunge that sparked an 18-6 win over West Virginia. He joins a Baltimore offense that also includes former Gophers receiver Rashod Bateman, a first-round draft pick last year.
"Rashod was my roommate my sophomore through junior year, so I'm excited to connect with him again and be on the same team," Faalele said.
Kieft also will see some familiar faces in Tampa Bay. He is the third recent Gopher on the Buccaneers roster, joining safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and receiver Tyler Johnson. The Bucs traded up to select Kieft with the 218th overall pick, sending two seventh-round picks to the Rams.
Kieft excelled as a blocker in five seasons with the Gophers after redshirting in 2016. He hauled in 12 passes in his collegiate career for 101 yards and two touchdowns.
"Any kind of run blocking, pass pro, I'm your man," he said. "I'll get down and dirty with the worst of them. That's my role, that's what I love to do, but when I am given the opportunity to run routes and catch the football, I'm proficient and can help the team in that way."
Otomewo and Mafe being drafted marks the first time that the Gophers had two defensive linemen taken in the same draft since the NFL moved to a seven-round format in 1994.
Otomewo made the All-Big Ten honorable mention list in 2021 after a campaign in which he posted 30 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. Two of those sacks came in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl against West Virginia when the Gophers knocked down Mountaineers quarterback Jarret Doege five times.
UND tackle goes to Dallas
The Cowboys drafted North Dakota left tackle Matt Waletzko from Rocori High School in Cold Spring, Minn., in the fifth round with the 155th pick. The 6-8, 312 pounder is the first University of North Dakota player drafted since 2006, when current Vikings offensive line coach Chris Kuper went in the fifth round.
