Jordan Glasgow and Luke Juriga have plenty in common, most notably Marmion, Michigan and family. And, of course, football.
Football was the focus for the former Marmion teammates Saturday as the last day of the NFL draft played out, with 32 teams making selections in the final four of seven rounds.
“I sat and watched the whole thing,” Glasgow said. “It was boring and long but a big relief when my name was called.”
Glasgow, a 6-foot-1, 227-pound linebacker, was taken by the Indianapolis Colts late in the sixth round with the 213th pick overall. He was the 10th player drafted from the University of Michigan.
Glasgow follows two older brothers — Graham, an offensive lineman, and Ryan, a defensive lineman — who went from walk-on players to being on scholarship at Michigan to reaching the NFL.
Graham was drafted in the third round in 2015 by the Detroit Lions and last month signed a free-agent contract with the Denver Broncos. Ryan was drafted in the fourth round in 2017 by the Cincinnati Bengals.
Juriga, a 6-4, 298-pound center who started all 52 games in his career at Western Michigan, was not drafted Saturday but fielded calls from league personnel throughout much of the afternoon.
It gave him a say in the decision, and he came to terms on a free-agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles immediately after the draft ended.
He follows in the footsteps of his father Jim, an offensive lineman whose three seasons with Denver included a 1989 Super Bowl appearance.
North Central College quarterback Broc Rutter joined the area’s NFL connection on draft day by signing a free-agent deal with the San Francisco 49ers.
A Neuqua Valley grad, Rutter led NCC to the program’s first NCAA Division III title in December. He became the all-time leader for passing yardage in Division III with 14,258 yards. He won the Gagliardi Trophy, the Division III version of the Heisman.
“Extremely excited for the opportunity to join the 49ers,” Rutter said on Twitter. “Can’t wait to get to work.”
Glasgow played both safety and linebacker in college. He excelled on special teams all four years but didn’t start on defense at linebacker until his senior year.
“I actually had more practice time at safety but more playing time at linebacker,” Glasgow said before the draft.
In its coverage Saturday afternoon, ESPN listed Glasgow as a safety in a graphic.
“Indianapolis put me on their draft card on Instagram as a linebacker,” Glasgow said. “I’m pretty sure I’ll be a linebacker.
“I had talked to Indianapolis over the last few weeks, but honestly, they weren’t the first team I thought would take me. I thought another team I spoke with might be more likely to take me.”
NFL teams traditionally have rookie minicamps for their new players shortly after the draft, but the coronavirus pandemic has put that on hold.
“They’re going to fill me in in the next few days,” Glasgow said. “I’m just excited to get to the next chapter.”
Juriga said the Eagles have sent him some information to help him start learning their playbook. They will hold virtual meetings soon.
“It was definitely frustrating not being drafted,” Juriga said. “Many of the calls were along the lines of, ‘If I didn’t get picked, what would it take to get me to sign?'”
He also liked the situation in Philadelphia.
Juriga will likely compete with 2018 Iowa grad Keegan Render. He was with the team through training camp last season, cut and then signed to the practice squad in Week 7, where he remained the rest of the season.
Juriga, like Render, played both guard and center in college.
Jason Kelce, a 10-year veteran out of Cincinnati, is the starter at center for the Eagles. He’s a three-time Pro Bowl pick who leads active centers in the NFL with 89 straight starts.
“He’s planning to retire next year,” said Juriga, who hopes to make the roster as a backup center/guard, learn behind Kelce and then compete for the starting position.
