Five Auburn players taken in 2023 NFL Draft: 'A feeling I will never forget’

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Five Auburn players taken in 2023 NFL Draft: 'A feeling I will never forget’Five Auburn players taken in 2023 NFL Draft: 'A feeling I will never forget’
Austin Perryman/AU Athletics

Surrounded by friends and family, Derick Hall stood and watched the TV. He knew what was about to happen next. He had just gotten off the phone with the Seattle Seahawks who had told him they were planning to draft him No. 37 overall. But it didn't matter. 

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell walked to the podium and announced, "With the 37th pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Derick Hall, linebacker, Auburn." 

Hall couldn't hold back the emotion. He clapped as he fought back tears, and everybody around him went wild. It's a moment he will never forget. 


"I'm overjoyed," Hall said. "It's just a blessing and an honor to be in this position. I definitely won't take this for granted, having this opportunity. Because less than one percent of the world gets an opportunity to play this game at a national level and call themselves professional in what they do. As always, Auburn Family, thank you and War Eagle."

It was the second straight year an Auburn player had been taken in the top 40. Auburn has had at least one player taken in the third round or higher in each of the last 20 drafts. 

Hall would be the first of five Auburn players to hear their name called in this year's draft. 

Tank Bigsby got the phone call later that night from the Jacksonville Jaguars who selected the Auburn running back with the 88th pick in the third round. He was the seventh running back off the board and the first Auburn back drafted since Kerryon Johnson in 2018. 

"When I got that phone call, my heart dropped," Bigsby said. "It's like it really happened. It's amazing. It's a feeling I will never forget. Everything from July to mid-January to now, the stress just dropped. Knowing where I'm going to be at, knowing where I can go to work at, knowing my team. It's a blessing. 

"It was an amazing feeling. To have my family around me, my mom, everyone – it just makes me feel so great and comfortable."


On Saturday, three more Auburn players would go in the draft. Defensive lineman Colby Wooden was first off the board in the fourth round, followed by linebacker Owen Pappoe in the fifth round. And last but not least, kicker Anders Carlson experienced his draft moment when the Green Bay Packers took him in the sixth round. 

Wooden is also headed to Green Bay. He was selected No. 116 overall and shared a special moment with both his mom and dad after the pick came through. 

"It was amazing," he said. "I'm blessed and honored to go to such a historic, accomplished program – the OGs of the league – to learn so much. I'm blessed and highly favored. Go Pack!"


Not far away, the loudest cheer of the day in the state of Georgia came when Pappoe got off the phone with the Arizona Cardinals and shouted, "AZ." A second cheer, just as loud, followed when the pick was announced on TV. The Cardinals drafted Pappoe with the 168th pick in the fifth round, helping him reach a lifelong dream. 

"When I saw the Arizona area code, I was just happy," he said. "One, I'm getting a phone call because I'm getting picked. And two, I took a visit there not too long ago and the entire time I was there, the vibes great. I could tell this was a place I would really love to be at.  

"There has been a lot of perseverance, pushing through hard times, and nothing but hard work. I've been working to get to this point, but this is just the beginning. Now we're starting back from square one. It's time to earn my stripes in the league and keep doing what I've been doing this whole time. Leading by example, going hard and just being that same dude every day that's going to give you my all."


Carlson, who was drafted in the sixth round with pick No. 207, will join his brother Daniel in the NFL. Daniel Carlson was a fifth-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2018. He's currently one of the league's top kickers with the Las Vegas Raiders. 

For Auburn, the five players drafted are the most since the program had six taken in 2020. Auburn has now had four or more players drafted in six of the last seven drafts. 

There were also a handful of Auburn players who signed free agent deals with NFL teams following the draft: OL Brandon Council (New York Jets), WR Shedrick Jackson (Cincinnati Bengals), LB Eku Leota (Carolina Panthers), TE John Samuel Shenker (Las Vegas Raiders) and OL Killian Zierer (Houston Texans).