Southern Miss Alummi in the NFL
Nick Mullens of the Las Vegas Raiders attempts a pass during the second quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Aug. 20, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Florida.
As Southern Miss prepares for Week 1 of the college football season, numerous former Golden Eagles continue their journey in the NFL.
Southern Miss has five former players who are currently on rosters as well as a few others who are still searching for homes.
Nick Mullens, who played at Southern Miss from 2013- 2016, was recently traded by the Las Vegas Raiders to be the backup quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. Mullens burst onto the NFL scene with the 49ers following an injury to Jimmy Garappolo. He went 16-22 for 262 yards with three touchdown passes in what was heralded as one of the greatest NFL quarterback debuts. Mullens returned to the backup role after Garappolo returned, and bounced around the NFL before being signed by Las Vegas. Since the trade, the Viking released QBs Sean Mannion and Kellen Mond, Mullens is the clear-cut number two quarterback behind Kirk Cousins.
Tim Jones spent the 2021 season on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad after signing as an undrafted free agent, and he has been one of the most efficient receivers for the Jaguars this preseason. In the first three preseason games, he hauled in 14 catches for 219 yards.
Tarvarius Moore was drafted in the third round by San Francisco in 2018, and he has proven himself as a solid player in the professional ranks. His career highlight is intercepting a pass from Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LIV. The 49ers held a 20-10 lead in the 4th quarter at the time of the interception, though they would fall 31-20
to Mahomes and the Chiefs. Moore, who missed all of 2021 due to injury, made his mark in the third 2022 preseason game by intercepting Davis Mills on a deflected pass.
The Philadelphia Eagles selected Quez Watkins in the 6th round in 2020, and he has been a vertical threat ever since. He did not see the field much in his first season, but he made 12 starts at wide receiver last season and is poised to be a starter this season.
Defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches remains a mem- ber of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Nunez-Roches was draft- ed in the sixth round in 2015 by the Kansas City Chief where he played for four seasons. He is entering his fifth season with the Tampa Bay Bucs where he won a Super Bowl ring in the 2020 season.
“We’ve [had] 125 NFL Draft picks here. We’ve had 18 players play in the Super Bowl. When we recruit and tell that to kids, those are facts. We’re not selling some made-up dream because most teams in our conference aren’t even close to that,” Southern Miss head football coach Will Hall said. “We have real tradition here, and it really matters. It’s great to see those guys really continuing on that tradition, and we want to get back to that level again.”
“It just goes to show you that Southern Miss football develops folks to go to the next level,” Duggan said. “Those are the kind of kids we have here at Southern Miss. They work hard and they’re just looking for an opportunity… For me… it’s fun to see these guys do bigger and better things at the next level.”
Two of the notable players without teams include former star Golden Eagle running back Jalen Richard and Jamie Collins, who is one of the greatest Southern Miss defenders this millennium.
“Jamie [Collins] is probably the guy who’s had the most success since I’ve been here in 2007,” Southern Miss Sports Information Director Jack Dug- gan said. “Jalen Richard’s trying to find another home after establishing himself with the Raiders as a solid back who can catch the ball out of the back- field. It’s a tough life, and you can’t take any days off.”
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