![\"Brian](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01kq5s2vj2fzmpmdke1n.jpg\" "\\"Brian")
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Brian Newberry has helped Navy capture glimpses of its former glory. | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Winner: Brian Newberry, Navy<\/p>\n
Midshipmen being drafted are rare enough, given the logistical difficulties that often arise from working around players\u2019 service commitments. On Saturday, though, the Bengals took nose tackle Landon Robinson and Pittsburgh took fullback Eli Heidenreich four picks apart in the seventh round. The last time two Navy players were drafted was 1956, when the Cardinals took quarterback George Welsh (later a Hall of Fame coach) and end Ron Beagle. Newberry\u2019s immediate reversal of the Midshipmen\u2019s early 2020s decline cannot be overstated.<\/p>\n
Loser: Luke Fickell, Wisconsin<\/p>\n
The Badgers\u2019 player development this century has drawn the envy of a number of more successful programs, so it was jarring to see an NFL draft come and go without any Badgers taken. That is an unfortunate testament to how much Fickell\u2014a man who helped Cincinnati produce nine draftees in 2022\u2014has struggled in his first three seasons. As he hinted at this week<\/a>, Fickell seems to know what kind of pressure he\u2019s under from a fanbase unexpectedly nostalgic for the days of coach Paul Chryst.<\/p>\n Ja\u2019Juan Seider\u2019s history-making first round as Notre Dame\u2019s running backs coach was cause for celebration. | MICHAEL CLUBB\/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n Winner: Ja\u2019Juan Seider, running backs coach, Notre Dame<\/p>\n No position coach in the game was riding higher this weekend than Seider, who watched Arizona (Jeremiyah Love) and the Seahawks (Jadarian Price) both make Fighting Irish running backs first-round picks. Here\u2019s a capsule bio of Seider: the ex-West Virginia and Florida A&M quarterback helped the Mountaineers churn out three 1,000-yard rusher in the 2010s, coached Penn State\u2019s running backs for seven years under James Franklin, and replaced veteran coach Deland McCullough before \u201925. He even found time to pen an essay on Love<\/a> for The Athletic. Still just 49, Seider is clearly a name worth watching.<\/p>\n Loser: Lincoln Riley, USC<\/p>\n Riley\u2019s weekend was bad on three different levels. First and foremost, only three Trojans being drafted for the second straight year\u2014one fewer than Boston College\u2014was wild (last time that happened: 2001 to \u201902). Second, three ex-USC players\u2014Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch, Texas Tech defensive end Romello Height and Oregon guard Emmanuel Pregnon\u2014went on Day 2, advancing fairly or unfairly the perception that Riley has driven away talent. Third, the fact that Riley had all these players at one time reflected unflatteringly on his 35\u201318 record with the Trojans\u2014good, but a step down from his 55\u201310 mark with Oklahoma. He\u2019ll be hoping his recruiting successes<\/a> lead to happier draft days in the year to come.<\/p>\n More College Football from Sports Illustrated<\/p>\n Listen to SI\u2019s college sports podcast,\u00a0Others Receiving Votes, below or on\u00a0Apple<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Spotify<\/a>. Watch the show on\u00a0SI\u2019s College YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Ja\u2019Juan](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01kq5s5x7jy35g0cw9vb.jpg\" "\\"Ja\u2019Juan")
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