The Dark Duck Draft of 2017

The 2017 NFL Draft was a dark time in the history of Oregon football, as the Ducks had no players drafted. Mr. FishDuck took a break from his fun at online betting app Bangladesh to recall that ugly NFL Draft for Oregon.

Zero. Nada. Zilch.

2017 was a crossroads for the program. The Ducks were coming off their worst season in 25 years, they fired head coach Mark Helfrich, and Autzen Stadium was not selling out for the first time in 15 years. In two years, Oregon went from playing for the national championship to a complete dumpster fire.

After 10 years, the rest of the college football had caught up to the blur offense brought in by Chip Kelly in 2007, so it was no longer a strategic advantage for the Ducks. For several seasons the Ducks were able to compensate for their lack of blue-chip recruiting by playing a style of football that took everyone by surprise, but no more.

The Ducks had reached the fork in the road: Recruit better or slip into the vast ocean of college football mediocrity. The Ducks hired Willie Taggart to replace Helfrich and say what you may say about Taggart, but he did bring in recruiting ace Mario Cristobal, and the Ducks have been a recruiting heavyweight ever since.

While Taggart and Cristobal were not great coaches, they understood the first three musts of college football, and those are recruit, recruit and recruit. Cristobal shattered the idea that great linemen could not be recruited to Eugene, which laid the foundation for building a team from the ground up and solidifying the trenches. The Ducks have never looked back as they have become a perennial Top-10 recruiting power.

Terrance Ferguson is a third-round prospect. (Photo credit: Eric Becker)

Nothing punctuated the Ducks’ need to increase their recruiting than having no players drafted in 2017. Think about that. Of the 250 or so picks in the draft, the Ducks did not have a single player taken. That is difficult for a then Power 5 program to do. Especially, for a team that had played for the national title just two years prior.

Ironically, Oregon produced two undrafted free agents who are still in the league. Tight ends Pharaoh Brown and Johnny Mundt. Go figure. And, undrafted offensive lineman Cameron Hunt played in the NFL through 2022, and was a USFL and XFL champion in 2022 and 2023. He was named All-USFL in 2022.

2025 Projected Draft Prospects

Josh Conerly Jr., Offensive Tackle, projected in Rounds 1 or early 2

Derrick Harmon, Defensive Lineman, projected Rounds 1 or early 2

Jordan Burch, Defensive Lineman, projected Round 3

Terrance Ferguson, Tight End, projected Round 3

Jeffrey Bassa, Linebacker, projected Round 3

Tez Johnson, Wide Receiver, projected Round 3 (hopefully Denver)

Dillon Gabriel, Quarterback, projected Round 4

Hopefully, some more will sneak in there or prove to be successful undrafted free agents.

Darren Perkins
Spokane, WA
Top photo credit: Eric Becker

Natalie Liebhaber, the FishDuck.com Volunteer Editor for this article, works in technology in SLC, Utah

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Darren Perkins

Darren Perkins is a sales professional and 1997 Oregon graduate. After finishing school, he escaped the rain and moved to sunny Southern California where he studied screenwriting for two years at UCLA. Darren grew up in Eugene and in 1980, at the tender age of five, he attended his first Oregon football game. His lasting memory from that experience was an enthusiastic Don Essig announcing to the crowd: “Reggie Ogburn, completes a pass to… Reggie Ogburn.” Captivated by such a thrilling play, Darren’s been hooked on Oregon football ever since. Currently living in Spokane, Darren enjoys flaunting his yellow and green superiority complex over friends and family in Cougar country.