Hennessy, Hand give Owls multiple NFL Draft picks once again
For the fifth consecutive year, Temple's football program has produced multiple NFL Draft picks.
The Atlanta Falcons selected Owls center Matt Hennessy in the third round Friday night with the 78th overall pick, and the Minnesota Vikings took cornerback Harrison Hand Saturday afternoon in the fifth round with the 169th overall selection.
Temple linebackers Shaun Bradley and Chapelle Russell, the two other Owls who participated in February's NFL Scouting Combine, were still waiting to hear their names called as the draft moved to the sixth round.
Not long after Temple's season came to an end in the Military Bowl, Hennessy decided to forego his final season of eligibility and enter the draft.
“I really dug into the decision-making process in early December,” Hennessy told OwlScoop.com last week. “By mid to late December, I knew.”
It proved to be the right decision. Graded out as the top center in the nation by Pro Football Focus this past season, Hennessy will join his brother Thomas, a long-snapper with the Jets, in the NFL.
The Falcons have a six-time Pro Bowler in veteran center Alex Mack, but head coach Dan Quinn told reporters in Atlanta Friday night that Hennessy would have the chance to compete for the team's staring left guard spot.
"That's definitely one of the spots we're focusing on heading into the 2020 season," Quinn said. "We have some candidates in house and that's important to know that's going to be a significant part of our offensive line. To play the style we like, you better have enough work on the line of scrimmage. To bring Matt in here, especially where we had him regarded, certainly seemed like the best fit for us and we're really pumped to have him here."
While Hennessy's road to the NFL started as a 3-star recruit out of New Jersey's Don Bosco Prep with mostly FCS-level offers, Hand was a 4-star recruit who played locally at Cherry Hill West High School. He followed former Temple head coach and current Carolina Panther head coach Matt Rhule to Baylor before transferring home to play for the Owls in 2019.
Hand tallied three interceptions, eight pass break-ups, a forced fumble and 59 tackles in 12 games this past season. He missed the Military Bowl with an injury.
"Only had Harrison for the one year," Temple head coach Rod Carey said. "Came back home and obviously performed at a really high level for us and would expect that he will be doing the same on Sundays."