On Day Three of the 2025 NFL Draft on Saturday, a UNLV Rebel heard their name called as a pick for the first time since 2010.
When the Seattle Seahawks selected wide receiver Ricky White III, he made program history that day, and the hope is that he is just the first of more successes at the NFL level. However, White was just the headliner of what was an underrated group of players the Rebels had heading into the draft. While White was the only one out of the group selected, some NFL teams saw enough potential to add more during undrafted free agency.
As a result, the collection of former UNLV players in the NFL has grown a bit larger.
Two defenders from UNLV have found the teams they hope to latch on to.
Signing on as undrafted free agents, linebacker Jackson Woodard is reuniting with White as a member of the Seattle Seahawks, while defensive back Johnathan Baldwin is headed east to the Green Bay Packers.
Woody continues his journey on the west coast ????@jackson_wood23 | @Seahawks pic.twitter.com/eXDGZeyf5L
— UNLV Football (@unlvfootball) April 27, 2025
Headed to the Pack ????@imjohnoo | @packers pic.twitter.com/mIk3f88f0m
— UNLV Football (@unlvfootball) April 27, 2025
Woodard emerged as a leader of the Rebels defense over the past two seasons after transferring from Arkansas in 2023. In 2024, he became the first UNLV player in 17 years to be named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year. He established himself as one of the most versatile linebackers in the nation against the run and the pass, and he now hopes to continue that success alongside White in Seattle.
Baldwin has also landed a spot in the NFL after a season where he finished second-team All-Mountain West in 2024. Improving every season, Baldwin finished his final collegiate campaign with career-high numbers in sacks (three and a half), interceptions (three) and passes defended (ten). Likely kicking over to safety at the next level, Baldwin hopes those playmaking instincts translate to the NFL and get him a spot on the Packers roster.
Good luck to both Woodard and Baldwin as they prepare for this exciting new chapter of their careers.
