Rutgers has two more names drawing national attention before the next NFL Draft cycle even gets rolling.
Wide receiver KJ Duff and running back Antwan Raymond both landed on the 2027 Senior Bowl Top 300, a list that spotlights the country’s top draft-eligible prospects. For a Rutgers program that has kept stacking NFL talent, the recognition fits the recent run.
The Scarlet Knights entered training camp with 22 alumni on NFL rosters, and head coach Greg Schiano has sent 118 players to the league during his tenure. Rutgers has also produced at least one draft pick in each of the past five years, matching a program record.
The Senior Bowl remains a major marker on the path to the NFL Draft, and this year’s game is set for Jan. 31, 2026, in Mobile, Alabama. Rutgers has had 18 players selected for the event over the years, including Tyreem Powell (2025), Max Melton (2024), Adam Korsak (2023), Bo Melton (2022), Kemoko Turay (2018), Leonte Carroo (2016), Khaseem Greene (2013), Steve Beauharnais (2013), Joe Lefeged (2011), Devin McCourty (2010), Clark Harris (2007), Brian Leonard (2007), L.J. Smith (2003), Mike McMahon (2001), Robert Barr (1996), Bruce Presley (1996), Steve Simms (1962) and Alex Kroll (1962).
Duff’s 2025 season was the kind that turns heads. The Academic All-Big Ten selection ranked third in the Big Ten, fourth among Power 4 players and seventh nationally with 90.3 receiving yards per game. He was one of only three Big Ten players to top 1,000 receiving yards, finishing with 1,084 and becoming the seventh Scarlet Knight to do it in a season, the second in the Big Ten era and the first since 2014.
His biggest outing came at Purdue, where he caught six passes for 241 yards in a win. That total was the fourth most in a game nationally in 2025, the most by a Big Ten player and the second-highest single-game mark in Rutgers history. Duff also led the nation with 22 contested catches according to Pro Football Focus, earned honorable mention All-America honors from Phil Steele and was voted Second Team All-Big Ten.
The Riverhead, New York, native finished with 60 receptions, ninth-most in a season in program history, and had at least five catches in eight games. He also ranked second in the league with 18.1 yards per reception. Fifty of his catches either moved the chains or went for touchdowns, and he found the end zone seven times.
Raymond put together a season just as packed with production. The Doak Walker Award semifinalist, Cornish Trophy winner and Phil Steele Fourth Team All-America pick carried 244 times for 1,241 yards and 15 total touchdowns, with 13 on the ground and two through the air.
That rushing total ranked third in the Big Ten, 14th nationally and eighth in Rutgers single-season history. Raymond had four 100-yard rushing games, highlighted by a 240-yard effort on a school-record-tying 41 carries in the win over Maryland. He scored at least once in 10 games, finished third in the Big Ten in touchdowns, second with 122.2 all-purpose yards per game and eighth nationally with 244 rushing attempts.
His year brought Second Team All-Big Ten honors from both the media and coaches, along with Academic All-Big Ten and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team® recognition.
Rutgers opens the season Thursday, Sept. 3 against UMass at SHI Stadium.
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Rutgers Has A Feel Good 2026 Story Fans Can Rally Around
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For a fan base already sizing up the upcoming schedule and ticket sales, the watch-list nod adds a human element to the buildup. Chin and Walker give Rutgers something more than just dates on a calendar right now, and their presence on the list offers a reminder that the next season is about more than wins and losses. There is a comeback angle here worth following once camp gets closer and the depth chart starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
