Next in Line: Jalen Huskey Looks to Extend Maryland’s NFL Draft Legacy

When Jalen Huskey’s name is called in Pittsburgh at the NFL Draft, he’ll be ready. It’ll be a moment he’s visualized and worked toward for decades as the next chapter of his football career begins. 

In two seasons in College Park and two at Bowling Green, Huskey collected 11 interceptions (including at least three in each of the last three seasons) and 177 tackles as he anchored defensive alignments in two different programs. Playing both cornerback and safety at both of his stops, he’s molded himself into one of the most well-rounded prospects in this year’s class.

“I’m constantly chasing greatness,” Huskey said. “I show up every single day with an intention to get better, I provide extreme versatility, I’m a leader, I’m someone you can plug in and play anywhere, and that’s what catapults me over everyone else.”

The Terps have had seven defensive backs drafted in the last seven NFL Drafts. Huskey looks to make it eight in eight years.

Maryland Defensive Backs Drafted into the NFL since 2019
Darnell Savage Jr. - 2019, 1st Round
Antoine Brooks Jr. - 2020, 6th Round
Nick Cross - 2022, 3rd Round
Deonte Banks - 2023, 1st Round
Jakorian Bennett - 2023, 4th Round
Tarheeb Still - 2024, 5th Round
Dante Trader Jr. - 2025, 5th Round

“I’m trying to be the next best player to come out of Maryland." Huskey said. "We put guys in the league every year, and I want to continue that. We don’t want that streak to end, so being able to be that guy to continue the line of great defensive backs is really exciting.”

Maryland has had 235 players drafted into the National Football League in the program’s rich history, including at least one player in every draft since 2018. Huskey hopes he stands out in the upcoming draft class because of his versatility and willingness to aid his team however he can. 

“The biggest thing with Jalen is that he’s been a sponge,” Maryland head coach Michael Locksley said. “When you look at Dante Trader Jr. and Tarheeb Still and the impacts they’re having at the next level, Huskey fits right in that line. He adds even more value because he’s a guy that’s played corner at a really high level, and he’s a safety who can slide into the slot as a nickel.”

Huskey trained specifically for the NFL Combine — as one of two Terps invited to the showcase — and Maryland Pro Day for nearly four months, but his preparation for professional football has been a process decades in the making. During his two seasons at Maryland, he’s taken advantage of every opportunity to mold himself into an NFL-caliber player and person. 

“I think I’ve grown the most personally,” Huskey said. “I’ve learned a whole lot about myself, and I’ve become a way better person than I am a football player, and it’s made me a better player and catapulted me into this position I’m in now.”

Through seasons of ups and downs, Huskey served as a pillar of consistency in Maryland’s secondary. He snagged four interceptions in 2025 as a part of a defensive unit that led the Big Ten in interceptions in the regular season.

“I grew a lot mentally,” Huskey said. “Being able to have a bad play or a bad practice and be able to put it behind me. Being able to trust the process and know you don’t get here overnight. It’s years and years of hard work that you put in every single day. I’ve learned to not be result-driven, but being process-driven every single day.”

Throughout the entire draft process — the NFL Combine, Maryland Pro Day, and one-on-one meetings and workouts with teams — Huskey has taken every opportunity to put his authentic and talented self on display as he establishes himself as an impossible prospect to overlook. 

“I’ve allowed myself to show teams who I am,” Huskey said. “A lot of teams only know me as what they see on the film, so attaching a face and a personality to the film is something that’s been really good for me.”

In the 2025 NFL Draft, Huskey got to watch six of his teammates drafted as Maryland sent half a dozen new names into the NFL. Huskey lined up on the defensive side of the ball with four now-professional Terps — Ruben Hyppolite II, Jordan Phillips, Dante Trader Jr., and Tommy Akingbesote — and has leaned on them as he gets ready to find out his new squad. 

“You can get as much information from your former teammates as possible, but you don’t fully know what to expect until you go through it yourself,” Huskey said. “As the process has gone, I’ve just grown more grateful for the opportunity. To be able to do what I’m doing right now, I can’t take that for granted.”

The Terps’ stretch of NFL draftees extends past the defensive back position. Maryland has produced three offensive linemen in the last three years and three first-round picks since 2018. 

“There’s a misconception that you have to go to other places to get drafted,” Locksley said. “If you look at the 22 players drafted since 2019, it shows our young players that if you come here and do the things that we know you’re capable of doing, and then you do that extra work, you can get there. We’re teaching guys how to be pros before they’re pros.”

Huskey worked out alongside six teammates at Maryland’s Pro Day — Alan Herron, Shaleak Knotts, Cam Rice, Jalil Farooq, Ethan Gough, Octavian Smith Jr. — as the Terps got ready to make their latest mark in the NFL. 

“This is a group of seniors that I think will have the chance to make a lot of NFL teams,” Locksley said. “The way these guys have taken on and embraced hard work sets them apart. Getting to the NFL is hard, and our guys have really embraced it, and if you look at this group of seniors, there are some really talented players.”

Huskey headlines a Terrapin draft class that’ll continue to define Maryland as a premier program at producing professional talent. He’s been working to hear his name called well before his tenure as a Terp began. His plug-and-play ability and work ethic have set him on a path to success — one that involves an unforgettable moment in the NFL Draft.