A pair of Maryland Terrapins teammates will stay together as they embark on their NFL careers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Maryland running back Anthony McFarland in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft Saturday, then grabbed safety Antoine Brooks Jr. in the sixth round. McFarland was the No. 124 overall selection, and Brooks followed at No. 198.
McFarland turned pro after just two seasons with the Terrapins. The former four-star recruit burst onto the scene with 1,034 rushing yards as a freshman in 2018, including a 298-yard performance against Ohio State that year.
He was named second-team All-Big Ten in 2018. He played in 11 games for Maryland in 2019 and finished his collegiate career with 1,636 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown in 22 games.
On the draft’s TV broadcast, ESPN analyst Louis Riddick called McFarland a good complementary piece for Pittsburgh’s backfield to accompany starter James Conner.
“I think (the Steelers) got somebody who has tremendous explosiveness on the second level,” Riddick said. “That’s the first thing that you see when you watch McFarland play, is his speed.”
McFarland is the 15th Maryland running back to be drafted in the NFL. It’s the second year in a row the program had someone from that position selected in the draft; the Detroit Lions picked Ty Johnson in the sixth round in 2019.
Brooks, meanwhile, led the Big Ten with 69 solo tackles in 2019 - ninth-most in the country — and had five pass break-ups on his way to earning second-team All-Big Ten honors.
One of McFarland’s and Brooks’ former Maryland teammates, Carolina Panthers linebacker Jermaine Carter Jr., celebrated the picks on Twitter.
“Being drafted with a teammate is lit but to have multiple teammates is love,” Carter wrote.
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