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Former Syracuse Orange wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo went undrafted Saturday, after 32 teams bypassed taking the 6-foot-2, 202-pound wideout in any of the draft’s seven rounds.
Former Syracuse wide receiver and return man Brisly Estime also went undrafted, as did offensive linemen Omari Palmer and Michael Lasker. While Estime, Palmer and Lasker were all expected to go undrafted, Etta-Tawo was projected to be taken as early as the fourth round in one mock draft.
This marks the second time in the past three NFL Drafts no Syracuse player heard his name called.
Etta-Tawo later signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars less than two hours after the draft concluded.
As a graduate transfer from Maryland, Etta-Tawo flourished in his lone season at Syracuse, setting the Orange single-season records for receptions (94), receiving yards (1,482) and receiving yards per game (123.5). Etta-Tawo was also one 10 Biletnikoff Award semifinalists, which is given to the nation’s most outstanding receiver.
2016 Receiving Yards Leaders
| Name | Team | Receptions | Yards | Average | Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Team | Receptions | Yards | Average | Touchdowns |
| 1. Trent Taylor | Louisiana Tech | 136 | 1,803 | 13.3 | 12 |
| 2. Zay Jones | Eastern Carolina | 158 | 1,746 | 11.1 | 8 |
| 3. Taywan Taylor | Western Kentucky | 98 | 1,730 | 17.7 | 17 |
| 4. Richie James | Middle Tennessee | 106 | 1,625 | 15.5 | 12 |
| 5. Carlos Henderson | Louisiana Tech | 82 | 1,535 | 18.7 | 19 |
| 6. Dede Westbrook | Oklahoma | 80 | 1,524 | 19.1 | 17 |
| 7. Corey Davis | Western Michigan | 97 | 1,500 | 15.5 | 19 |
| 8. Amba Etta-Tawo | Syracuse | 94 | 1,482 | 15.8 | 14 |
| 9. Anthony Miller | Memphis | 95 | 1,434 | 15.1 | 14 |
| 10. James Washington | Oklahoma State | 71 | 1,380 | 19.4 | 10 |
Etta-Tawo then had a productive showing at the NFL Scouting Combine, running a 4.49-second 40-yard dash – which he later improved to 4.35-seconds at Syracuse’s Pro Day.
Despite his remarkable stats and measurables, Etta-Tawo remained an enigma for scouts and NFL front offices, as a number of concerns still lingered regarding his breakout season, including: dropped passes, the poor production at Maryland (not really his fault), limited route runner, raw talent and questions of how much Syracuse coach Dino Babers’ system played into his production.
Those concerns ultimately outweighed Etta-Tawo’s incredible 2016 season and resulted in the former Syracuse receiver going undrafted, despite finishing the year with only 18 fewer receiving yards than Corey Davis, who the Titans selected with the fifth overall pick.