ORLANDO – The UCF football team opened the 2021 season with a 36-31 win over Boise State last Thursday. This Thursday, the 2021 NFL season gets underway with 21 former Knights on official team rosters or practice squads.
UCF set a program record with five selections in the 2021 NFL Draft this past spring and there were 24 former Knights on NFL rosters during this summer's preseason action.
There are 14 Knights on active rosters heading into week one, including the senior member of the group Matt Prater, who enters his 15th season in the NFL in 2021. Prater, who holds the NFL record for longest field goal with a 64-yarder and the most field goals of 50+ yards, enters his first season with the Arizona Cardinals after playing seven seasons with the Detroit Lions.
Now in his ninth season, A.J. Bouye also finds himself on a new team in 2021, joining the Carolina Panthers this offseason. Bouye is a former Pro Bowl honoree and has 14 interceptions in his career with the Texans, Jaguars, and Broncos.
Latavius Murray begins his eighth season in the NFL in 2021, his third with the New Orleans Saints. Murray, another Pro Bowl Knight, has rushed for over 500 yards in each of his last six seasons, totaling 43 career touchdowns with the Raiders, Vikings, and Saints.
Having spent the entirety of his active NFL career with the Cleveland Browns, Charley Hughlett is set to begin his seventh season as the team's long snapper. He has played in 96 games over the last six seasons with the Browns.
Breshad Perriman is now on his sixth team in the last five seasons, joining the Chicago Bears prior to the start of the 2021 NFL season. Perriman, who has caught over 30 passes and had over 500 receiving yards each of the last two seasons with the Bucs and Jets, enters his sixth season on the field in 2021.
Another Knight with a new team in 2021 is Shaquill Griffin, who joins the Jacksonville Jaguars after four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. Griffin has six career interceptions and made the Pro Bowl following the 2019 campaign.
Justin McCray also begins his fifth season on an active NFL roster, having played in 2017 and 2018 for the Green Bay Packers, 2019 for the Cleveland Browns, and 2020 with the Atlanta Falcons. McCray an offensive lineman, joined the Houston Texans during the offseason.
McCray's new teammate, Jordan Akins, begins his fourth season in the NFL. Akins has totaled 90 catches and three touchdowns as a tight end with the Texans.
Mike Hughes is also in his fourth season, having played his first three with the Minnesota Vikings while playing through injuries. He is now in his first season with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Tre'Quan Smith, another member of the Knights' 2018 NFL Draft Class, begins his fourth season in the NFL, having played his entire career with the New Orleans Saints. Smith has hauled in 80 catches for 1,109 yards and 14 touchdowns in his short career.
Gabriel Davis rounds out the returning Knights on active rosters heading into the 2021 regular season. Davis is in his second season in the NFL after catching 35 passes for 599 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie for the Buffalo Bills last season.
A trio of rookies in 2021 have made active rosters heading into the regular season. Richie Grant is a safety for the Atlanta Falcons, Tay Gowan is a corner for the Arizona Cardinals, and Jacob Harris is a tight end for the Los Angeles Rams.
Other rookies on NFL rosters include Tre Nixon (New England Patriots practice squad), Otis Anderson (Los Angeles Rams practice squad), and Aaron Robinson (New York Giants physically unable to perform reserve).
Jordan Franks starts the regular season on the practice squad for the Cleveland Browns, while Shaquem Griffin is on the practice squad for the Miami Dolphins. Adrian Killins Jr. is on injured reserve for the Denver Broncos, and Trysten Hill is on the physically unable to perform reserve for the Dallas Cowboys.
