University of Louisville wide receiver Tutu Atwell kicked off the second night of the 2021 NFL Draft as he was selected with the 57th overall pick in the Second Round by the Los Angeles Rams on Friday evening.
Atwell is the eighth UofL wide receiver to be drafted in school history and the first time a receiver was taken in the draft since DeVante Parker was a first-round selection in 2015..
Atwell became the 130th Cardinal to be selected in the professional draft. His 57th overall selection was the third highest by a wide receiver in school history, joining Parker at No. 14 and Ernest Givins at No. 34 in the 1986 draft.
Louisville wide receivers selected in the NFL Draft
Year Rd Pick Player Pos Age Team
2021 2 57 Tutu Atwell WR 21 Los Angeles Rams
2015 1 14 DeVante Parker WR 22 Miami Dolphins
2008 3 84 Harry Douglas WR 23 Atlanta Falcons
2008 7 246 Mario Urrutia WR 22 Cincinnati Bengals
2005 7 253 J.R. Russell WR 23 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2002 2 65 Deion Branch WR 23 New England Patriots
1986 2 34 Ernest Givins WR 22 Houston Oilers
1983 8 223 Mark Clayton WR 22 Miami Dolphins
The 5-foot-9 wide receiver finished his three-year Louisville career with 140 receptions for 2,307 yards and 21 touchdowns in 34 career contests. His 21 touchdown receptions are tied for fifth in school history and also ranks eight in receiving yards, while also ranking fourth with 10 100-yard receiving contests.
Despite missing two games due to injury, Atwell finished the 2020 season as the team’s leading receiver with 46 receptions for 625 yards and seven touchdowns — tied for fourth in the ACC in touchdowns. The native of Miami, Fla., ranked 14th in the conference in receptions and 16th in yards. He caught a season-high eight passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns in the loss to nationally ranked Miami.
In a 48-16 win over Florida State, Atwell caught three passes for 129 yards and a touchdown, in addition to his first career rushing touchdown in the win over Florida State. He caught a 58-yard touchdown pass and also had a 66-yard reception.
The 2019 campaign was one of the best in school history. Appearing in all 13 games, Atwell, who caught a career high 70 passes, led the ACC and set the school record in receiving yards (1,276) and equaled the school mark for touchdowns with 12, finishing tops in the league with an average of 98.2 yards per game.
Finishing eighth in the nation in receiving yards, Atwell led the nation with four receptions of 70 or more yards and was one of just three receivers with two 80+ yard receiving touchdowns on the year. The former Northwestern High product became the first Louisville player to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season since Harry Douglas in 2007.
A Pro Football Focus first team All-American and All-ACC selection, Atwell ended his sophomore season with a career high nine receptions for 147 yards in the Music City Bowl win over Mississippi State. He caught five passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns against Western Kentucky, becoming the first Louisville player with three TD receptions since 2015. He grabbed eight receptions for 110 yards against Boston College, and finished with six catches for 122 yards and a 77-yard touchdown against Virginia , while also catching six passes for 142 yards on six catches at Miami, including an 80-yard score in the first quarter. The 160-pound speedster recorded a career-best 152 receiving yards on five receptions, scoring touchdowns of 14 and 90 yards against Syracuse.
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