BENSON DRAFTED BY RAIDERS; 5 DRAGONS ARE UDFA SELECTIONS
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
A total of six former Hutchinson Community College football players now have opportunities to play in the National Football League after this weekend's NFL Draft.
Two-time NJCAA All-American Malik Benson was the only Blue Dragon selected in the seven rounds of the draft. Four others – Cortez Braham, DeShon Singleton, Miles Kitselman and Nadame Tucker – were signed as undrafted free agents. Jakari Foster was invited to a free-agent mini-camp.
With the draft class of 2026, a total of 59 former Blue Dragons have been taken as an NFL draft pick or as a UDFA. The six players selected in 2026 tie for the second most in a single draft season tying the 2017 and 2022 drafts. The most Blue Dragon players ever selected in a single draft was seven in 2023.
MALIK BENSON (Las Vegas Raiders – 6th round)
Benson played with the Blue Dragons in 2021 and 2022 and is the only Hutchinson player in history to be a two-time first-team NJCAA All-American.
Benson, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound receiver from Lansing, Kansas, was drafted in the sixth round on Saturday by the Las Vegas Raiders with the 195th overall pick.
He is the 13th Blue Dragon selected as a draft pick, the first since the Raiders selected Jakorian Bennett in the fourth round of the 2023 Draft. Benson is the third Blue Dragon drafted by the Raiders' organization. Jerome Love was an eighth-round draft pick by the Raiders in the 1976 Draft.
At Hutchinson, Benson caught 103 passes for 2,207 yards and 21 touchdowns in two All-American seasons. As a freshman, Benson had 43 catches for 1,229 yards and 11 touchdowns. As a sophomore, he had 60 catches for 977 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Benson still ranks No. 1 in Blue Dragon history in career receiving yards (2,207) and career yards per reception (21.6). He is second in career receiving touchdowns with 21 and third in career receptions with 103.
After Hutchinson, Benson spent single seasons at Alabama, Florida State and Oregon. He had his best Power 4 season in 2025 with the Ducks, where he had 43 catches for 716 yards and four touchdown in a Big 10 honorable mention season.
CORTEZ BRAHAM (Baltimore Ravens – UDFA)
Braham played at Hutchinson in 2020 and 2021, suiting up for the 2020/21 national champion Blue Dragons.
A 6-2, 201-pound receiver from Baltimore, was a two-time all-KJCCC performer as a receiver at Hutchinson.
Braham, in 17 games with the Blue Dragons, had 51 career catches for 1,152 yards and 15 touchdowns at Hutchinson. In 2022, Braham a Blue Dragon season highs of 32 catches for 723 yards and 10 touchdowns.
After Hutchinson, Braham played at West Virginia, Nevada and Memphis. He had 137 career receptions for 1,784 yards and 12 touchdowns at the four-year level. In his last season at Memphis in 2025, Braham had 63 catches for 889 yards and eight touchdowns.
Braham is the fifth former Blue Dragon to be selected by the Ravens, joining Phil Hawkins (2001), Meshak Williams (2013), Jonathan White (2023) and Tramel Walthour (2024). All of those players were undrafted free agents.
DESHON SINGLETON (Kansas City Chiefs – UDFA)
Singleton played as a defensive back for the Blue Dragons in 2021. He is a 6-3, 210-pound safety from Greensburg, Louisiana.
Singleton was a 2021 All-KJCCC honorable mention selection who had 21 tackles, two interceptions and a pair passes broken up for the Jayhawk Conference playoff champion Blue Dragons.
After Hutchinson, Singleton played for seasons at Nebraska, where he was a three-year starter for the Huskers. In 42 games at Nebraska, Singleton had 163 tackles, three interceptions and eight passes defensed. He earned all-Big 10 honors in 2025, despite missing the last two games with an injury.
Singleton is the first Blue Dragon to be taken by the Chiefs since 2003 when
MILES KITSELMAN (Detroit Lions – UDFA)
Kitselman's Blue Dragon career was cut short to five games in 2021 because of injuries. But the 6-5, 255-pound tight end from Lyndon, Kansas, made the most of his time at Hutchinson.
In 2021, Kitselman had two catches for 16 yards before his season-ending injury. During spring ball in 2022, scouts from Alabama were in Hutchinson to look at Benson and noticed Kitselman.
Kitselman originally signed with Alabama and spent two seasons with the Crimson Tide before transferring to SEC Rival Tennessee. In two seasons in Knoxville, Tennessee, Kitselman played in 24 games with four receptions, 554 yards and six touchdowns.
Kitselman is the third player selected by the Lions. Jeremiah Ledbetter was a sixth-round draft pick in 2017 and Jerry Jacobs was an undrafted free agent signee in 2018.
NADAME TUCKER (San Diego Chargers – UDFA)
Tucker was a starting linebacker or the 2021 Blue Dragons and put together and NJCAA All-American honorable mention season with the Blue Dragons. Tucker transferred to Hutchinson after spending one season at Independence in 2020-21.
A 6-3, 250-pound linebacker from New York, New York, had 50 total tackles, including 29 unassisted stops for the Blue Dragons. He had 19.5 tackles for loss, including 12.0 quarterback sacks to go with two forced fumbles and two passes broken up.
Tucker then spent three seasons at the University of Houston before completing his collegiate eligibility at Western Michigan, were he was a third-team NCAA All-American after a season with 55 tackles and 14.5 quarterback sacks.
Tucker is the second Blue Dragon taken by the Chargers. The last was defensive end Greg Cole, who was a San Diego UDFA in 2003.
JAKARI FOSTER (Tennessee Titans – UDFA Mini-Camp Invitee)
Foster was a Blue Dragon in 2022 and 2023. A 6-foot, 211-pound defensive back from Piedmont, Alabama, had 29 career tackles with four passes broken up, one interception and one forced fumble at Hutchinson.
Foster transferred to Louisiana Tech and played two seasons for the Bulldogs. He had 91 career tackles and nine interceptions, eight picks in 2025, at Louisiana Tech.
Foster is the fourth Blue Dragon selected by the Titans, joining Jason Gamble (1998), Toby Johnson (2013) and Isaiah Iton (2024.