By Andrew Holtan
The Brookings Beacon
Ten players from South Dakota State will be on NFL rosters at the start of the 2026 season.
NFL teams finalized their 53-man rosters last week and 10 Jackrabbits are either on an active roster or on a practice squad. That is the most out of any FCS team, now that North Dakota State, who has 11 NFL players, is in the FBS.
Dallas Goedert is the veteran of the group, entering his ninth season at tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles. Goedert started in 15 games last season for the Eagles. He caught 60 passes for 591 yards and had a career-high 11 touchdowns in 2025.
Mason McCormick will be the starting left guard for the Pittsburgh Steelers for the third-straight season. He started 17 games in 2025.
Tucker Kraft is entering his fourth season with the Green Bay Packers. After a breakout season in 2024, Kraft had last season cut short after he tore his ACL in week eight. Kraft was averaging a career-high 61.1 yards per game and had six touchdown catches before the injury. All signs point to Kraft making his return in Green Bay’s season opener at Minnesota this weekend and he was named a team captain on Sunday.
Christian Rozeboom is entering the sixth year of his career. Ahead of the 2025 season, Rozeboom signed a one-year contract for $2.5 million with the Carolina Panthers. He started in 15 games for the Panthers and had 122 tackles. He also had a forced fumble, fumble recovery and an interception. He will start for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this year after signing a one-year contract for $1.5 million this offseason.
Linebacker Isaiah Stalbird made the final roster for the New Orleans Saints. He’s entering his third season with New Orleans and played in all 17 games last season. He had 25 tackles and two sacks for the Saints in 2025. He will be a backup linebacker to start 2026.
Isaiah Davis will play for the New York Jets for a third season. He’s slotted as the third-string running back behind Breece Hall and Braelon Allen. Davis has run for 410 yards and has two rushing touchdowns so far in his career. He’s played in 33 games for New York.
Rookie offensive lineman Sam Hagen was the final Jackrabbit to make the 53-man roster. He will be on the Houston Texans, but will begin the season on the short term injured reserve list.
Pierre Strong Jr. will be on the Packers practice squad at the beginning of his fourth season. Strong started his career with the New England Patriots in 2022 and then played for the Cleveland Browns in 2023 and 2024. Strong was a member of Green Bay’s practice squad in 2025 and was on the active roster for two weeks during the season. He had a strong preseason in 2026, including a 62-yard kick return against the Denver Broncos.
Amar Johnson is also on a practice squad as he landed with the Los Angeles Chargers ahead of the 2026 season. After being waived by the Packers in 2025, he played in two games with Los Angeles last season and signed a reserve/futures contract with the Chargers in January.
Mark Gronowski was the final former Jackrabbit to land on a practice squad. After being released by the Miami Dolphins twice, Gronowski was picked up by the Texans and will be on Houston’s practice squad to start his rookie season.
