Under Jerry Kill, Gophers are emerging from NFL draft drought

The Gophers didn't have a player picked in the NFL draft between 2011 and 2013, as a wave of Tim Brewster recruits mostly fizzled.

The drought ended last year when the Falcons selected Ra'Shede Hageman in the second round, with the Bears taking Brock Vereen in the fourth round. Those two were both Brewster recruits, and now comes the first wave of Jerry Kill recruits at Minnesota to hit the NFL.

The Gophers can count on having two players drafted sometime over the next three days, in tight end Maxx Williams and running back David Cobb. Linebacker Damien Wilson and safety Cedric Thompson are both potential late-round picks. If at least three get drafted, it would be the most for the Gophers since they had four players picked in 2006, including first rounder Laurence Maroney.

ESPN.com's Big Ten Blog compiled a list of how many draft picks each school has produced over the past five years, with Ohio State (22), Iowa (22) and Wisconsin (21) on top, and the Gophers (4) on the bottom. But things are definitely changing under Kill.

Thinking ahead to 2016, the Gophers could have another wave of NFL picks with cornerbacks Eric Murray and Briean Boddy-Calhoun, safety Damarius Travis and linebacker De'Vondre Campbell among the senior possibilities.

Here's a look back at the Gophers recent draft history: