Handful of Cardinals selected in NFL Draft

University of Louisville running back Isaac Guerendo was selected with the No. 129 pick in the fourth round by the San Fransico 49’ersthe 2024 NFL Draft on Saturday. Guerendo became Louisville’s 137th draft pick of all time and the 19th running back taken in school history.

The native of Avon, Ind., came to Louisville after spending four seasons in a limited role at Wisconsin. He finished his collegiate career with 1,392 yards and 17 touchdowns. In his lone season with the Cardinals, Guerendo was the team’s second-leading rusher in 2023 with 810 yards and 11 touchdowns, while averaging 6.1 yards a carry.

“Isaac is ready for this next chapter of his career,” head coach Jeff Brohm said "During his one season in our program, he was determined to be great and always took a professional approach on how he did things, both on the football field and in the classroom. He was a great addition to our offense, and he will be a great teammate and leader as he makes the jump to professional football.”

Serving as the team’s second back, Guerendo recorded a pair of 100-yard rushing games, totaling 146 yards and three scores in a win over Virginia. He scored the go-ahead touchdown with 3:24 left to play with a 73-yard touchdown run to secure a 31-24 win over the Cavaliers.

In the Holiday Bowl loss to USC, Guerendo recorded a season high 161 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-28 loss to the Trojans,

The Cardinals have a total of 34 players who have been drafted since 2010 and the eighth in the last four drafts.

Guerendo is the seventh player in school history to be drafted by San Francisco.

University of Louisville defensive back Jarvis Brownlee was selected with the No. 146 pick in the fifth round by the Tennessee Titans in the 2024 NFL Draft on Saturday.

Brownlee is the second player to be drafted on Saturday and the 138th in the history of the school. He’s the sixth UofL player to be selected by the Titans and the first since Deiontrez Mount in the 2015 draft. Isaac Guerendo was selected on Saturday in the fourth round.

Brownlee played two seasons with the Cardinals after transferring from Florida State in 2022. With the Cardinals, Brownlee recorded 96 tackles and three interceptions in 39 career games.

In five collegiate seasons, Brownlee registered 174 career tackles and six interceptions in stops at Florida State and Louisville.

“I’m thrilled for Jarvis to be selected in the NFL Draft and realize his dreams of playing at the next level,” head coach Jeff Brohm said. “Jarvis is a physical corner who helped our defense finish in the top 25 nationally and guide us to a 10-win season. He will be a great addition to the Tennessee organization, and I look forward to watching his career.”

The 2023 campaign saw the native of Miami, Fla., record 30 tackles and one interception in a career high 14 games. He tallied a season high five tackles in three games during the 2023 campaign and recorded his lone interception in the season finale versus Kentucky.

In his first season with the Cardinals during the 2022 season, Brownlee recorded a career 66 tackles and a pair of interceptions. He tallied 11 tackles in a win over NC State and added eight stops in games versus Clemson and Kentucky. He made a key interception late in the game versus UCF to secure a 20-14 road win over the Knights.

Brownlee’s final season with the Seminoles came in 2021, where he tallied 51 stops and two interceptions, including returning one 70 yards for a touchdown against UMass.

University of Louisville wide receiver Jamari Thrash was selected with the No. 156 pick in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns in the 2024 NFL Draft on Saturday.

Thrash is the third player to be drafted on Saturday and the 139th in the history of the school. He’s the fourth UofL player to be selected by the Browns and the first since Charles Gaines was drafted in the 2015 draft.

Isaac Guerendo and Jarvis Brownlee were also selected on Saturday. Louisville has had six players taken in the last two drafts after three were selected this year and three in 2023.

Thrash played four seasons at Georgia State and one with the Cardinals, totaling 167 receptions for 2,610 yards and 18 touchdowns during his collegiate career. His best season came in 2022 with Georgia State when the Georgia native caught 61 passes for 1,122 yards and seven touchdowns to earn honorable mention All-America honors and was a first team All-Sun Belt Conference honoree. He broke the GSU single-game record for receiving yards with 213 yards on 10 catches versus Charlotte.

In 2023 with the Cards, Thrash led the team with 63 receptions for 858 yards and six touchdowns, while recording a pair of 100-yard receiving games. A second team All-ACC performer, Thrash caught four passes for 159 yards and a touchdown against Indiana and added a season best nine receptions for 120 yards in a loss to Pittsburgh. He had a career long 85-yard touchdown reception against the Hoosiers in the team’s 21-14 win at Lucas Oil Stadium.

“I’m thrilled for Jamari to be selected by Cleveland in the NFL Draft,” head coach Jeff Brohm said. “Jamari was a big-play wide receiver for us last season and was a huge part of our passing game. I’m excited to see how he progresses at the next level with the Browns..”

Thrash is the first wide receiver selected in the draft since Tutu Atwell was a second round selection by the Los Angeles Ram in the 2021 NFL Draft.

University of Louisville running back Jawhar Jordan became the fourth UofL player drafted when he was selected with the No. 205th pick in the sixth round by the Houston Texans in the 2024 NFL Draft on Saturday.

Jordan becomes the 20th running back selected in school history and the is the 141st player to be drafted in the history of the school. He’s the fifth UofL player to be selected by the Texans and the first since Jonathan Greenard was drafted in the 2020 draft.

It’s the first time since 2011 that two former UofL running backs were taken in the same draft. It’s also the first time since 2018 that Louisville had four players drafted in the same draft.

“Jawhar had a great season for our football team, and I’m excited to watch him at the professional level. He’s a quiet leader and works extremely hard,” head coach Jeff Brohm said. “He’s a tremendous talent and will be a great addition to the Texans’ running back room. I wish him nothing but the best as he realizes his professional dreams.”

In five seasons between Syracuse and Louisville, Jordan combined to rush for 2,214 yards and 18 touchdowns. He rushed for 177 yards and one touchdown in two seasons at Syracuse and 2,037 yards and 17 scores in his three years with the Cardinals.

A first team All-Atlantic Coast Conference performer, Jordan led the Cardinals and was second in the ACC with 1,128 yards and 13 scores for the Cardinals. He totaled five 100-yard rushing games, including a season high 163 yards and a pair of scores in a win over No. 20 Duke.

In a win over No. 10 Notre Dame, Jordan scampered for 143 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the first victory over a top 10 program since the 2022 season. He averaged 19.3 yards per carry when he totaled 135 yards on seven carries in a 56-0 win over Murray State in the 2023 home opener.

Jordan became the first UofL running back since 2019 to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season.