Two student-athletes from Toledo who participated in last year’s Bahamas Bowl were selected during the 2022 NFL Draft, held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Toledo Safety Tycen Anderson was selected in the Fifth round (No. 166 overall) by the Cincinnati Bengals, followed by fellow teammate Samuel Womack 6 picks later (No. 172 overall) to the San Francisco 49er’s.
The two selections give the Bahamas Bowl a total of 29 total alumni chosen in the last eight NFL Drafts. Anderson & Womack join fellow Toledo Alumni Diontae Johnson and Ka’dar Hollman, bringing the total to 4 Rockets in the NFL drafted from the Bahamas Bowl.
Anderson was named first team All-MAC following the 2021 season, after receiving second-team accolades the previous year. He capped off a great college career accounting for 55 games played, 237 Tackles, and 2 interceptions. A Toledo native, Anderson will stay in state as he begins his professional career with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Womack led the MAC in passes Defended in 2019, 2020 and 2021. He set the Toledo school record with 45 pass breakups, along with 5 career interceptions. Womack also received first team All-MAC awards following the 2021 season. He began his career as a walk on at Toledo and received recognition for his hard work with a 2020 nomination for the Burlsworth Trophy which is awarded to the best player in the nation who began his career as a walk-on.
A total of 49 bowl alumni have played in at least one NFL regular-season game, including 24 who were selected in the NFL Draft. Tennessee Titans wide receiver Corey Davis (Western Michigan, 2015 Bahamas Bowl) was the No. 5 overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft, the highest selection of a Bahamas Bowl alumnus all time. Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee (WKU, 2014 Bahamas Bowl) became the first bowl alum to play in the Super Bowl in Super Bowl LIII.
The Bahamas Bowl’s two participating conferences, Conference USA (6 players) and the Mid-American Conference (6 players), combined for 12 total selections in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The NFL Draft is not the end of the process for players not selected as each NFL team will sign undrafted free agents to rosters in the next few weeks to begin the process of preparing for the 2022 season. A total of 25 undrafted free agents who participated in the Bahamas Bowl have gone on to play at least one NFL game.
2022 NFL Draft Selections of Bahamas Bowl Alumni
Round 5, No. 166 overall: Toledo S Tycen Anderson (Cincinnati Bengals)
Round 5, No. 172 overall: Toledo CB Samuel Womack (San Francisco 49er’s)
For more information on the 2022 Bahamas Bowl, visit BahamasBowl.com. The game is one of 17 postseason bowl games owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN.
