For the first time in program history, the opening round of the NFL Draft featured multiple Hoosiers. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza was selected No. 1 overall by the Las Vegas Raiders and wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. went No. 30 to the New York Jets. On Friday night, the Cream and Crimson were once again a fixture of rounds two and three.
In the second round, the New York Jets selected former Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds with the No. 50 pick. The San Francisco 49ers took running back Kaelon Black in the third round at No. 90 overall.
Ponds will join Cooper with New York, entering a Jets defense that became the first in league history to record zero interceptions in the 2025 season. The Jets are led by second-year head coach Aaron Glenn, a former Pro Bowl defensive back and Detroit Lions defensive coordinator from 2021-2024. The Jets went 3-14 in 2025.
In San Francisco, Black will accompany three-time All-Pro Christian McCaffrey in the running back room. Brian Robinson Jr. was the only other 49ers running back to record a carry in the 2025 season, and he departed for the Atlanta Falcons in free agency.
San Francisco is led by head coach Kyle Shanahan and is coming off a 12-5 season. They selected former Indiana defensive lineman C.J. West and quarterback Kurtis Rourke in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Over two seasons at Indiana, Ponds recorded 116 total tackles and five interceptions. After registering just 46 carries in 2024, Black saw his role increase significantly in 2025. He rushed for 1,039 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Following Indiana’s perfect 16-0 season, Ponds received an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, while Black was left off the list. At the combine, Ponds had a 43.5-inch vertical leap, which tied former Ohio State linebacker and No. 7 overall pick Sonny Styles to lead all defensive players. He waited until Indiana’s pro day April 1 to run the 40-yard dash, running a blazing 4.36, which would’ve ranked second at his position at the combine.
Without a combine invite, Black led all rushers at the Senior Bowl with 45 yards. At pro day, Black improved his draft stock with a 4.45-second 40-yard dash.
Ponds and Black were among the 13 transfers that followed head coach Curt Cignetti from James Madison University to Bloomington ahead of the 2024 season. Throughout their two seasons with the Hoosiers, the duo made some of the team’s most memorable plays.
In 2024, Ponds sent Memorial Stadium into a frenzy with a pick six in the first quarter against Washington as Indiana burst onto the college football scene. That weekend, the Hoosiers hosted the traditional Saturday morning edition of ESPN’s “College GameDay” for the first time in school history.
A year later, he opened the scoring in a highly anticipated Big Ten opener in which Indiana dominated then-No. 9 Illinois 63-10 on Sept. 20 with a punt-block he returned for a touchdown. The 5-foot-9 Miami native also ran an interception back for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage in the Hoosiers’ 56-22 Peach Bowl rout of then-No. 5 Oregon on Jan. 9. It was enough to temporarily earn him his own local body of water.
On the other side of the field, Black made a name for himself as a wrecking ball rusher with a breakout 2025 campaign. He notched a 40-yard touchdown run amid the Hoosiers’ 53-point trouncing of Illinois, a 25-yard score against the University of Alabama in the Cream and Crimson’s 38-3 Rose Bowl win Jan. 1 and two touchdowns in the 34-point win over Oregon.
Ponds and Black will now leave their storied collegiate careers behind as they seek similar success in the professional ranks. More Hoosiers are expected to be picked Saturday, with the final four rounds set to begin at noon on ESPN.
Nathan Shriberg covers Indiana men’s basketball and sports business/legal matters for the Indiana Daily Student. You can follow him at @NShriberg on X and contact him via email at naashri@iu.edu.
