KINGSTON, R.I. — April 29, 2020 — For the first time since 1986, Rhode Island had a player selected in the NFL Draft, as wide receiver Isaiah Coulter was taken by the Houston Texans in the fifth round Saturday afternoon, April 25.
Shortly after, his Rhody teammates, wide receiver Aaron Parker and offensive lineman Kyle Murphy, officially joined NFL teams, as Parker became a member of the Dallas Cowboys and Murphy signed with the New York Giants.
Coulter was the 171st player selected overall in the draft. He was the first offensive skill position taken by the Texans. As a junior, Coulter earned Colonial Athletic Association Football Second-Team All-Conference honors after catching 71 passes for 1,039 yards and eight touchdowns. He was just the seventh player in team history to reach 1,000 yards in a single season. Coulter also was fourth with 86.6 receiving yards per contest, and he averaged 14.4 yards per catch.
In just three seasons, Coulter finished ninth in Rhode Island football history with his 1,855 receiving yards.
Coulter was one of two underclassmen at the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level to be invited to the NFL Combine, and he made the most of the opportunity. He ran a 4.45 in the 40-yard dash. That mark was tied for 10th among receivers with Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy and Miami’s Jeff Thomas.
Before Saturday, the last time a Rhode Island player was taken in the NFL Draft was in 1986, when Bob White went to the New York Jets with the 189th pick in the seventh round.
Parker and Murphy round out Rhody trio
Parker and Murphy took to social media to announce the moves Saturday after the 2020 NFL Draft concluded. The moves have subsequently been posted on each team’s official websites this week.
Parker is one of 15 undrafted free agents to sign with the Cowboys and one of four rookie receivers to join Dallas after the draft. Parker led the CAA in receptions (81), receiving yards (1,224), receiving yards per game (102.0) and receptions per game (6.8) last fall. He was fourth in the country in total receiving yards and averaged 15.1 yards per catch. He also had nine touchdown catches, the last of which gave him 30 in his storied career for the Rams.
Murphy was one of two linemen to sign as undrafted free agents with the Giants. While at Rhode Island, Murphy was primarily a left tackle, though he also started games at left guard, center and right tackle over the course of his career. He projects as an interior lineman for the Giants. Murphy was the anchor of the Rhode Island offensive line, starting 11 games at left tackle before missing the season finale with an injury. Also a team captain, Murphy was the primary reason the line allowed just 2.17 sacks per game despite the team averaging a league-high 42 pass attempts per game. His blocking was a big reason Rhode Island was one of two teams in the league to top 3,500 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing.
Back in February, offensive lineman Kevin Lawrence signed with the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers, giving the Rams four players from the 2019 roster getting a shot at the next level.