Four local college football products survive NFL playoffs’ first round, but many more with 757 ties make impact this season
The chase for Super Bowl LVII started last weekend, with the NFL’s super wild-card weekend showcasing six games across three days.
Fourteen alumni of local college football teams were on various NFL rosters this year, but only five had the opportunity to appear in the playoffs.
Athletes who played at Old Dominion, Norfolk State and William & Mary represented Hampton Roads in the league this season, but only those from the Monarchs and Spartans graced a 45-man playoff roster.
Old Dominion led the way with four former players in this year’s playoffs, and Norfolk State had one.
After the first slate of games, the representatives have dwindled to four.
Here’s a look at who made appearances in the NFL playoffs, and how they played this year:
Old Dominion
Zach Pascal, wide receiver, Philadelphia: Pascal played in 17 games this season, his fifth year in the league and first with the Eagles.
He started two games, but was usually a rotational piece for head coach Nick Sirianni. Pascal currently sits with the second string on the depth chart, according to ESPN.
The 28-year-old was targeted 19 times this season and brought in 15 catches for 150 yards and one touchdown.
Pascal’s best performance came against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8, when he caught two passes for 57 yards and the touchdown.
Rick Lovato, long snapper, Philadelphia: Lovato and Pascal overlapped at Old Dominion between 2012-2014 and are now teammates again at the professional level.
Like Pascal, Lovato played 17 games this season. The long snapper logged 139 special-teams snaps, the second-most of his almost decade-long career.
Lovato even got in on three tackles.
Oshane Ximines, edge rusher, New York Giants: Old Dominion’s first-ever draft pick is currently in his fourth year of pro ball.
Ximines played in 15 games this season, missing a few weeks due to a quad injury. He did, however, start four games for the Giants — the most of his young career.
Ximines totaled 24 tackles, one off of his career high of 25 that he set during his rookie year.
Of the 24 tackles, 14 of them were solo, a career high. The New York native also had one forced fumble, two sacks and two pass deflections.
He did not play in the Giants’ upset of the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
Stone Smartt, tight end, Los Angeles Chargers: Smartt’s football journey has been interesting, to say the least.
He played quarterback at a junior college in California before starting seven games under center for the Monarchs in 2019. In 2021, he found himself at wide receiver, playing in eight games there.
Now with the Chargers, Smartt is listed as a tight end.
Smartt played in seven games this season for the Bolts. Though he is currently listed as the fourth-string quarterback according to ESPN’s depth chart, he did start during the Chargers’ Week 13 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
He was targeted five times this season and brought in four catches for 17 yards and a touchdown.
Smartt did not see the field during Los Angeles’ playoff loss to the Jaguars.
Norfolk State
De’Shaan Dixon, defensive end, Jacksonville: Dixon played his high school ball for Western Branch in Chesapeake before turning into an All-MEAC performer with Norfolk State.
After making the 53-man roster with the Jaguars before the season started, the rookie saw playing time in three games this season.
The bulk of his sparse playing time came on special teams, and he totaled one tackle.
Dixon is currently listed as the second-string “Will” linebacker for the Jaguars, but he was listed as inactive for the Jaguars’ comeback victory over the Chargers.
Area players on NFL rosters
Old Dominion
Rashaad Coward, OL, Arizona
Travis Fulgham, WR, Green Bay (developmental squad)
Taylor Heinicke, QB, Washington
Rick Lovato, LS, Philadelphia
Zach Pascal, WR, Philadelphia
Stone Smartt, TE, L.A. Chargers
Tim Ward, DE, Green Bay (developmental squad)
Oshane Ximines, EDGE, N.Y. Giants
Norfolk State
De’Shaan Dixon, DE, Jacksonville
Bobby Price, DB, Detroit
William & Mary
Bill Murray, DT, New England (developmental squad)
DeAndre Houston-Carson, FS, Chicago
Luke Rhodes, LS, Indianapolis
Andrew Trainer, OT, L.A. Chargers (injured reserve)
Players who grew up in the area
Andrew Brown, DL, Chicago (Oscar Smith, UVA)
Trenton Cannon, RB, Tennessee (Kecoughtan, Virginia State)
Cole Christiansen, LB, Kansas City (Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, Army; developmental squad)
Chuck Clark, S, Baltimore (King’s Fork, Virginia Tech)
Jalyn Holmes, DT, Chicago (Lake Taylor, Ohio State)
Patrick Jones, OLB, Minnesota (Grassfield, Pittsburgh)
Dazz Newsome, WR, San Francisco (Hampton High, North Carolina; developmental squad)
Derrick Nnadi, DT, Kansas City (Ocean Lakes, Florida State)
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Cleveland (Bethel, Notre Dame; on injured reserve)
Josh Sweat, DL, Philadelphia (Oscar Smith, Florida State)
Tyrod Taylor, QB, N.Y. Giants (Hampton High, Virginia Tech)
Deatrich Wise, DE, New England (Suffolk native)
