BREAKING: Northwestern guard Evan Beerntsen selected 253rd overall by the Baltimore Ravens in 2026 NFL Draft
Two former Wildcat dominoes fall!
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 15: Evan Beerntsen #60 of the Northwestern Wildcats lines up on the line of scrimmage prior to the snap during the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at Wrigley Field on November 15, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hirschuber/Getty Images) | Getty Images With the 253rd overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft , the Baltimore Ravens selected Northwestern guard Evan Beerntsen, the second NU player to hear their name called. He joins a class that includes his former teammate and fellow Midwesterner Caleb Tiernan, who got snatched by the Minnesota Vikings at 97th overall on Friday.
Despite the relative strength the program seems to have in terms of developing a pro-ready offensive linemen recently, Beerntsen and Tiernan are the first pair of Wildcats OL to be drafted in the same year since 1971. Welcome to Baltimore, Evan Beerntsen❗ pic. twitter.
com/X8ZVABCZxl — Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) April 25, 2026 The Green Bay native enrolled at Northwestern in 2025 as a seventh-year senior transfer from South Dakota State, following former SDSU assistant Zach Lujan to Evanston. Unlike Tiernan’s blue-chip pedigree, Beerntsen arrived at college as a no-star recruit who had to scratch and claw for every rep. After a medical redshirt season and injuries that slowed his early career, Beerntsen would then become a one-year starter at Northwestern (and four-year starter overall), logging 3,360 career offensive snaps between the FCS and Big Ten.
He started every game for the Wildcats at right guard in 2025, earning Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors. Prior to his time in Evanston, he was a key piece of back-to-back FCS national championship teams at South Dakota State in 2022 and 2023. He would also be recognized with Second Team All-American and First Team All-MVFC honors after his final season with the Jackrabbits in 2024.