Tulane left tackle Derrick Graham is taking his talents to hopefully the pros.
The dream of every college football player is to play in the NFL, and former Tulane Green Wave quarterback Jake Retzlaff will certainly look to do just that. Retzlaff will start with pre-draft showcases and is heading to the 2026 Hula Bowl with teammate Tre Shackelford to try to impress the pro scouts. However, scouts from the NFL, UFL, and CFL will all be in attendance, and that may expand the options for the Green Wave signal caller.
Retzlaff completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 3,168 yards and 15 touchdowns to seven interceptions as he led Tulane to a College Football Playoff run. He showed off real talent as a rusher with 16 rushing touchdowns that set a school record at quarterback. It was an impactful season under Retzlaff who transferred in from the BYU Cougars. If he isn’t able to make his dreams at the NFL level happen, perhaps he could look at the trajectory of a former Green Wave player who is still in uniform today – Edmonton Elks linebacker Nick Anderson.
There’s a chance that, in the future, Retzlaff could potentially suit up against him. The B.C. Lions have officially added Retzlaff to their negotiation list. The CFL negotiation lists allow teams to select up to 45 players still in college, in the NFL, or are unsigned. They hold the exclusive rights to that player, should they decide to join the league. Now, being added to the list doesn’t indicate any mutual interest, and players are often unaware they’ve been claimed to a team-specific roster.
Should Retzlaff elect to go that path, it would be a year of further development that can often be needed in the NFL. Retzlaff has played three full seasons, which fits under Bill Parcells’ quarterback rules that included a three-year starter. Quarterbacks heading to the league more than ever feel underdeveloped, and NFL teams seem unprepared to cultivate that. It’s led to poorer quarterback play and a lot more trades in recent seasons that have forgone the path of draft development for a free agent starter.
If the league wants to get back to developing quarterbacks, it would be interesting to consider players in the Canadian Football League who play in a three-down system that is more pass-heavy and would emphasize that part of the game. For a player like Retzlaff, that could be very valuable as he’s already adept on the run, but showed some precision and decision-making issues that could certainly be taken on by an NFL team, but also by a CFL team that could develop a more pro-ready prospect.