Here are the seven former WKU Football players, listed alphabetically, who have been named to 53-man NFL rosters entering the 2019 season:
Jack Doyle, Tight End, Indianapolis Colts
Doyle is entering his seventh season with the Indianapolis Colts. The tight end saw action in the Colts preseason game against the Cleveland Browns. Doyle had one catch for 19 yards in the game. In his career, Doyle has played in 84 games and averaged 20.6 yards receiving per game. He has scored 14 touchdowns with 1,728 total yards receiving. In Week 1, Indianapolis travels to Los Angeles to play the Chargers on Sunday, Sept.8 at 3 p.m. CT.
George Fant, Offensive Line, Seattle Seahawks
Fant, who has started 17 games and appeared in 30 for the Seahawks since being signed as a free agent in 2016, suffered an ankle injury during preseason but is expected to be healthy for the start of the 2019 season. Used in multiple packages and situations by Seattle head coach Pete Carroll, Fant even caught a nine-yard pass as a tight end against the Minnesota Vikings in 2018. In Week 1, Seattle hosts the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 3 p.m. CT.
Tyler Higbee, Tight End, Los Angeles Rams
Higbee has seen action in 48 regular-season and four postseason games since being drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 2016. He has 58 career catches for 658 yards, including scoring four touchdowns. In 2018, Higbee recorded 292 yards on 24 catches, averaging 12.2 yards per reception and scored two touchdowns for the Rams. In Week 1, Los Angeles travels to Carolina to play the Panthers on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 12 noon CT.
Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Linebacker, Chicago Bears
Iyiegbuniwe, a 2018 draft pick of the Bears, played in all 16 of the team's games a season ago, picking up nine special teams tackles. Iyiegbuniwe continued to make noise as the 2019 preseason rolled around, totaling 15 tackles, 1.0 sack and one pass breakup. The 23-year old also scored a defensive touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 24, picking up a loose ball and returning the fumble for a 22-yard score. In Week 1, Chicago hosts the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, Sept. 5 at 7:20 p.m. CT.
Forrest Lamp, Offensive Line, Los Angeles Chargers
Lamp, a 2017 draft pick of the Chargers, got his first taste of the NFL last season after missing the entire 2017 campaign due to a knee injury. Lamp saw playing time in two games in 2018. Competing for a starting job going into the 2019 season, Lamp started the final three preseason games. USA Today Chargers writer Gavino Borquez says that Lamp and Dan Feeney are in a "toss-up" situation at the moment. In Week 1, Los Angeles hosts the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 3 p.m. CT.
Taywan Taylor, Wide Receiver, Cleveland Browns
Taylor, a 2017 draft pick of the Tennessee Titans, will see a new opportunity with the upstart Browns after being traded on Saturday for a 2020 draft pick. Taylor will learn from two of the best wideouts in the game in Odell Beckham, Jr. and Jarvis Landry, with young star-in-the-making Baker Mayfield under center. In two seasons with the Titans, Taylor started nine games and appeared in 29, collecting 53 receptions for 697 yards and two touchdowns. In Week 1, oddly enough, Cleveland hosts Tennessee on Sunday, Sept. 8 at noon CT.
Deon Yelder, Tight End, Kansas City Chiefs
Yelder enters his second season in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs. Yelder played in three games for the Chiefs in the 2018 season. He caught two passes for 32 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown, in the Chiefs' preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. He added two more catches for 31 yards receiving, including a 27-yard catch, the following game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In Week 1, Kansas City travels to Jacksonville to play the Jaguars on Sunday, Sept. 8 at noon CT.