Houston’s Grant Stuard, who played safety and linebacker for the Cougars from 2017-20, is the newest member of the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers as theĀ 259th overall pick, the last pick of the 2021 NFL Draft which is deemed “Mr. Irrelevant.”
The six-foot-one-inch linebacker led UH with 61 tackles, including five tackles for loss and a sack, during the 2020 season in seven games played.
Stuard also scored his first and only career collegiate touchdown in 2020, picking up a fumble and taking it to the house of a 34-yard scoop-and-score against UCF.
Stuard earned a spot on the American Athletic All-Conference First Team in 2020 and a trip to the Senior Bowl which played a key role in his decision to turn pro.
Over his four years as a Cougar, Stuard totaled 190 tackles, with 17 tackles for loss and two sacks, in 39 games played.
Stuard joins defensive end Payton Turner and wide receiver Marquez Stevenson as the third UH player to be selected in the 2021 NFL Draft.