The Chattanooga Mocs added two to NFL squad lists following the NFL Draft in Green Bay. Seniors Reuben Lowery III and Marlon Taylor are the latest to begin their professional journeys.
Lowery, a defensive back from Powder Springs, Ga., signed as an undrafted free agent with the Baltimore Ravens. A first team All-Southern Conference selection, Lowery had a decorated career as a 5-year starter.
He was second on the 2024 squad with 62 tackles tying for second in tackles for loss with 7.5.
He intercepted two passes scoring once. Lowery played in 46 career games with 166 tackles, 19.0 for loss and 15 passes defended with three interceptions and two pick-6s.
He was a 2-time CSC (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-District along with being named all-conference twice as well as all-freshman in 2021. Lowery was a finalist for the Doris Robinson Award and served on the NCAA Football Oversight Committee/Student-Athlete Connection Group.
Taylor, a defensive tackle from Brunswick, Ga., joins the Atlanta Falcons via a mini-camp invitation. He spent the last two seasons recognized among the nation’s best interior defensive linemen in NCAA Division I ranking highly on metrics provided by Pro Football Focus Colleges division.
He was a first team All-SoCon honoree in 2024 after second team honors as a sophomore and junior following the 2022 and 2023 campaigns. He saw action in 48 games with 37 starts and was one of three Mocs – TE Jay Gibson and RB Lance Jackson – on the roster from Coach Rusty Wright’s first season in 2019.
Taylor collected 28 tackles with six for loss and 2.5 sacks in 2024. For his career, he amassed 96 stops with 22 for loss and nine sacks from the middle of the Mocs 4-man defensive front. His biggest highlight was keying the Mocs first FCS Playoff road win with six tackles including two sacks in the 2023 triumph at Austin Peay. He was a regular Dean’s List and A.D. Honor Roll student.
"Excited for Marlon and Reuben having an opportunity to further their careers," Wright shared. "Both of them are very deserving. They've worked really hard in their five seasons with us, developed over time and gave themselves a great chance to keep competing at the highest level.
"We're excited to see the next steps for all of our professional guys."
That raises the total to five in NFL camps this summer. OL Cole Strange (New England Patriots), OL McClendon Curtis (Arizona Cardinals) and OL Corey Levin (Tennessee Titans) look to continue their journeys.
Four more – DT Devonnsha Maxwell (D.C.), DE Isaiah Mack (St. Louis), DE Vantrel McMillian (Michigan) & OL Griffin McDowell (Arlington) – started the year on UFL rosters with RB Gino Appleberry (Quad City) and LB Austin Collier (San Antonio) in the IFL.LB Jay Person (Winnipeg) and DB Clay Fields III (Ottawa) are on the ledger in the CFL with QB Chase Artopoeus on Winnipeg’s fall negotiation list giving the Blue Bombers exclusive league rights to the signal caller.