The Los Angeles Chargers selected offensive lineman Trey Pipkins from Division II Sioux Falls in the third round of the NFL draft on Friday night.
Pipkins, 22, earned first-team Division II All-America honors and was one of only five D-II players invited to the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine.
The 6-foot-6, 310-pound tackle was a 2018 finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award, presented to the top offensive lineman in NCAA Division II.
Selected 91st overall, he is only the second player from the school to be drafted. Punter Brian Hansen was picked in the ninth round by the New Orleans Saints in 1984.
“There are some players at Division II and Division III who can dominate but not have enough athletic traits to play at this level,” Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said. “He has NFL size and feet. There’s a lot to work with.”