5 Former UTEP Miners You Can See Playing In The NFL Today
We know that some former UTEP Miners go on to play in the big leagues; in fact 5 former UTEP Miners are active right now; 3 in the AFC & 2 in the NFC.
Huge thank you to 600 ESPN El Paso's Sal Montes for the help finding the information
1. First we have Nik Needham. During his time at UTEP, he was a defensive back sporting the #5 on his jersey.
Now Nik is a Cornerback for the Miami Dolphins; #407 has been since he joined the league in 2019.
Recently he had a huge hand beating the Buffalo Bills in Miami.
2. The next we have is Will Hernandez.
He went to Chaparral High School & was UTEP's left guard for 4 years rocking #76. Will joined the league in 2018; playing for the New York Giants. In 2022, he's playing for the Arizona Cardinals. Yes he's still a guard & yes. He's still sporting his number 76.
3. Then we have Eric Tomlinson.
He was number 87, a tight end for the UTEP Miners, & played from 2011-2014.
He's played for a number of teams in the NFL including:
- the New York Jets from 2016-2018,
- the New York Giants, the New England Patriots & the Las Vegas Raiders in 2019,
- the Giants again in 2020.
- He had the most success with the Baltimore Ravens from 2020-2021
Presently he's on the Denver Broncos roster sporting the number 87. You can see some of his NFL highlights below.
4. The fourth active Miner in the big leagues is Roy Robertson Harris.
During his stint with the Miners, he was a defensive lineman rocking #43.
Roy joined the league in 2017, playing for Chicago (DA BEARS) from 2017-2020. He joined the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021 where he's still playing under the number 95.
5. Then of course we have Aaron Jones, who I think doesn't need an introduction.
You'd certainly remember the running back from UTEP sporting his number 29 on the field or his number 33 with Green Bay.
So all of this in mind... it's actually possible that we COULD see a matchup where two former UTEP Miners meet up in the playoffs, and just maybe... the Super Bowl.
So next time you see any of these teams on TV, look out for our fellow Miners. Here's top hoping to see even more NEXT year...