Drake doesn't send many players to the NFL, but when it does, they make it count.
Tight end Eric Saubert — a product of Drake University in Des Moines — hauled in a touchdown catch for the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, September 27, providing one of the more understated feel-good moments of the NFL weekend. Saubert finished the game with one reception for 13 yards and a score, a clean and efficient contribution in a tough 31–33 home loss to the Washington Commanders.
The touchdown was a reminder that Saubert has carved out a real role at the professional level — no small feat for an alumnus of an FCS program. Drake competes in the Missouri Valley Conference, a world far removed from the recruiting pipelines and media glare of Power Four football. Getting to the NFL from Des Moines requires a player to be undeniably good enough to overcome every structural disadvantage in the sport. Saubert has done exactly that.
As a tight end, Saubert's value extends well beyond the stat sheet — blocking responsibilities, route running as a safety valve, and red zone presence rarely show up in a one-catch line. But touchdowns do. And this one serves as a tangible data point for Bulldogs fans tracking one of their own on the NFL's biggest stages.
The Seahawks ultimately came up two points short against Washington, making Saubert's score a bright spot in an otherwise difficult afternoon for Seattle. For Drake alumni keeping tabs on the NFL, it was the kind of moment worth circling — proof that their program's footprint in professional football, however small, remains very much alive.
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