After one standout season with the UCF Knights, cornerback Mike Hughes has made the transition to the National Football League.
The Minnesota Vikings selected Hughes in the first round with the 30th-overall pick Thursday night to make him UCF’s highest-drafted defensive player in the program’s history.
Hughes, 26, was an integral part of a Knights team that became the only undefeated team in 2017 and that won the 2018 Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl over the Auburn Tigers. That was UCF’s second New Year’s Six bowl in four years, as UCF also won the 2014 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
In his junior season with the Knights, Hughes was arguably UCF’s best defensive back. He and safety Kyle Gibson led the team in interceptions with four, as Hughes also recorded a pick-six in an early-season win over the Maryland Terrapins. Hughes also knocked away 11 passes.
The transfer from Garden City Community College was also a threat on special teams. He returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and a punt for a touchdown, with his most notable kickoff return coming against the USF Bulls in the final minutes of a 49-42 UCF win.
Entering the draft, Hughes’ character came into question. He left the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after the 2015 season and transferred to Garden City because of a sexual-assault charge that did not result in criminal charges.
According to a report by NBCSports.com’s Darin Gantt, Hughes told teams about his past and why he left the Tar Heels.
“Obviously, I have to tell them everything that happened and everything that went into why I left and also what I’ve learned from it,” Hughes said, per Gantt. “What I tell teams is that they won’t have any issues with me if they draft me.
“I haven’t had any problems with the law or anything since I was at North Carolina.”
The Vikings vetted Hughes thoroughly and became “very confident” in drafting him afterward, according to a report by 247sports.com’s Anthony Broome.
“We did a lot of homework, not only on him but any player that we felt had any type of [issue],” Minnesota general manager Rick Speilman said, per Broome. “We spent a lot of time with a lot of people that him in their football programs. We spent a lot of time with people outside the football programs.
“And after our extensive research, no question we felt very confident about him coming in and being a Minnesota Viking.”
Last season, Minnesota finished its season in the 2017 NFC Championship Game, as the Vikings lost to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-7.
For more on Hughes and other potential draftees from UCF, as the subsequent rounds continue, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
To contact Victor, you can email him at vtan@newdayreview.com.
[…] and Akins join first-round draftee Mike Hughes, who was selected with the 30th-overall pick by the Minnesota Vikings, as UCF’s three draftees, so far. Those three combine for the most […]
[…] Hughes became the Knights’ first-ever defensive player to be drafted in the first round, as the Minnesota Vikings snagged him with the 30th-overall pick. Two rounds later, the New Orleans […]
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