KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The 2025 NFL season is officially underway with 39 former NCAA Division II football players securing spots on a team’s initial 53-man roster. Four former MIAA student-athletes are currently listed on NFL rosters and represented their teams on the field in the opening week of the 2025 season.
 
Former MIAA student-athletes Nathan Shepherd of Fort Hays State University, Kyle Hinton of Washburn University, Jonathan Owens and CJ Ravenell of Missouri Western State University each made an NFL team’s initial 53-man roster for the 2025 season.
 
Fort Hays State alum Nathan Shepherd begins his eighth season in the NLF and his third season with the Saints in New Orleans. A veteran defensive tackle, Shepherd started 16 games for the Saints in the 2024 season, tallying 37 tackles (16 solo) and 1.5 sacks. Tigers fans saw Shepherd play in New Orleans’ first game of the 2025 season, recording three tackles in the Saints’ loss to Arizona.
 
Former Missouri Western Griffon Jonathan Owens begins his seventh season in the NFL and his second season with the Chicago Bears. Owens played in all 17 of the Bears games last season and is listed as a second-string safety on Chicago’s 2025 depth chart. He recorded 49 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries last season and added two tackles in the Bears’ season opener loss to Minnesota.
 
Also an MWSU alum, CJ Ravenell made an official 53-man roster for the first time in his NFL career after spending the 2024 season on the Baltimore Ravens practice squad. Ravenell is now in Nashville, where he is listed as a second-string defensive tackle for the Tennessee Titans.
 
Washburn alum Kyle Hinton just entered his fourth season in the NFL and his third with the Atlanta Falcons. The former four-time All-MIAA offensive lineman appeared in 17 games in 2024, contributing on offense and special teams and is listed as a second-string right guard for the Falcons this season.
 
Rico Payton, a former Pittsburg State Gorillas, is currently listed on the New York Giants’ injured/reserved list after spending last season on the Saints’ 53-man roster.
 
Additionally, seven other former MIAA players are listed on NFL practice squads. The list includes Central Missouri’s David Olajiga (New England Patriots, DT), Lindenwood’s Jonathan Harris (Minnesota Vikings, DL), Missouri Western’s Sam Webb (Tennessee Titans, CB), Northwest Missouri’s Sam Roberts (Atlanta Falcons, DT) and Kaden Davis (Cleveland Browns, WR), Pittsburg State’s Dallas Flowers (Chicago Bears, CB), and Washburn’s Corey Ballentine (New England Patriots, CB).
 
To view the complete list of all active former Division II student-athletes on 2025 NFL rosters, click here.