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On April 27, Javon Solomon and Kimani Vidal became the 36th and 37th former Troy Trojans to be selected in the NFL Draft.

Solomon and Vidal’s selection in the NFL Draft was announced to the fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium during Troy’s T-Day scrimmage.

“Once you start at Troy and become a part of this, it’s a piece of you no matter how long we’ve been here or not,” Troy Coach Gerad Parker said. “What a special moment for those guys and our fans and players to embrace that moment over this stadium. It was a cool moment for us.”

Solomon was selected in the fifth round, 168th overall, by the Buffalo Bills. Solomon is the fifth former Trojan to ever be selected in the fifth round. The last time a Trojan was taken in the fifth was 2012 when Jonathan Massaquoi was selected by the Atlanta Falcons.

Solomon earned All-Sun Belt honors in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 along with earning All-American honors in 2021 and 2023. In 2023, Solomon tied the single game sack record at Troy and also set the Sun Belt Conference and Troy Division I single season sack record. His 33 career sacks also ranks second in both the Sun Belt and Troy history.

In 2023, Solomon tallied 56 tackles, 18 tackles-for-loss, 16 sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. For his carry, Solomon netted 183 tackles, 49.5 tackles-for-loss, 33 sacks, one interception, five forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.

Vidal was drafted in the sixth round, 181st overall, by the Los Angeles Chargers. Vidal is the eighth Trojan to be selected in the sixth round of the draft. The last time a former Troy player was drafted in the sixth round was 2010, when Jorrick Calvin was selected by the Arizona Cardinals.

Vidal finished his Troy career as the all-time leading rusher in Troy history. He broke the single game, single season and career rushing records. He earned All-Sun Belt honors in 2022 and 2023 and was named an All-American in 2023 along with capturing the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year. He also earned All-Sun Belt honorable mention in 2020 and 2021.

Vidal finished his career with 4,010 yards and 33 touchdowns rushing with 1,661 yards and 14 touchdowns coming in 2023. He also caught 92 catches for 700 yards and one touchdown in his career.