Da’Ron Brown, former NIU wide receiver, was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL Draft on Saturday.

Brown, a 2014 All-MAC Second Team selection, was drafted with the 16th pick of the seventh round — the 233rd overall pick. He was the lone Huskie and one of only four MAC players drafted in 2015.

Brown said after NIU’s Pro Day on March 6 that he’d love to play for any NFL team, though he grew up a Chicago Bears fan.

“To me, it doesn’t matter,” Brown said, according to a March 6 Northern Star article. “I’ll go to whoever wants me, whoever likes me.”

Chief of the receiving corps?

Brown takes his talents to a Kansas City team that didn’t have a receiving touchdown from any of its wide receivers in 2014. He led all NIU wide receivers in 2014 with 68 receptions for 1,065 yards and six touchdowns.

“I’m super excited for Da’Ron,” said head coach Rod Carey, according to an NIU Athletics news release. “He deserves it. He’s worked his whole career for this moment and I couldn’t be prouder of him. He made a position move from high school quarterback to college wide receiver, and that’s a steep learning curve. As he matured, his work ethic grew to where this year he was our Team MVP.”

Playing in 55 of 56 games at NIU, Brown caught 155 passes for 2,295 yards and 19 touchdowns, ranking in the top five in program history in all three categories. He also ran the ball 22 times for 160 yards and two touchdowns.

NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein called Brown a “quarterback’s friend,” though he predicted Brown going undrafted and signing as a priority free agent.

“Outside receiver with limited speed and athleticism who is heavily reliant upon his outstanding hands,” Zierlein wrote in his NFL.com pre-draft analysis. “Unlikely to be able to find separation on the next level without requisite quickness.”

History lesson

Brown is the first NIU wide receiver to be drafted since Darrell Hill in 2002. He joins linebacker Bob Gregolunas — a sixth-round selection in 1976 — as the only Huskies ever to be drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Brown’s selection comes one season after strong safety Jimmie Ward and defensive tackle Ken Bishop were drafted to the NFL. Ward was a first-round selection of the San Francisco 49ers while Bishop was chosen in the seventh round by the Dallas Cowboys. It’s the first time since 2001 and 2002 that NIU has had at least one player drafted in back-to-back years.

“That just shows where our program is, to have players drafted in back-to-back years and hopefully more to come,” Carey said, according to NIU Athletics. “It’s a sign of individuals that work hard and also where our program is.”

Prior to Ward and Bishop’s selections in 2014, the last NIU player drafted was quarterback Chandler Harnish, who was taken by the Indianapolis Colts with the final pick of the 2012 NFL Draft. Harnish signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals on March 31.

Undrafted free agents

Former tailback Cameron Stingily and left tackle Tyler Loos have reportedly signed with NFL teams as undrafted free agents, according to Athletics. Stingily reportedly signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers while Loos reportedly signed with the Cleveland Browns.