Last December, Jeremy McNichols announced he would forgo his senior season at Boise State and enter the NFL draft. Eight months later, he was without an NFL home.
McNichols racked up 53 touchdowns and nearly 4,000 total yards the last three years with the Broncos. He was an all-conference selection both years and recorded 16 100-yard games, including eight with at least 150.
"They told me I would get drafted," he said last December when asked what feedback he received from teams and agent. "So that made my decision a little bit more easier."
McNichols was drafted by the Buccaneers in the fifth round (162nd overall) but was released on Sept. 2 when they trimmed the roster to 53 players. While he signed a practice squad contract with the San Francisco 49ers, barring an unexpected decision, he will not be on their Week 1 roster.
MORE: 5 Eye-Popping Stats from Kareem Hunt's College Career at Toledo
He is one of five players selected with one of the top 175 picks in the 2017 NFL Draft that were cut before Week 1.
[divider]
Dorian Johnson – Arizona Cardinals
Selected: 4th Round (115th overall)
Fourth-round picks failing to make 53-man Week 1 rosters is common. However, most of those guys were selected in the late part of the fourth round, not in the round's top 10 picks.
The former four-star recruit was a four-year starter at Pittsburgh but fell to the fourth round, where the Cardinals selected him. Widely regarded as one of the steals of the draft, Johnson was released on Sept. 2 and signed to the practice squad a day later.
[divider]
Zach Banner – Indianapolis Colts
Selected: 4th Round (137th overall)
Like Dorian Johnson, Zach Banner was a highly rated high school recruit. He started 37 games over his final three seasons at USC and was drafted by the Colts near the end of the fourth round.
The 6-foot-8, 350-pounder was waived on Sept. 3 and claimed by the Browns the next day.
[divider]
Jake Elliott – Cincinnati Bengals
Selected: 5th Round (153rd overall)
A four-year starer at Memphis, Jake Elliott was an All-American who finished among the top 10 FBS players for career scoring. He hoped his 78-percent field goal clip was enough to get drafted. He did not think it was enough to get drafted in the fifth round.
"I finally got a call from [the Bengals] in the fifth round, a lot earlier than I expected," he said in April.
Elliott, however, struggled in camp and could not beat out veteran Randy Bullock. He was cut on Sept. 2 and signed to the practice squad.
[divider]
DeAngelo Yancey – Green Bay Packers
Selected: 5th Round (175th overall)
DeAngelo Yancey was drafted by the receiver-rich Packers in the fifth round after registering 141 career catches over four years at Purdue.
The 6-foot-1, 220-pound speedster did not impress enough in training camp to steal a spot from Geronimo Allison or Trevor Davis and was released on Sept. 2. He was also signed to the practice squad.
