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NFL Draft: D2 Football Players Sign as Undrafted Free Agents

HERO Sports by HERO Sports
May 3, 2017
NFL Draft: D2 Football Players Sign as Undrafted Free Agents

A few days have passed since the conclusion of the NFL Draft and players who did not hear their name called on the stage in Philadelphia have had time to settle on signing with a team as an undrafted free agent.

While there are rarely any superstar names in the batch of free agents following the draft, there are always some impact players to be found and year-after-year a new batch of UDFA's make the leap into a starting lineup.

RELATED: D2 School had Best NFL Draft in State of Georgia

The same applies to Division 2, where handfuls of players have now signed on to try and continue their football careers. Take a look at all of the signings below and see who your favorite team picked up that might be a potential impact player in the future.

Also noted will be players who have been invited for tryouts at rookie mini camps, designated in their own section below.

Note: If there are any players you notice missing on either list, please feel free to leave a comment below and let us know. We want to make this list as complete as possible.

[divider]

Undrafted Free Agents

Player Position School Team
Collin Bevins DT NW Missouri Arizona
Deron Washington S Pittsburg State Atlanta
Marcus Sayles DB West Georgia Buffalo
Zach Voytek OL New Haven Buffalo
Harold Brantley DE NW Missouri Cincinnati
Jason Carr DE West Georgia Cincinnati
Nate Theaker OL Wayne State (MI) Dallas
Donatello Brown DB Valdosta State Green Bay
Dee Virgin DB West Alabama Houston
Keelan Cole WR Kentucky Wesleyan Jacksonville
Corin Brooks OL Texas-Permian Basin Kansas City
Anas Hasic WR West Florida Kansas City
Austin Ekeler RB Western State Los Angeles Chargers
Kenny Moore DB Valdosta State New England
Connor Harris LB Lindenwood​ New York Jets
Anthony Kukwa LS Lake Erie Oakland
Billy Brown WR Shepherd Philadelphia
Tre Sullivan DB Shepherd Philadelphia
Ethan Cooper OL Indiana (PA) Pittsburgh

As you can see above, 19 players from D2 were immediately signed to contracts following the draft which is a healthy number for D2. With the addition of the six players drafted, D2 has had 25 players officially listed on NFL rosters now.

The biggest standouts to the list are among the defensive side of the ball, including Connor Harris from Lindenwood who ended his collegiate career as the all-time leader in tackles for the NCAA. I thought he was a sure-thing to get picked in the draft, but he slid out as teams focused on offense late in the draft. The Jets got an absolute steal, and he should make the roster based on his special team value alone.

On the offensive side, the player who I think has the best chance to continue their career on an opening day roster is Billy Brown for the Eagles. A giant receiver at 6-4 and 255 pounds, there were some scouts who thought it would be best for him to move to tight end. But reports were coming out that Brown wanted nothing to do with the move, likely forcing his slide down the draft boards. The Eagles need weapons for Carson Wentz to continue growing, and Brown could be a great red-zone threat for the second year QB.

Last year, three players were able to make starts for their professional teams after signing as free agents following the draft. While that may seem like a small amount, the odds are stacked against these players.

But just because they come from a different path than the big name draft picks does not mean they are any less talented and potentially impactful to an NFL roster.

[divider]

Mini Camp Tryouts

Player Position School Team
Lawrence Elliott RB Bloomsburg Arizona
Antonio Pipkin QB Tiffin Arizona
Jac'Que Polite OL Winston-Salem State Buffalo
Ed Vinson DL Emporia State Chicago
Donte Carey DE Grand Valley State Cleveland
Rodeshawn Joseph DB Virginia Union Denver
Jordan Herdman LB Simon Fraser Detroit / Kansas City
Luke Papilion QB Sioux Falls Detroit
Daquan Holmes DB American International Green Bay
Matt Davis K UNC-Pembroke​ Green Bay
Willie Mays DE Tiffin Green Bay
David Talley LB Grand Valley State Houston
Mike Ford DB American International Kansas City
Titus Howard DB Slippery Rock Kansas City
Sydney Omameh DE Grand Valley State Kansas City 
Jordan Bowman DB California (PA) New York Jets
Garry Brown WR California (PA) Oakland
Brady Sheldon DE Ferris State Oakland
Paul Butler TE California (PA) Pittsburgh
Aaron Terry DB California (PA) Pittsburgh
Aaron Cox OL Grand Valley State San Francisco
Marquez Gollman DB Grand Valley State San Francisco

22 players have try outs with NFL teams in the coming weeks, an astounding total given how many players have already been signed as free agents.

Ironically enough, most of the players going for try outs all come from the same schools, with Grand Valley, California (PA), Tiffin, and American International each having at least two players making their way towards mini camps. GVSU leads the way with five players getting a shot at the pro level.

When looking through the talent pool presented to us, there are a couple of names that stick out on each side of the football. For the offensive side, Tiffin quarterback Antonio Pipkin will be a name to follow after he was a Senior Bowl invitee earlier this year.

Though the former Dragon has seen his stock drop rapidly, he is still getting a shot with one of the best quarterback gurus in the game, Bruce Arians. The Cardinals must see something they think is moldable to bring the GLIAC stud out for a potential signing opportunity.

On defense, I look at a player like Titus Howard for the Chiefs. Howard is a former player at Pitt before going to Slippery Rock, and actually declared early for the draft. But nothing was really ever publicized about the stud defender from the PSAC, and that caused him to be forced into a tryout situation.

KC has some great corners on their roster already, but depth is a question mark. Howard can bring some takeaway ability to the fold, and give the Chiefs a solid option down the road if one of their top corners is to be lost for some reason.

With the 22 tryout players added to the already 25 on rosters, that gives D2 Football 47 fresh faces entering the league, and there are already a good amount in the pros.

This rise in the numbers is just a sign that D2 Football was truly great in 2017, and we hope this is a trend that continues as we start the path toward the 2018 NFL Draft.

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