An invite to the NFL Combine is a huge deal for FCS prospects. However, it doesn’t lock in one’s chance to get drafted.
Plenty of players with combine invites end up not hearing their name called. Although sometimes being an undrafted free agent is better than getting selected in the seventh round because a prospect is then able to pick a team situation that is most beneficial to them.
And on the flip side, there are several examples of FCS players who did not receive a combine invite still getting drafted.
RELATED: How Many FCS Players Get Drafted Each Year?
Below are past FCS players drafted that were not invited to the combine, and FCS players invited to the combine that did not get drafted.
2015
Players drafted that were not invited to the combine:
Delaware State DT/DE Rodney Gunter (4th round, Arizona)
Texas Southern CB Tray Walker (4th round, Baltimore)
Illinois State TE James O’Shaughnessy (5th round, Kansas City)
Tennessee State OG Anthony Morris (7th round, Oakland)
Monmouth WR Neal Sterling (7th round, Jacksonville)
Eastern Washington OT Jake Rodgers (7th round, Atlanta)
Players invited to the combine that did not get drafted:
Southeastern Louisiana University QB Bryan Bennett
Prairie View A&M QB Jerry Lovelocke
North Dakota State RB John Crockett
Stephen F. Austin RB Gus Johnson
Lafayette RB Ross Scheuerman
Yale RB Tyler Varga
South Dakota State RB Zach Zenner
Coastal Carolina OT Chad Hamilton
Towson DE Ryan Delaire
Harvard DE Zach Hodges
Chattanooga DT Derrick Lott
Norfolk State DE Lynden Trail
Montana DE Zack Wagenmann
James Madison FS Dean Marlowe
Eastern Washington SS Tevin McDonald
Portland State P Kyle Loomis
2016
Players drafted that were not invited to the combine:
Princeton TE Seth DeValve (4th round, Cleveland)
Montana OLB Tyrone Holmes (6th round, Jacksonville)
Eastern Illinois OLB Kamu Grugier-Hall (6th round, New England)
Central Arkansas DE Jonathan Woodard (7th round, Jacksonville)
Maine LB Trevor Bates (7th round, Indianapolis)
Players invited to the combine that did not get drafted:
Liberty QB Josh Woodrum
Illinois State RB Marshaun Coprich
Southern Utah DE James Cowser
Jacksonville State DT DeVaunte Sigler
Stony Brook OLB Victor Ochi
Liberty K John Lunsford
2017
Players drafted that were not invited to the combine:
Grambling State WR Chad Williams (3rd round, Arizona)
Eastern Washington OLB Samson Ebukam (4th round, LA Rams)
San Diego CB Jamal Agnew (5th round, Detroit)
Alabama State OT Jylan Ware (7th round, Oakland)
Villanova OT Brad Seaton (7th round, Tennessee)
Players invited to the combine that did not get drafted:
Charleston Southern OT Erik Austell
Chattanooga DE Keionta Davis
Eastern Washington WR Kendrick Bourne
Illinois State OG Cameron Lee
South Carolina State OT Javarius Leamon
Saint Francis S Lorenzo Jerome
Tennessee State OG Jessamen Dunker
Tennessee State CB Ezra Robinson
William & Mary OT Jerry Ugokwe
2018
Players drafted that were not invited to the combine:
Sam Houston OL P.J. Hall (2nd round, Oakland)
Penn WR Justin Watson (5th round, Tampa Bay)
Northern Iowa WR Daurice Fountain (5th round, Indianapolis)
Central Arkansas CB Tremon Smith (6th round, Kansas City)
Yale S Foyesade Oluokun (6th round, Atlanta)
Western Carolina CB Keion Crossen (7th round, New England)
SEMO OLB Kendall Donnerson (7th round, Green Bay)
Players invited to the combine that did not get drafted:
Idaho State OG Skyler Phillips
Jacksonville State OLB Darius Jackson
Jacksonville State RB Roc Thomas
Murray State CB D’Montre Wade
North Dakota State LB Nick DeLuca
South Dakota State WR Jake Wieneke
Southern CB Danny Johnson
Stony Brook OT Timon Parris
2019
Players drafted that were not invited to the combine:
Murray State SS Quincy Williams (3rd round, Jacksonville)
SEMO OG Drew Forbes (6th round, Cleveland)
James Madison CB Jimmy Moreland (7th round, Washington)
Prairie View A&M OLB Quinton Bell (7th round, Oakland)
Idaho OLB Kaden Elliss (7th round, New Orleans)
Players invited to the combine that did not get drafted:
Northern Arizona WR Emmanuel Butler
UC Davis WR Keelan Doss
Northern Colorado WR Alex Wesley
Northwestern State WR Jazz Ferguson
Villanova OG Ethan Greenidge
Weber State OG Iosua Opeta
2020
Players drafted that were not invited to the combine:
Tennessee State OG Lachavious Simmons (7th round, Chicago)
James Madison QB Ben DiNucci (7th round, Dallas)
Players invited to the combine that did not get drafted:
Montana LB Dante Olson
Portland State Charlie Taumoepeau
Rhode Island OG Kyle Murphy
Rhode Island WR Aaron Parker
Princeton QB Kevin Davidson
South Carolina State OT Alex Taylor
Illinois State RB James Robinson
Bucknell P Alex Pechin
*2021
*Due to COVID, the 2021 combine format changed. In-person workouts took place at college pro days. Interviews and psychological testing were virtual, and there were limited in-person medical exams.
Players invited to the combine that did not get drafted:
Illinois State OT Drew Himmelman
South Dakota State WR Cade Johnson
Illinois State S Christian Uphoff
North Carolina Central CB Bryan Mills
Grambling State OG David Moore
RELATED: FCS Players Invited To The 2022 NFL Combine
NEXT: Top FCS Prospects For The 2022 NFL Draft
