2022 UDFA Signings Tracker/Discussion Thread

[Shakazullo21]

Apparently Decalon Brooks LB is the son of Derrick Brooks.  Fantastic LB with the Buccs.  Hope he has some of his father in him.  

[Forever A Redskin]

Does anyone else agree that the coverage of rookie mini camp used to be a lot better years ago?

 

I feel like we had a thread full of tweets and reports on who looked good/who didn't. Recaps of who made plays, etc.

 

Now all we get is a video of a slant route from Dotson and the players getting their helmets. 

[Shakazullo21]

I have been waiting for pictures.  Wanted to see our boys for the first time in their actual uniforms doing football things.  I found it kind of ironic that the first pictures of a Quarterback throwing a football in a new Commanders uniform was going to be Sam Howell and not Carson Wentz.  They are doing OTA's but those aren't padded and looks like everyone is just wearing the old generic burgundy jersey with a white number.  I want to see guys in those new W helmets, and everything.

[Forever A Redskin]

Interesting note that Ferrod Gardner is listed as a Safety on that chart. Played LB at Louisiana.

[Forever A Redskin]

Interesting notes from Keims latest podcast:

 

Standouts from Rookie Camp were:

WR - Trey gross - Delaware State
DB - Will Adams - Virginia State
Also talks of Armani Rogers being switched from TE to WR

[RWJ]

29 minutes ago, Forever A Redskin said:

Interesting notes from Keims latest podcast:

 

Standouts from Rookie Camp were:

WR - Trey gross - Delaware State
DB - Will Adams - Virginia State
Also talks of Armani Rogers being switched from TE to WR

Saw some highlights of Gross and Adams.  Very little.  Here's an article on Adams:

 

NFL Draft: HBCU Standout Shines at Pro Day - Visit NFL Draft on Sports Illustrated, the latest news coverage, with rankings for NFL Draft prospects, College Football, Dynasty and Devy Fantasy Football.

 

 

 

On 5/6/2022 at 3:36 PM, Forever A Redskin said:

Interesting note that Ferrod Gardner is listed as a Safety on that chart. Played LB at Louisiana.

Maybe ST or backup to Curl if he shows something and make the PS or team.  

[KDawg]

6 hours ago, RWJ said:

Saw some highlights of Gross and Adams.  Very little.  Here's an article on Adams:

 

NFL Draft: HBCU Standout Shines at Pro Day - Visit NFL Draft on Sports Illustrated, the latest news coverage, with rankings for NFL Draft prospects, College Football, Dynasty and Devy Fantasy Football.

 

 

 

Maybe ST or backup to Curl if he shows something and make the PS or team.  

 

Very much doubt Gardner is making the team. But we'll see. 

[Shakazullo21]

Did we sign any of the tryouts?  Usually a couple get signed.

[Skinsinparadise]

“Ferrod’s always been a guy we felt like could be an exceptional player,” said Napier, whose 1-0 Cajuns visit Georgia State for their ESPN2-televised Sun Belt opener Saturday morning in Atlanta.

“He’s very intelligent. Ferrod is very articulate. He’s a great communicator. He’s got a little charisma about him.”

Yet he also has pop that plays well with the pizzazz.

 

https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/sports/college/ul/2020/09/16/louisiana-football-ul-cajuns-linebacker-ferrod-gardner-jumped-6th-season/5771394002/

[RWJ]

Keep and eye on this guy during Training Camp:

 

 

 

 

 

[Jericho]

On 5/1/2022 at 5:10 PM, Forever A Redskin said:

Devante Cross is intriguing.

 

De’Vante Cross, DB

Positives: Nice-sized defensive back who saw action at safety and corner. Physical, mixes it up with opponents, and fights hard to defend passes. Relatively instinctive, stays with assignments, and displays decent range. Shows good recognition in zone and possesses an explosive burst to the ball out of his plant.

Negatives: Lacks speed and quickness. Suffered a season-ending knee injury in November.

Analysis: Cross looks the part, occasionally plays to it, and comes with the size necessary to line up at safety. His late-season injury from 2021 must be checked out before Cross even gets an invitation to camp this summer.

 

Sounds like a developmental Buffalo Nickel

 

And now cut

[Anselmheifer]

8 hours ago, RWJ said:

Keep and eye on this guy during Training Camp:

 

 

 

 

 

Electrical engineering major. That’s impressive. I have a friend that failed out of electrical engineering and now he’s a patent lawyer. Those guys are smart. 

[RWJ]

More Drew White from ND.  This is film from ND coaches when he first signed/committed to ND.  I think he's going to turn heads.  Glad we signed him.

 

 

[Forever A Redskin]

1 hour ago, RWJ said:

More Drew White from ND.  This is film from ND coaches when he first signed/committed to ND.  I think he's going to turn heads.  Glad we signed him.

 

 

 

Were you able to find his pro day results? I remember it being hard to locate when I googled it the first time.

 

I know he's highly regarded by his teammates. Seems like a high motor, film room junkie type. Could see him being a Will Compton level backup

 

[Forever A Redskin]

 

Hmm. Got some sneaky athleticism too. Notre Dame website actually stated his 40 time was 4.65/4.69. 

 

What stands out is the elite 10 yd split and sub 7 second 3-cone times.

 

Can see why we picked him up. Maybe it was Tre Walker the other LB I had trouble finding info on.

[Forever A Redskin]

Tre Walker – Idaho

 

Tre Walker has been a star in the making for the Vandals defense since he made his debut as a freshman against Eastern Washington, a game he recorded 8 tackles in. After playing all 11 games for the Vandals in his freshman year, recording 41 tackles and a pass break up, Tre started all 12 games as a sophomore. 

 

Tre’s sophomore year in 2019 was simply fantastic, he ended up on HERO Sports Sophomore All-America First Team and Second Team All-Big Sky. Playing as an inside linebacker for Idaho, Tre is an energetic player who is all over the field on every play. It’s clear his fellow teammates feed off his energy and he’s a player who will give 110% on every single down of the game. 

 

Playing as an inside linebacker, Tre has become a tackling monster. He ended his sophomore year with 138 total tackles and the followed that up with 54 total tackles in just 4 games during the shortened Spring season of 2021. During this season he earned 5 All-America honors including with the Associate Press, Stats Perform, Hero Sports, and Phil Steele FCS. 

 

Walker has the potential to be the next big prospect that comes out of a small school. He has unlimited and unrivaled energy on every play, can rush the quarterback, drop back in pass coverage, has great ball tracking skills, and I feel like you’d struggle to find a better tackler in the entirety of college ball. 

 

Still can't find any measurables for this kid.

[Forever A Redskin]

"A really surprising late eval, Tre Walker is a seasoned linebacker with insane levels of production during his four years in Moscow. Ultra-physical and brimming with power, Walker flies into every tackle with a blatant disregard for his or his opponents’ welfare. The former Vandal matches that intensity and play strength with good on-field intelligence, reading his keys well, identifying what the offense is up to pre-snap, and navigating to the football quickly and effectively. Walker displayed a little less mobility than desired, and is probably best with a limited portfolio of pass coverage duties at the next level. His performance throughout the week at the Shrine Bowl showed he wasn’t out of place amongst a higher calibre of talent, and whilst there will undoubtedly be a period of acclimation, Walker has the tools to be a future starting Mike linebacker in the NFL.”

 

Both our UDFA LBs getting some love depending on where you look. Walkers production in college was absurd.

[RWJ]

1 hour ago, Forever A Redskin said:

 

Were you able to find his pro day results? I remember it being hard to locate when I googled it the first time.

 

I know he's highly regarded by his teammates. Seems like a high motor, film room junkie type. Could see him being a Will Compton level backup

 

This, read the article and see the film:

 

Drew White Linebacker Notre Dame - Pro day Stats (nfldraftbuzz.com)

 

 

 

Edited May 15, 2022 by RWJ

[Skinsinparadise]

 

Few players took advantage more than Adams, a four-year starter at free safety who immediately vaulted onto scouts’ radars with his combine performance. He could be taken in a late round, and if not he would be coveted as an undrafted free agent. He is not alone. Southern offensive lineman Ja’Tyre Carter, Jackson State edge rusher James Houston, South Carolina State cornerback Cobie Durant, Florida A&M safety Markquese Bell and Alabama A&M quarterback Aqeel Glass could hear their names called next weekend.

 

Doug Williams, who attended Grambling and became the first Black quarterback to win the Super Bowl, last year called the absence of HBCU players in the draft “a travesty.” As a trustee and co-founder of the Black College Football Hall of Fame, he helped organize the Legacy Bowl and attended practices all week. He believes three to five HBCU players should be drafted, with at least 10 signing with teams for training camp as draftees or undrafted free agents.

“Anything short of that, to be honest with you, would be a disappointment,” Williams said.

The past year’s efforts ensured that NFL teams would see more HBCU players. Whether those teams act on that knowledge will be determined next weekend.

“We did better,” Vincent said. “We made progress. Now the real report card comes.”

 

Before the 2018 season, Evan Jones became the assistant defensive backs coach at Virginia State, a Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association program in Petersburg, about 20 miles south of Richmond. As he surveyed his new players, he knew immediately that Adams was different.

“The first time I saw him play and move around, I thought to myself, ‘Wow, how did this kid end up at Virginia State?’ ” Jones said. “Everything about him said he should have played D-I football.”

Adams had slipped through the recruiting cracks. At Hermitage High, a teammate beat him out for starting safety in his junior season. Adams didn’t attend the camps that provide exposure and boost recruiting rankings. “I kind of was invisible,” he said.

 

Adams spoke to some Division I coaches about walking on, but he felt most comfortable at Virginia State, his father’s alma mater. “I just wanted to go where I was wanted,” Adams said. “It was just a different feeling, just being in a different environment but also familiar. That just made me feel comfortable.”

After a redshirt season, Adams became one of Virginia State’s best players. He started as a freshman and earned all-CIAA honors. He modeled his game after that of Jamal Adams, the Pro Bowl selection, playing as the Trojans’ last line of defense while also darting forward with aggression. He would line up 12 yards off the ball and still tackle running backs for losses. In his last two seasons, Adams was a team captain.

 

Adams studied electrical engineering — “I don’t want to settle for something simple,” he said — and graduated in four years. Last year, he earned a master’s degree in project management. Wanting to protect himself from the coronavirus and save money on room and board last season, Adams lived at home in Henrico and commuted 45 minutes each way. He was never late and often was one of the first Trojans on the field for practice — even the workouts that started at 6 a.m. He would try to take every rep in practice and beg to stay in games during blowouts.

“Sometimes you had to slow him down to make sure he didn’t hurt himself,” said Jones, who became Virginia State’s primary defensive backs coach. “You talk about a kid that loves the game. I’ve been around very few players that I can say they truly love the game. He’s one of them.”

Still, Adams wondered whether the NFL would notice. He watched NFL teams pass over every HBCU prospect during last year’s draft, which left Tennessee State guard Lachavious Simmons, a 2020 seventh-round pick by the Chicago Bears, as the lone HBCU player drafted in the past two years.

“I definitely felt a little bit discouraged going into my senior season,” Adams said.

 

He felt buoyed by the attention others brought to HBCU football, especially Jackson State Coach Deion Sanders, a former NFL star who constantly implored NFL teams to recognize the high level of talent in HBCU programs. Vincent said a recent spate of former NFL players who have become head coaches at HBCUs — including Eddie George at Tennessee State and Reggie Barlow, who recently left Virginia State for the XFL’s San Antonio franchise — carried significant influence within the league.

“That former player, that legend, he understands what NFL talent looks like,” Vincent said. “The calls were coming like, ‘Hey, man, I got a left tackle down here.’ [Sanders] would call all day: ‘T, I got a wideout here. I got a guard here. I got a DB.’ You were like, we got to get some exposure to them.”

 

As the league studied how NFL teams scout HBCUs in the aftermath of last year’s draft, it found “there wasn’t a lot of boots on the ground attending some of their games,” Vincent said. HBCU schools were also not part of the NFL’s video exchange system, which provides all 32 teams with a database of college game film. The league added the four largest HBCU conferences.

“That was a simple, simple win,” Vincent said. “That’s where the evaluation actually begins. You’re measured on your game and your game video. Not being part of that video exchange system didn’t allow the teams to have access.”

In Williams’s view, gathering players at the HBCU combine helped eliminate preconceived notions that scouts might have held. Attending pro days or practices at smaller schools with fewer resources, Williams said, can create a negative impression, consciously or otherwise.

“Rather than going to the school and grading the school,” Williams said, “you get a chance to grade the kid.”

 

When he first walked into Jaguar Training Center in Mobile, Adams felt butterflies. He had prepared for the moment since his season ended in November, working out five days a week with a personal trainer in Richmond. “Seeing my dream manifest into a reality, it was just very overwhelming for a moment,” Adams said.

Through his jitters, Adams also felt confident. He knew all he had to do was replicate his numbers from training. Once the initial nerves dissipated, “I was already flowing and in the zone,” he said. After someone told him his 40.5-inch vertical was the highest of the day, Adams thought, “I’m really doing it right now.”

By the end of the workout, Adams had produced measurements that stood out in Mobile — and would have stood out had he been in Columbus, Ohio, or Tuscaloosa, Ala. Adams ran the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds, a smidgen faster than the draft’s top safety prospect, Kyle Hamilton of Notre Dame. Adams’s broad jump measured 10 feet 3 inches, which would have been the eighth best among safeties at the NFL combine in Indianapolis. He bench-pressed 225 pounds 21 times, which would have been the third most. And his vertical leap was a full inch higher than what any safety in Indianapolis managed.

 

“That they didn’t have anybody drafted from an HBCU the previous year to now, they’re putting all this focus on HBCU players, it couldn’t have been a better time for me,” Adams said. “I felt very fortunate to be given any opportunity. Just to give me a chance to show what I can do, that’s all I ever ask for.”

The workout prompted a whirlwind. Representatives from two NFL teams called Jones, seeking background information. Others called Barlow and his defensive coordinator. Adams conducted an interview on NFL Network and chatted with team executives.

“It’s definitely been a transition — just transitioning from being a nobody to folks knowing my name and ESPN talking about me, people writing articles,” Adams said. “I’m enjoying the process every step of the way, from the ups and downs, the challenges. Just to be experiencing this is a dream come true.”

 

No matter what happens next weekend, Adams will look back and feel pride that he took part in the first HBCU combine and the first Legacy Bowl. He will be spared the most painful part for so many snubbed HBCU players. It wasn’t going undrafted — it was not knowing whether they were not good enough or just not seen enough.

“We all want that athletic closure,” Vincent said. “But the closure can’t be because no one knew who I was. It can be that they never came to my practice and watched my practice. They never saw my game footage. All of these things happened for these young men this year. That’s a beautiful, beautiful thing.”

Some teams still require prodding. Last month, Sanders read off a list of teams — the Broncos, Dolphins, Texans, Bills, Buccaneers, Ravens, Panthers, Browns, Vikings and Eagles — that didn’t attend Jackson State’s pro day. “Where art thou?” Sanders asked, looking into a camera for a video posted on social media. “You could have showed up a little bit.”

Sanders smiled into the camera and let those teams know they would come soon enough. Led by Sanders at Jackson State, HBCU coaches have won recruiting battles for elite high school prospects for the first time in a while. Running back Travis Hunter, by consensus the top recruit in the country, flipped at the last minute from Florida State to Jackson State.

[Skinsinparadise]

 

 

[Zim489]

2 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

Few players took advantage more than Adams, a four-year starter at free safety who immediately vaulted onto scouts’ radars with his combine performance. He could be taken in a late round, and if not he would be coveted as an undrafted free agent. He is not alone. Southern offensive lineman Ja’Tyre Carter, Jackson State edge rusher James Houston, South Carolina State cornerback Cobie Durant, Florida A&M safety Markquese Bell and Alabama A&M quarterback Aqeel Glass could hear their names called next weekend.

 

Doug Williams, who attended Grambling and became the first Black quarterback to win the Super Bowl, last year called the absence of HBCU players in the draft “a travesty.” As a trustee and co-founder of the Black College Football Hall of Fame, he helped organize the Legacy Bowl and attended practices all week. He believes three to five HBCU players should be drafted, with at least 10 signing with teams for training camp as draftees or undrafted free agents.

“Anything short of that, to be honest with you, would be a disappointment,” Williams said.

The past year’s efforts ensured that NFL teams would see more HBCU players. Whether those teams act on that knowledge will be determined next weekend.

“We did better,” Vincent said. “We made progress. Now the real report card comes.”

 

Before the 2018 season, Evan Jones became the assistant defensive backs coach at Virginia State, a Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association program in Petersburg, about 20 miles south of Richmond. As he surveyed his new players, he knew immediately that Adams was different.

“The first time I saw him play and move around, I thought to myself, ‘Wow, how did this kid end up at Virginia State?’ ” Jones said. “Everything about him said he should have played D-I football.”

Adams had slipped through the recruiting cracks. At Hermitage High, a teammate beat him out for starting safety in his junior season. Adams didn’t attend the camps that provide exposure and boost recruiting rankings. “I kind of was invisible,” he said.

 

Adams spoke to some Division I coaches about walking on, but he felt most comfortable at Virginia State, his father’s alma mater. “I just wanted to go where I was wanted,” Adams said. “It was just a different feeling, just being in a different environment but also familiar. That just made me feel comfortable.”

After a redshirt season, Adams became one of Virginia State’s best players. He started as a freshman and earned all-CIAA honors. He modeled his game after that of Jamal Adams, the Pro Bowl selection, playing as the Trojans’ last line of defense while also darting forward with aggression. He would line up 12 yards off the ball and still tackle running backs for losses. In his last two seasons, Adams was a team captain.

 

Adams studied electrical engineering — “I don’t want to settle for something simple,” he said — and graduated in four years. Last year, he earned a master’s degree in project management. Wanting to protect himself from the coronavirus and save money on room and board last season, Adams lived at home in Henrico and commuted 45 minutes each way. He was never late and often was one of the first Trojans on the field for practice — even the workouts that started at 6 a.m. He would try to take every rep in practice and beg to stay in games during blowouts.

“Sometimes you had to slow him down to make sure he didn’t hurt himself,” said Jones, who became Virginia State’s primary defensive backs coach. “You talk about a kid that loves the game. I’ve been around very few players that I can say they truly love the game. He’s one of them.”

Still, Adams wondered whether the NFL would notice. He watched NFL teams pass over every HBCU prospect during last year’s draft, which left Tennessee State guard Lachavious Simmons, a 2020 seventh-round pick by the Chicago Bears, as the lone HBCU player drafted in the past two years.

“I definitely felt a little bit discouraged going into my senior season,” Adams said.

 

He felt buoyed by the attention others brought to HBCU football, especially Jackson State Coach Deion Sanders, a former NFL star who constantly implored NFL teams to recognize the high level of talent in HBCU programs. Vincent said a recent spate of former NFL players who have become head coaches at HBCUs — including Eddie George at Tennessee State and Reggie Barlow, who recently left Virginia State for the XFL’s San Antonio franchise — carried significant influence within the league.

“That former player, that legend, he understands what NFL talent looks like,” Vincent said. “The calls were coming like, ‘Hey, man, I got a left tackle down here.’ [Sanders] would call all day: ‘T, I got a wideout here. I got a guard here. I got a DB.’ You were like, we got to get some exposure to them.”

 

As the league studied how NFL teams scout HBCUs in the aftermath of last year’s draft, it found “there wasn’t a lot of boots on the ground attending some of their games,” Vincent said. HBCU schools were also not part of the NFL’s video exchange system, which provides all 32 teams with a database of college game film. The league added the four largest HBCU conferences.

“That was a simple, simple win,” Vincent said. “That’s where the evaluation actually begins. You’re measured on your game and your game video. Not being part of that video exchange system didn’t allow the teams to have access.”

In Williams’s view, gathering players at the HBCU combine helped eliminate preconceived notions that scouts might have held. Attending pro days or practices at smaller schools with fewer resources, Williams said, can create a negative impression, consciously or otherwise.

“Rather than going to the school and grading the school,” Williams said, “you get a chance to grade the kid.”

 

When he first walked into Jaguar Training Center in Mobile, Adams felt butterflies. He had prepared for the moment since his season ended in November, working out five days a week with a personal trainer in Richmond. “Seeing my dream manifest into a reality, it was just very overwhelming for a moment,” Adams said.

Through his jitters, Adams also felt confident. He knew all he had to do was replicate his numbers from training. Once the initial nerves dissipated, “I was already flowing and in the zone,” he said. After someone told him his 40.5-inch vertical was the highest of the day, Adams thought, “I’m really doing it right now.”

By the end of the workout, Adams had produced measurements that stood out in Mobile — and would have stood out had he been in Columbus, Ohio, or Tuscaloosa, Ala. Adams ran the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds, a smidgen faster than the draft’s top safety prospect, Kyle Hamilton of Notre Dame. Adams’s broad jump measured 10 feet 3 inches, which would have been the eighth best among safeties at the NFL combine in Indianapolis. He bench-pressed 225 pounds 21 times, which would have been the third most. And his vertical leap was a full inch higher than what any safety in Indianapolis managed.

 

“That they didn’t have anybody drafted from an HBCU the previous year to now, they’re putting all this focus on HBCU players, it couldn’t have been a better time for me,” Adams said. “I felt very fortunate to be given any opportunity. Just to give me a chance to show what I can do, that’s all I ever ask for.”

The workout prompted a whirlwind. Representatives from two NFL teams called Jones, seeking background information. Others called Barlow and his defensive coordinator. Adams conducted an interview on NFL Network and chatted with team executives.

“It’s definitely been a transition — just transitioning from being a nobody to folks knowing my name and ESPN talking about me, people writing articles,” Adams said. “I’m enjoying the process every step of the way, from the ups and downs, the challenges. Just to be experiencing this is a dream come true.”

 

No matter what happens next weekend, Adams will look back and feel pride that he took part in the first HBCU combine and the first Legacy Bowl. He will be spared the most painful part for so many snubbed HBCU players. It wasn’t going undrafted — it was not knowing whether they were not good enough or just not seen enough.

“We all want that athletic closure,” Vincent said. “But the closure can’t be because no one knew who I was. It can be that they never came to my practice and watched my practice. They never saw my game footage. All of these things happened for these young men this year. That’s a beautiful, beautiful thing.”

Some teams still require prodding. Last month, Sanders read off a list of teams — the Broncos, Dolphins, Texans, Bills, Buccaneers, Ravens, Panthers, Browns, Vikings and Eagles — that didn’t attend Jackson State’s pro day. “Where art thou?” Sanders asked, looking into a camera for a video posted on social media. “You could have showed up a little bit.”

Sanders smiled into the camera and let those teams know they would come soon enough. Led by Sanders at Jackson State, HBCU coaches have won recruiting battles for elite high school prospects for the first time in a while. Running back Travis Hunter, by consensus the top recruit in the country, flipped at the last minute from Florida State to Jackson State.

They signed him to a 3 year deal. Clearly they have a plan for him. 

[Skinsinparadise]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Skinsinparadise]

 

 

[NickyJ]

Would Jordan be the first ex-Panthers player to be outright released and not just wait for him to retire or have his contract expire?

[KillBill26]

In the case of will Adams, seems odd that they try out a udfa and then sign him to a 3 year deal.  If they signed him to a one year deal, they would still be able to retain him via erfa or rfa correct?  Did will Adams have such a strong market that his agent convinced them Adams needed a multi year deal or he would sign elsewhere?  Only time I recall seeing a multi year deal for a udfa was la'el Collins, who was a first round talent who went undrafted due to criminal accusations.  Strange.