OT - (un)OFFICIAL Undrafted Free Agent Thread
Rather than make a new thread every time someone of note signs...let's discuss here in one thread like we did each day of the NFL Draft.
Here are some notables:
Kellen Moore - Detroit Lions
Vontaze Burfict - Cincinnati Bengals
Chris Polk - Philadelphia Eagles
Patrick Edwards - Detroit Lions
Andrew Sweat - Cleveland Browns
J.B. Shugarts - Cleveland Browns
Marquis Maze - Pittsburgh Steelers
Davin Meggett - Houston Texans
Case Keenum - Houston Texans
Dan Persa - Tampa Bay Bucs
Michigan Players
Ryan Van Bergen - Carolina Panthers
Troy Woolfolk - Dallas Cowboys
Michael Shaw - Washington Redskins
Brandon Herron - Tampa Bay Bucs
UFA Trackers:
April 28th, 2012 at 11:41 PM ^
Congrats to BH! We'll always remember that WMU game!
April 28th, 2012 at 11:42 PM ^
Everyone keeps mentioning the Brandon Herron to the Bucs thing but I haven't seen any good sources...
April 29th, 2012 at 12:09 AM ^
Hope that helps.
April 28th, 2012 at 11:45 PM ^
Hard to believe Dan Persa didn't go in one of the later rounds. Is Kirk Cousins better than him?
April 29th, 2012 at 12:03 AM ^
Honestly? I'd say that Cousins is the better NFL prospect. Persa was the NW offense when he was healthy, but that guy took a beating, and I think it looked like he lost something when he came back his senior year. Good luck to him, though, I also liked and respected him.
April 29th, 2012 at 12:48 AM ^
I always had a lot of respect for Persa and his game, so this might not be the most objective statement, but remember that he's only ~18 months off a severed Achilles Tendon. I don't think there was any question he was playing at some fraction of his ceiling last year, and it's still early enough to hope for/expect a full recovery. At 100%, I would take Persa every day (and ahead of any QB from the conference this class, including Wilson).
Then again, I could be completely misguided and/or an idiot.
I don't know if I'd go as far as to say that a healthy Persa is better than Wilson, but it's definitely a reasonable argument. But I think this is a case of the difference between college and the NFL. I would definitely take a heathly Persa ahead of Cousins to lead a college team, but I'm not sure that his skill set would translate to the NFL as well as Cousins' will.
True, and I don't know enough about the systems they were drafted into to make an informed statement about which is more valuable with what pick, but I do feel like Persa would have done more than Wilson in college with equal talent around him (and they seem fairly similar in style, so that would mean Persa is more talented, at least in my opinion).
As far as Cousins, he's certainly more of an NFL prototype, but I don't know how well that predicts success over a Persa or a Wilson, who have considerable talent as well. I guess we'll wait and see, like with everything else. Sigh.
I could see Persa fitting in with the Bucs pretty well, given what I know of Freeman's style of play (which is admittedly very little, but I'm thinking kind of scrambly type of QB). But I'm with you on the waiting. Welcome to the summer football doldrums.
Ugh. Football? Done. Hockey? Done (M/Wings). BB? Done (M).
I'm not a baseball fan, so I'm down to softball, Michigan and the girlfriends team. Finding analysis on softball north of the Mason-Dixon is not time well spent, so my sports fandom is basically wondering what Denard has to do to win the Heisman, how we can beat Alabama, and pretty much avoid all injury on the offensive line from now until September 1.
Priority #1 for Denard is to cut back on turnovers. A lot of other things need to go right, but that's the painfully obvious first step. I feel like Borges' continuing embracing of Denard's skill set is the next step.
That Bama game is going to be a low-scoring affair. Michigan's D should be good enough to keep Bama's fairly vanilla offense from putting up too many points. I see this as being a Sugar Bowl type of game; it'll come down to reliable special teams and (hopefully) a couple of big plays by the O.
Now that I've cleared up your summer concerns, I suggest frequenting MGoVideo. Our Persa discussion actually prompted me to re-watch the NW game from this past season (Coulter has to be one of the most versitile players I've ever seen).
Life would be tough without you, or your good friend Captain Hindsight. Best wishes to both of you.
April 28th, 2012 at 11:46 PM ^
April 28th, 2012 at 11:59 PM ^
April 29th, 2012 at 12:01 AM ^
April 29th, 2012 at 12:04 AM ^
Everyone always mentions Koger's catch against WMU, but I think this will always be my lasting image of Koger (not Kroger):
April 29th, 2012 at 12:16 AM ^
Gil Brandt on NFL.com had a list of top-five undrafted free agents list for each position. The position of interest:
Tight ends
1. Kevin Koger, Michigan
2. Garrett Celek, Michigan State
3. Beau Reliford, Florida State
4. Matt Veldman, North Dakota State
5. Adam Nissley, Central Florida
Wonder if that was with or without knowledge of his injury?
April 29th, 2012 at 12:13 AM ^
Case Keenum to the Texans. Pretty cool for the local crowd...
April 29th, 2012 at 12:22 PM ^
Houston has to be the first top 15 team without a draft pick in a long time
April 29th, 2012 at 12:16 AM ^
It's funny to see how many stanford UFAs went to the 49ers... interesting.
April 29th, 2012 at 12:27 AM ^
April 29th, 2012 at 12:29 AM ^
I really hope someone takes a chance on Odoms.
April 29th, 2012 at 12:39 AM ^
He is fast and a hell of a blocker. He should be a good Special Teams player at least.
April 29th, 2012 at 12:38 AM ^
I wonder if your goal is to make an NFL roster, whether its better to be a 6/7th rounder or a Rookie FA. Anyone have any insight on this?
Because you can pick a team based on depth.
I look at Troy Woolfolk. Sure he gets to go back home to Texas and I'm sure Dallas is his all-time favorite team. But they have a TERRIBLE secondary. It makes sense to go to the Cowboys.
I look at Case Keenum...Matt Leinart just left the Texas. Kellen Moore can make the Lions as a #3, personally I see him as a decent #2 down the road.
A lot of guys just go where they're familiar, or their favorite team...but for some guys it's a business decision and they go where they can MAKE the team and even have an impact.
To have your name called is awesome, but the freedom of free agency is probably the best option.
Also you get to pick where you hopefully are going to live! I love Buffalo, and no offense to anyone, but no thanks. I'd head to the Carolina Panthers...I love Charlotte, new coach so I know he'll be around. If I felt the depth chart situation was right, that would be my choice. But the thing is...I CHOOSE.
April 29th, 2012 at 12:46 AM ^
April 29th, 2012 at 12:56 AM ^
I'm really surprised, as well. I didn't expect him to get drafted very high, but the fact that no team was willing to take a late round flyer on him is pretty shocking (especially considering Mr. Irrelavent was N. Illinois QB). But I'm not complaining, because the Lions scored a great back-up QB.
at the time and he went 7th round. He lasted 2 years. QB's team record has NO bearing on whether a QB can succeed in the next level. You can be a great college player and be a shitty pro player. Kellen Moore will be the same trend as great college QB and shitt pro QB.
April 29th, 2012 at 12:51 AM ^
Troy Woolfolk's name is misspelled [Woolfork, of course] in both of the linked sites above. Hope that's not how the Cowboys released it.
April 29th, 2012 at 12:54 AM ^
someone didn't draft Kellen Moore with at least a 7th round pick. The kid won 50 games as a starting QB. He threw for over 14000 yards and 142 tds. Seriously? I wish my Bucs would've taken him. Better him than a TE/FB from Northwestern.
I just can't help but feel that we will hear his name again.
Maybe Stafford will sprain an ankle and Moore will get in and light it up. We could have a Matt Flynn situation on our hands and have a real nice trade piece.
The problem is he's tiny. Going up against college defenses is not the same as NFL defenses. I hope he proves everyone wrong in that respect, but I can understand why no one took a chance on drafting him.
The offense he played in...people know Boise best for wide splits on their OLine and trick plays.
It's not like he's coming from Stanford, a "pro style" offense.
April 29th, 2012 at 11:39 AM ^
I didn't say it was...I said it's what people know Boise for.
I DO watch Boise St. and they more than legit...look at who they've beaten.
I spoke with a Va Tech coach a few months back and he said they were the best team they've played in 5 years.
But that's not the reality, they are PERCIEVED as a gimmick team by many.
April 29th, 2012 at 12:25 PM ^
again, Moore's arm is N-O-O-D-L-E. I can throw harder than Moore.
You just said an undrafted free agent should've been taken over a 2nd round pick.
That doesn't even make sense, which makes me think you're being sarcastic...yes?
And he didn't even have that great of a year last year.
I'm not going to argue this one with you because 100% of America disagrees with you. Arguing that an undrafted FA is better than a 2nd round draft pick is like arguing that the Kentucky Wildcats could make the NBA Finals this year.
I would of stopped it when it first started, but I didn't care.
April 30th, 2012 at 12:09 AM ^
When people stopped reading anything other than texts and IMs. Would you ever know would've is a conjunction of would and have if you never saw it written out?
Burfict has discipline issues.
Burfict is an absolute steal as an UFA. If he doesn't work out, oh well. But if he pans out, he'll be a huge pick-up. Unfortunately for him, I don't think the Bengals is necessarily the best organization to straighten him out.
If he goes out an does something dumb off the field or if your star WR AJ Green breaks his hand in practice punching Burfict for going after his knees in mini camp.
I'm sorry, but in THIS NFL...I have no faith he'll make it. Even if he turns out to be a good player in terms of talent. THIS NFL fines you left and right for hits he made in college. He averaged ONE PERSONAL FOUL EVERY TWO GAMES!!! That's fines and suspensions...he'll never be on the field.
Also he leaves his teammates out to dry and doesn't wrap up. But like I said, even if he straightens that out. You can't trust him to actually be on the field.
He's like Metta World Peace, only he's not an All-Star like talent.
He's better off in some Any Given Sunday/XFL type league.
NFL games mean too much and have WAY too much importance to leave any part of it on an "unknown" or a "wreckloose." Coaches, Ownership, Fans...hell everyone would go CRAZY the first time Burfict bounces off Ray Rice as Rice walks in for the winning TD because he didn't wrap up. There is just too much at stake.
With that said...maybe he makes the team and can play special teams. At least then you can say "son, see ball...hit ball." He may give up a long return for not staying in his lane, but he'll probably force a few fumbles or block a few kicks.