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Cougars shut out of second day of NFL Draft; Seven sign free agent contracts |
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DarnellDickson | Sunday, April 29, 2007, 10:10 pm
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Darnell Dickson
DAILY HERALD
BYU’s most successful football season in a decade did not translate into success in the NFL Draft.
The second day of the draft came and went with no BYU players among the 156 players chosen on Sunday. Quarterback John Beck, a second-round pick by Miami, is the only BYU player to be drafted after a Mountain West Conference title and an 11-2 season.
Amazing for BYU to win all those games without talent, huh?
According to NFL statistics, about 450 undrafted players sign free agent contracts every year. Around 25 percent of the players on current NFL rosters entered the league as free agents - about 350 out of more than 1,400.
So there's a chance.
As expected, most of BYU's undrafted seniors have found an opportunity via the free agent route. Tight end Jonny Harline, the Las Vegas Bowl MVP, has signed a free agent deal with the world champion Indianapolis Colts. A total of 13 tight ends were drafted in front of Harline, despite his productivity (58 catches for 935 yards and 12 touchdowns) and obvious strengths.
Linebacker Cameron Jensen (Seattle), running back Curtis Brown (Cleveland), offensive guard Jake Kuresa (New Orleans), offensive tackle Eddie Keele (Oakland), tight end Dan Coats (Cincinnati) and wide receiver Zac Collie (Philadelphia) also signed free agent deals to keep their dreams of playing professional football alive. Bonuses for free agents usually range in the $5-20,000 range.
And of course, there are no guarantees they’ll make the team.
For most of the undrafted BYU players, it comes down to speed. Evaluations of Harline, Coats, Jensen and Brown all indicate a lack of what scouts call "top-end speed," whatever that may be. Sometimes all scouts and coaches can see are the "measurables" and are unwilling to take a risk on a player who they perceive may be lacking in one area or another.
The key for all of these players is to find the team that needs them the most. For instance, Harline is going to a team that already has an All-Pro caliber tight end in Dallas Clark. The other three tight ends on the Indianapolis roster - Bryan Fletcher, Ben Utecht and Justin Snow - are all former free agents. The Colts didn't draft a tight end, either.
Jensen said he just felt good about going to Seattle.
"I'll go out there this week and learn the system," he said. "My hope is that I'll be able to learn from the guys already there and start working my way up the depth chart. I feel good about going to Seattle. I felt if it came down to going in as a free agent, I wanted to go to Seattle. I feel like I'll be in a good situation there. It's a good deal for me all the way around."
The most BYU players ever drafted came in 1986 when seven Cougars were taken, but the draft was much longer then - defensive back Jeff Sprowls was taken in the 12th round. From that draft, linebackers Leon White and Kurt Gouveia and kick returner Vai Sikahema enjoyed long NFL careers.
The most BYU players drafted in recent years was in 2002, when five Cougars were chosen. Of that group, tight end Doug Jolley and defensive ends Ryan Denney and Brett Keisel are still in the league.
Eight Mountain West Conference players were selected in the 2007 NFL Draft, including five on the draft’s second day. Utah defensive tackle Paul Soliai (Miami) and TCU safety Marvin White (Cincinnati) were selected in the fourth round. Colorado State offensive tackle Clint Oldenburg (New England) was taken in the fifth round. Wyoming safety John Wendling (Buffalo) and TCU offensive tackle Herbert Taylor (Kansas City) were chosen in the sixth round.
A player with BYU ties was selected in the seventh round. C.J. Ah You, who prepped at Lone Peak High in Highland and played at BYU in 2001, was selected by Buffalo. After BYU, Ah You went to Snow College and then the University of Oklahoma. |
