Falcons Get NFL Opportunities--Updated for Hardy

It appears the dust has settled and BG has four players who are going to get their shot at the next level.  Obviously, you'd rather be drafted, but there are hundreds of UDFAs on NFL rosters and many of them big contributors (cough, cough, Thomas Rawls) so it does happen.

In last year's draft alone, two Falcons (Gabe Martin and Jude Adjei-Barimah) were UDFAs and appeared in NFL games as rookies.

Also, there are two levels of action going on with undrafted players.  There's a UDFA signing, which usually means the player will go to training camp...and then there's a camp invite, which is an invite to a mini-camp next weekend where you get the chance to show what you can do and maybe become a UDFA.  Camp invite is tough, but you're on the field with a shot.  

Last thing....when a UDFA is released it is reported on transactions, etc.  No news is bad news on camp invites.

With that in mind....

Roger Lewis was quickly snapped up by the New York Giants.  Lewis left BG after only two seasons--very productive seasons--and people seemed to be talking about him having a decent draft position.  That obviously didn't happen.  Not sure what went into his decision...usually if you go early you want to be drafted, but there are other factors...you are going to be hard pressed to put up those kind of numbers next year (No Johnson, no Deiter, etc).  

Anyway, the Giants drafted one WR in the 2nd round and right now have one more WR coming in as a UDFA.  They have Beckham and Randle, but aren't super stacked at WR.

Matt Johnson was signed by the Bengals.  You can't be surprised at this, as disappointing as it is.  Johnson is hugely productive, but that doesn't seem to count in the NFL as much as you would like to think.  I love Matt Johnson--guy is a winner, plain and simple--and I think if he gets his shot he has a chance to be an NFL QB...also, would be a great fit in the CFL.  

The Bengals did not draft a QB, but they brought in Travis Wilson with Johnson as a UDFA.  They have Dalton and McCarron on the roster, and the 3rd QB is Keith Wenning, from Ball State.

Travis Greene has his UDFA with the Washington Redskins.  This one is interesting.  The position has changed a lot.  You don't really have a RB...you have a feature back, a 3rd down back, a short yardage back.  Greene has a shot to fill the 3rd down back role with his running and receiving skills.  Furthermore, they lost Alfred Morris and do not show a lot of depth at RB.  They drafted a RB in the 7th and no other UDFA signings.

Alex Huettel got a camp invite with the Titans as well.  This is a tough road and line is a tough position in the NFL.  They usually keep 7 or 8 guys.  Huettel was a great player for BG and it would be great to see him get a shot.

That's what I have heard.  If there are others, hit the comments.

Congrats to all of these young men.  They are champions forever, and we are very excited to see them try to earn their way at the next level.

One last semi-Falcon note.  You may remember that BG had a lineman named Fahn Cooper when Clawson was here.  He made 13 starts at T as a R-FR but then left because his family wanted him in a big-time program.  (He also says that fellow students at BG did not know the team was in a bowl game).  He played JUCO for one year, went to Ole Miss and was drafted in the 5th round by the 49ers.

Update:  I see on twitter that Eilar Hardy has a camp invite to Cincinnati.  Congrats to him as well.