With the NFL Draft just around the corner, I think it's time for a new thread. To start out, here's a list of players I am aware of in the various pros:

NFL:
Travaris Cadet - New Orleans
Barry Church - Jacksonville
Jayrone Elliott - Green Bay
David Fluellen - Tennessee
John Greco - Cleveland
Zac Kerin - Minnesota
Brett Kern - Tennessee
Greg Mancz - Houston
Rolan Milligan - Detroit
Bernard Reedy - Tampa Bay
Alonzo Russell - Cincinnati
Junior Sylvestre - Buffalo

NFL Free Agents:
TJ Fatinikun
Bruce Gradkowski
Andrew Hawkins
Daxton Swanson

CFL:
Ruben Carter - Calgary
Nick Moore - BC
Cheatham Norrils - Hamilton
Kenny Stafford - Winnipeg

CFL Free Agents:
Jermaine Robinson


Various Arena Leagues (had a hard time verifying too many names, so just a few thus far.)

Keenen Gibbs - Wichita Force (Champions Indoor Football (CIF))
Ayoub Hamidah - Duke City Gladiators (Champions Indoor Football (CIF))
PhillipKeith Manley - Cleveland Gladiators (AFL)

Norrils was a new signing this week. Here's the story:

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services.../n-5248500

Regarding draft possibilities or potential undrafted free agent signings, the names I have seen mentioned thus far:

Rodney Adams
Treyvon Hester
Kareem Hunt
Storm Norton
Michael Roberts
DeJuan Rogers
Damion Jones-Moore

Hunt has reportedly had private workouts with around a dozen different teams.
Norton has been getting some buzz on twitter of late. Apparently had private workouts with the Giants and Cardinals at least, perhaps others.

Hester had a solo pro day this week, reportedly attended by 13 different teams. Ran a 40 under 4.9 (very fast for a 300 pounder) and had a 31.5" vertical, which would have been 2nd among DTs at the combine. Reportedly has a private workout scheduled with the Steelers. A few other teams expressed interest in private workouts, but there is not sufficient time to get them in before the draft. Brief article:
http://draftanalyst.com/treyvon-hester-w...-nfl-teams

Add Jaylen Coleman to the list. He is more of an old school run stuffing NFL Middle Linebacker but will certainly get into someone's camp. His injuries kind of sabotaged his draft chances but he has the strength, build, hitting and productivity (when healthy) to intrigue NFL teams.

Also add in Stepec. He has the size and strength to make it in the league and was fairly productive at DE last year. He also was a beast on special teams earlier in his career. Not likely to be drafted but he is on some of the draft boards' periphery which usually means he will at least get a UFA contract and camp invite.

I think there is a good chance 4 Rockets get drafted. Clearly Hunt and Roberts will be drafted, probably by round 4 at the latest. Hester's fast recovery from shoulder surgery and recent pro day and interest suggests he is back in that 4th-6th round spot he was projected at before he got hurt. Norton probably isn't quite NFL ready strength wise but has a lot of the other tools teams want in a tackle and has enough size, skill and potential to get a shot. I've seen him projected anywhere from 5th round to UFA.

We may only see Hunt get drafted with Roberts and Hester quickly signed as UDFA. The closer this draft gets the more our Rocket guys slide down the mock drafts...

Storm Norton is a potential draft pick for the Falcons (Atlanta not bg).
http://thefalconswire.usatoday.com/2017/...rm-norton/

(04-14-2017 04:27 PM)Rocket_Fanatic Wrote:  We may only see Hunt get drafted with Roberts and Hester quickly signed as UDFA. The closer this draft gets the more our Rocket guys slide down the mock drafts...

Nah, Roberts gets drafted. Too good of a prospect and made a solid impression at the combine. Hester will be drafted too. Ideal game for modern NFL interior line schemes. 13 NFL teams came to see just him at his pro day. They didn't make that investment of time and staff to sign him as a UFA.

(04-14-2017 01:38 PM)northcoastRocket Wrote:  Regarding draft possibilities or potential undrafted free agent signings, the names I have seen mentioned thus far:

Rodney Adams
Treyvon Hester
Kareem Hunt
Storm Norton
Michael Roberts
DeJuan Rogers
Damion Jones-Moore

Hunt has reportedly had private workouts with around a dozen different teams.
Norton has been getting some buzz on twitter of late. Apparently had private workouts with the Giants and Cardinals at least, perhaps others.

Hester had a solo pro day this week, reportedly attended by 13 different teams. Ran a 40 under 4.9 (very fast for a 300 pounder) and had a 31.5" vertical, which would have been 2nd among DTs at the combine. Reportedly has a private workout scheduled with the Steelers. A few other teams expressed interest in private workouts, but there is not sufficient time to get them in before the draft. Brief article:
http://draftanalyst.com/treyvon-hester-w...-nfl-teams

I recall reading the media guide for Rocket hoops one year when it listed Tim Rieser as having the best vertical on the team at 31.5".

(04-14-2017 04:27 PM)Rocket_Fanatic Wrote:  We may only see Hunt get drafted with Roberts and Hester quickly signed as UDFA. The closer this draft gets the more our Rocket guys slide down the mock drafts...

If Roberts doesn't get drafted, I'll lose all faith in humanity. Hester's injury makes it sensible for him to go as a UDFA.

If anyone has CBS Sports, Cleveland @ Tampa is playing an Arena game right now. Manley and Summers are playing for the Gladiators.

(04-22-2017 06:11 PM)Carolina Rocket Wrote:  If anyone has CBS Sports, Cleveland @ Tampa is playing an Arena game right now. Manley and Summers are playing for the Gladiators.

Manley is playing out of the backfield and getting touches. Hard to bring down.

Free Press article on Kareem:

http://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/li...100848424/

From baby steps to sprints, Toledo's Kareem Hunt running toward NFL:
http://www.espn.com/blog/detroit-lions/p...toward-nfl

Very interesting article from ESPN. Apparently Hunt had a Lisfranc injury in his foot between sophomore and junior seasons - I had not heard that before. I have heard those can be 6 month or more recovery time depending on how severe they are. He played the whole junior year with plates in his foot. No wonder he looked so different from his breakout sophomore season. And yet he still ran for nearly 1000 yards that year in only 9 games.

Add this to the 6 games he missed playing at all, and it seems he could have put up 6000 yards in his career if things had broken (pun intended) differently. Of course, as the article says, if he had been healthy in 2015, he probably would have declared for the draft early, so it UT actually benefited from the injury.

Good luck to Kareem in the draft. Hope he goes to a good team, and one where he can see meaningful PT right away.

Quote:but he will graduate in May with a degree in criminal justice, the first member of his family to graduate from college.

ooh, on the other hand, might need a little polish on the best place to start and stop the sentence

Quote:No matter how bad the blocking is up front or if someone missed their assignment,

Start HERE Kareem ==>> I’m trying to make the most of every opportunity I get when I touch the ball, <== GOOD place to stop

and I feel like a lot of those guys are the same way.”

Well, some former Rockets are definitely going to be at the draft this year.

League announced that Walter Payton award nominees/award winners are going to announce the 3rd round picks. Jayrone Elliott is going to announce the Packers' and Lance Moore the Saints' picks.

Would be cool if one of them got to announce Kareem Hunt's name.

http://www.doorcountydailynews.com/2017/...aft-picks/
http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/s...87e54.html

Stafford Reborn as a Blue Bomber

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/...30283.html

(04-26-2017 08:38 PM)northcoastRocket Wrote:  Stafford Reborn as a Blue Bomber

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/...30283.html

Scratching my head thinking"Surely I'd remember a player with a unique name like Stafford Reborn. When did he play? Did he change his name? What position was he?" Then I clicked on the link. Getting old sucks.

(04-27-2017 06:15 AM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  

(04-26-2017 08:38 PM)northcoastRocket Wrote:  Stafford Reborn as a Blue Bomber

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/...30283.html

Scratching my head thinking"Surely I'd remember a player with a unique name like Stafford Reborn. When did he play? Did he change his name? What position was he?" Then I clicked on the link. Getting old sucks.

(04-27-2017 06:15 AM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  

(04-26-2017 08:38 PM)northcoastRocket Wrote:  Stafford Reborn as a Blue Bomber

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/...30283.html

Scratching my head thinking"Surely I'd remember a player with a unique name like Stafford Reborn. When did he play? Did he change his name? What position was he?" Then I clicked on the link. Getting old sucks.

The alternative really sucks.