Today is usually a day where teams scramble to sign undrafted free agents, players who were bypassed in the draft but who they have interest in and would like to bring to training camp. Well, the New York Giants and the 31 other NFL team can't do that because of the NFL Lockout.
However, that does not mean we can't take a look at the potential UDFA's who might be available if the lockout ends and the real business of football ever begins.
The best known of the UDFA's is Mark Herzlich of Boston College, who suffered the indignity of actually attending the draft at the invitation of the NFL only to be bypassed. Herzlich is a class act who handled it well -- after all, it's hardly the toughest thing he has suffered though in his life -- and I would still love to see him show up in Giants' camp.
BBV's good friend Pat Traina, editor of Inside Football, tweeted last night her thought that many of the UDFA's could wind up in the UFL this fall. I had not thought about that much, but it probably would be a good landing spot for many of these guys. If and when there are NFL training camps there is a good chance they will be limited, and that undrafted players won't get much of an opportunity. They might be better off to go prove themselves in the UFL for a season.
So, which players on the UDFA list below would you like to see in Giants' camp?
If you are hung up on the fact that the Giants did not draft a center you have Ryan Bartholomew (Syracuse), Alexander Linnenkohl (Oregon State), Kristofer O'Dowd (USC), Zane Taylor (Utah) and Tim Barnes (Missouri) out there.
Cornerback Kendric Buney (North Carolina) is one of my favorite available players. I am stunned that Pittsburgh fullback Henry Hynoski went undrafted. UCLA kicker Kai Forbath is available, and considering that word got out recently that Lawrence Tynes had three off-season surgeries -- left ankle, right heel and hernia -- maybe bringing in a kicker would be wise.
Want to throw another linebacker into the mix? How about Scott Lutrus of Connecticut? How about South Carolina offensive lineman Jarriel King? A blocking tight end? Weslye Saunders, also of South Carolina, is a 270-pound blocking tight end who is still available.
-- In addition to the list below, you can check Draft Countdown's rankings of the 50 best undrafted prospects.
| Player | Position | Height | Weight | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Bartholomew | C | 6'1" | 302 | Syracuse |
| Alexander Linnenkohl | C | 6'2" | 304 | Oregon St. |
| Deunta Williams | CB | 6'2" | 205 | North Carolina |
| Niles Brinkley | DB | 5'10" | 193 | Wisconsin |
| Kendric Burney | DB | 5'9" | 186 | North Carolina |
| Mario Butler | DB | 6'0" | 182 | Georgia Tech |
| Vance Cuff | DB | 5'10" | 178 | Georgia |
| Joe Lefeged | DB | 6'0" | 210 | Rutgers |
| Andrew McGee | DB | 5'11" | 195 | Oklahoma St. |
| Kevin Rutland | DB | 6'0" | 190 | Missouri |
| David Sims | DB | 5'9" | 200 | Iowa St. |
| Devon Torrence | DB | 6'0" | 199 | Ohio St. |
| Wayne Daniels | DE | 6'0" | 260 | TCU |
| Ladi Ajiboye | DL | 6'1" | 297 | South Carolina |
| Pierre Allen | DL | 6'4" | 273 | Nebraska |
| Brandon Bair | DL | 6'6" | 276 | Oregon |
| Ugo Chinasa | DL | 6'5" | 264 | Oklahoma St. |
| Demarcus Dobbs | DL | 6'2" | 281 | Georgia |
| Kentrell Lockett | DL | 6'5" | 241 | Mississippi |
| Martin Parker | DL | 6'2" | 303 | Richmond |
| Adrian Taylor | DL | 6'3" | 311 | Oklahoma |
| Cedric Thornton | DL | 6'3" | 309 | Southern Arkansas |
| Colby Whitlock | DL | 6'2" | 302 | Texas Tech |
| Ian Williams | DL | 6'1" | 319 | Notre Dame |
| Ryan Winterswyk | DL | 6'4" | 268 | Boise St. |
| John Graves | DT | 6'3" | 286 | Virginia Tech |
| Sealver Siliga | DT | 6'2" | 305 | Utah |
| Henry Hynoski | FB | 6'0" | 257 | Pittsburgh |
| Will Hill | FS | 6'1" | 202 | Florida |
| Jerrard Tarrant | FS | 6'0" | 204 | Georgia Tech |
| Justin Boren | G | 6'3" | 309 | Ohio St. |
| Dan Bailey | K | 6'0" | 193 | Oklahoma St. |
| Ryan Donahue | K | 6'2" | 193 | Iowa |
| Kai Forbath | K | 5'11" | 197 | UCLA |
| Reid Forrest | K | 6'0" | 189 | Washington St. |
| Joshua Jasper | K | 5'10" | 174 | LSU |
| Jacob Rogers | K | 6'2" | 213 | Cincinnati |
| Nick Bellore | LB | 6'1" | 245 | Central Michigan |
| Mark Herzlich | LB | 6'4" | 244 | Boston College |
| Jeremiha Hunter | LB | 6'1" | 239 | Iowa |
| Elijah Joseph | LB | 6'1" | 243 | Temple |
| Orie Lemon | LB | 6'1" | 242 | Oklahoma St. |
| Scott Lutrus | LB | 6'2" | 241 | Connecticut |
| Adrian Moten | LB | 6'2" | 228 | Maryland |
| Derrell Smith | LB | 6'0" | 243 | Syracuse |
| Daniel Aiken | OL | 6'4" | 244 | Virginia |
| Garrett Chisolm | OL | 6'5" | 312 | South Carolina |
| Joshua Davis | OL | 6'7" | 313 | Georgia |
| Ray Dominguez | OL | 6'4" | 334 | Arkansas |
| Adam Grant | OL | 6'6" | 325 | Arizona |
| Richard Henry | OL | 6'3" | 308 | Nebraska |
| Kyle Hix | OL | 6'7" | 318 | Texas |
| Kevin Hughes | OL | 6'4" | 302 | Southeast Louisiana |
| Zachary Hurd | OL | 6'7" | 316 | Connecticut |
| Carl Johnson | OL | 6'5" | 361 | Florida |
| Jarriel King | OL | 6'5" | 317 | South Carolina |
| Richard Lapham | OL | 6'8" | 315 | Boston College |
| Kristofer O'Dowd | OL | 6'4" | 304 | USC |
| Stephen Schilling | OL | -- | -- | Michigan |
| Willie Smith | OL | 6'5" | 310 | East Carolina |
| Zane Taylor | OL | 6'3" | 309 | Utah |
| Isaiah Thompson | OL | 6'3" | 300 | Houston |
| Chas Henry | P | 6'3" | 215 | Florida |
| Ryan Colburn | QB | 6'3" | 223 | Fresno St. |
| Patrick Devlin | QB | 6'3" | 225 | Delaware |
| Jerrod Johnson | QB | 6'5" | 251 | Texas A&M |
| Joshua Nesbitt | QB | 6'1" | 217 | Georgia Tech |
| Joshua Portis | QB | 6'3" | 211 | California (PA) |
| Scott Tolzien | QB | 6'2" | 212 | Wisconsin |
| Jeff Van Camp | QB | 6'5" | 218 | Florida Atlantic |
| Armando Allen | RB | 5'8" | 199 | Notre Dame |
| Matt Asiata | RB | 5'11" | 229 | Utah |
| Damien Berry | RB | 5'10" | 211 | Miami |
| John Clay | RB | 6'1" | 230 | Wisconsin |
| Graig Cooper | RB | 5'10" | 205 | Miami |
| Noel Devine | RB | 5'8" | 179 | West Virginia |
| Shaun Draughn | RB | 5'11" | 213 | North Carolina |
| Darren Evans | RB | 6'0" | 227 | Virginia Tech |
| Mario Fannin | RB | 5'10" | 231 | Auburn |
| Derrick Locke | RB | 5'8" | 188 | Kentucky |
| Brandon Saine | RB | 5'11" | 220 | Ohio St. |
| Vai Taua | RB | 5'10" | 213 | Nevada |
| Jeron Johnson | SS | 5'10" | 212 | Boise St. |
| Deandre McDaniel | SS | 6'0" | 217 | Clemson |
| Nate Williams | SS | 6'0" | 211 | Washington |
| Preston Dial | TE | 6'3" | 237 | Alabama |
| Charlie Gantt | TE | 6'4" | 252 | Michigan St. |
| Cameron Graham | TE | 6'3" | 244 | Louisville |
| Schuylar Oordt | TE | 6'6" | 261 | Northern Iowa |
| Zack Pianalto | TE | 6'3" | 256 | North Carolina |
| Allen Reisner | TE | 6'2" | 248 | Iowa |
| Weslye Saunders | TE | 6'5" | 270 | South Carolina |
| Darvin Adams | WR | 6'2" | 190 | Auburn |
| Armon Binns | WR | 6'3" | 209 | Cincinnati |
| DeAndre Brown | WR | 6'6" | 233 | Southern Miss |
| Mark Dell | WR | 6'0" | 193 | Michigan St. |
| Tori Gurley | WR | 6'4" | 216 | South Carolina |
| Jamel Hamler | WR | 6'1" | 193 | Fresno St. |
| Andre Holmes | WR | 6'4" | 210 | Hillsdale |
| Lestar Jean | WR | 6'3" | 215 | Florida Atlantic |
| Ricardo Lockette | WR | 6'2" | 211 | Fort Valley St. |
| Jeffrey Maehl | WR | 6'1" | 190 | Oregon |
| Joe Morgan | WR | 6'1" | 189 | Walsh |
| O.J. Murdock | WR | 5'11" | 197 | Fort Hays St. |
| Jamar Newsome | WR | 6'1" | 200 | Central Florida |
| Jock Sanders | WR | 5'6" | 181 | West Virginia |
| Dane Sanzenbacher | WR | 5'11" | 182 | Ohio St. |
| Keith Smith | WR | 6'2" | 214 | Purdue |
| Owen Spencer | WR | 6'2" | 195 | N.C. State |
| Terrence Toliver | WR | 6'4" | 212 | LSU |
| Terrance Turner | WR | 6'2" | 220 | Indiana |
| Marshall Williams | WR | 6'1" | 188 | Wake Forest |
| Jimmy Young | WR | 6'0" | 204 | TCU |