Making it in the NFL isn’t easy.
In fact, there are more brain surgeons in the United States (3,700) than football players on the opening-day rosters of the NFL (1,696).
Going from PSU to an UDFA to the NFL is even tougher.
In other words, going from Penn State to being passed over in the draft to signing with a team as an undrafted free agent to actually playing in a National Football League regular-season game is a longshot.
But it is possible.
In 2016, 28 percent of the NFL’s opening day rosters were comprised of UDFA’s.
Dating back to 1960, just over 300 Penn State football players have played at least one season in the NFL, according to records in the Penn State football media guide.
And of those 300 or so Nittany Lions, 67 entered The League as undrafted free agents (including quarterback Matt McGloin, pictured above).
HOGAN’S THE HERO
Actually, the number is 69 if you count Chris Hogan and Ross Travis (which I am, here and for the rest of this article). Hogan played lax at Penn State, then opted for a year of college football at Monmouth before making his way into the NFL as a free agent, bouncing around before sticking first with Buffalo and now with New England. Travis played basketball as a Nittany Lion undergrad, then signed on with Kansas City as an UDFA before signing on with Indianapolis last November.
Want a sense of the challenges of being an UDFA? Read Hogan’s NFL career path as it appears in his bio on the Patriots’ official website:
Chris Hogan was signed by the New England Patriots as a restricted free agent from Buffalo on March 11, 2016 … Originally signed by San Francisco as a rookie free agent on July 27, 2011 … Released by San Francisco (9/3/11) … Signed by N.Y. Giants to the practice squad (9/13/11) … Released by N.Y. Giants from the practice squad (9/23/11) … Signed by Miami to the practice squad (12/27/11) … Released by Miami from the practice squad (8/31/12) … Signed by Miami to the practice squad (9/2/12) … Released by Miami from the practice squad (9/11/12) … Signed by Buffalo to the practice squad (11/6/12) … Signed by Buffalo to the 53-man roster from the practice squad (12/18/12).
Seven Nittany Lions, who signed as free agents over the past two days, are hoping to succeed on their own journeys. They are: Saaed Blacknall and Jason Cabinda, both of whom signed with Oakland; Curtis Cothran, Minnesota; Parker Cothren, Pittsburgh; Tyler Davis, Buffalo; Grant Haley, N.Y. Giants; and Brendan Mahon, Carolina.
They want to follow in the footsteps of their former Penn State teammates Brandon Bell, Garrett Sickels and Sam Ficken, who completed the journey in 2017 from undrafted free agents to playing in the NFL. Bell signed with the Bengals at this time last year and made the squad as a linebacker, playing in the final three games for the Bengals.
Sickels also wasn’t selected in the 2017 draft, but was with the Indianapolis Colts and Cleveland Browns last fall, before joining the Los Angeles Rams’ practice squad last October as an outside linebacker. He appeared in one game for the Rams.
In mid-December Sickels was joined on the Rams by Ficken, who graduated after the 2014 season, but wasn’t selected in the 2015 NFL Draft. Since then, he had spent time in camps with the Chiefs and Jaguars before signing with Los Angeles to fill in for injured Pro Bowl kicker Greg Zuerlein. It was Ficken’s first regular-season NFL action.
ALL THE SIGNS
Not surprisingly, most UDFA’s from Penn State don’t last very long in the NFL. Overall, the average career length of a Penn Stater who enters the NFL as an UDFA is 3.3 years. Not so ironically, according to the NFL Players Association, the average length of an NFL players’ career — combined, both drafted and undrafted — is 3.3 years.
Of the aforementioned 69 Penn Staters who entered the league as non-draftees, 26 played just one season, while 10 lasted two years and another 10 lasted three seasons. The rest of the breakdown is as follows: four years (4 players), five years (5), six years (6), seven years (1), eight years (3), nine years (2), 12 years (1) and 13 years (1).
When it comes to Penn Staters, the most successful Nittany Lion UDFA’s played the line. Here’s a breakdown by position of Penn State players who were not drafted but did make it in the NFL, at least for one season: offensive linemen (12), defensive linemen (12), linebackers (9), defensive backs (8), wide receivers (7), tight ends (6), quarterbacks (5), running backs (5), kickers (4) and punters (1).
ALL-TIME UNDRAFTED FREE AGENTS
Here’s my top five of all-time Penn Staters who made it in the NFL as undrafted free agents, Bell and Sickels notwithstanding:
MATT McGLOIN — McGloin not only walked on in the NFL, he did so at Penn State. A great gamer at PSU, especially in 2012, he has been the consummate professional in the NFL and was with the Raiders for four seasons. He recently signed with the Chiefs. Through it all, his successes — and challenges — have not changed him a lick.
MIKE HULL — A bit undersized overall, Hull owns an outsized motor, heart and football brain — and has since his gutsy linebacking days at Penn State. He’s been with the Dolphins since 2015.
ROBBIE GOULD — After 11 seasons as a Pro Bowler kicking for Chicago, Gould spent 2016 with the Giants and 2017 in San Francisco, where he made 39 of 41 field goal attempts, including 21 of 22 from over 40 yards. He’s scored 1,492 points in the NFL (and 232 more at Penn State).
TYOKA JACKSON — Jackson spent 12 years with four teams in the NFL, despite not being drafted. A defensive end, he was the Rams’ team captain from 2003-05.
CAMERON WAKE — Known as Derek at Penn State, Wake initially starred in the CFL, before joining the Dolphins as an UDFA in 2009. He’s been an All-Pro, a Pro Bowler and one of the league’s top sackers, with 92 for his career. How was he not drafted!? His vertical leap of 45.5 in 2005 still ranks No. 2 all-time at the NFL Combine, and his broad jump of 10 feet, 10 inches is only one inch behind Troy Apke’s all-time Penn State record for the Combine, set in 2018.
OTHER UDFA’S ALSO OF NOTE — Jim Nelson (9 seasons in the NFL), Rich Mauti (8), Mitch Frerotte (8), Kenny Watson (8), Brandon Noble (7), Eddie Drummond (6), Justin Kurpeikas (6), Jordan Norwood (6), Chuck Sieminski (6) and Greg Truitt (6).
