2006 Undrafted Players

An updated version of this blog post is available at WVUPros.com

Mike Lorello: The Pittsburgh Steelers picked up undrafted safety Lorello. Lorello signed with the Steelers, passing up other options such as the Bears. He was signed, released, and resigned multiple times while playing on the practice squad. Finally, in September of 2007, he was released for the last time after an injury.

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Anthony Mims: The Chargers picked up Mims, a cornerback, after the draft. He was released before the season even began. It doesn't look as if he tried to continue his career elsewhere.

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Jahmile Addae: The Buccaneers first signed Addae but he was shortly cut. Afterward he received interest from the Titans but ultimitly signed with the Colts.

During summer training camp, Addae collapsed while practicing and was rushed to the hospital. Unfortunately, his career was ended when he found out he had an enlarged heart. Addae currently lives in his hometown in Florida, teaching and coaching at his high school Alma mater.

That Would Be Nice...

White would love chance to be a Steeler
By Dave Morrison

Ask any ordinary prospective NFL draftee and he will tell you he doesn’t care which of the 32 NFL franchises picks him in April’s NFL draft.

As West Virginia fans know, Mountaineer quarterback Patrick White is no ordinary player.

So when White was asked Sunday at the Mountain State Coal Classic Tip-Off Banquet, of which he and WVU coach Bill Stewart were the keynote speakers, which, if any, NFL teams he might like to be drafted by, he had a refreshing response.

“Pittsburgh,” White said. “I grew up a Steelers fan. You didn’t come in my Pops’ house if you weren’t a Steelers fan.”

“And,” added Stewart, seated next to White at the pre-banquet press conference, “we’d love to keep him right here close to home.”
. . .
http://www.register-herald.com/sports/local_story_025233152.html

2007 Undrafted Players

An updated version of this blog post is available at WVUPros.com

Brandon Myles: Expected to be drafted the during the second day of picks, Myles never received the call. He attended both Giants and Falcons mini-camps but was waived before the 2007 season ever began.

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Dan Mozes: After a highly touted career at WVU, center Mozes went undrafted. Though many worried his size would not allow him to carry over into the NFL, the Vikings picked him up. Mozes injured his knee at the beginning of the season and never had a chance to play. He was invited back to the Viking's camp the following year, but was waived before the beginning of the 2008 season.

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Cleo Kevin "Boo" McLee: You know who's hard to research? People with three first names. Mclee went undrafted but was picked up by the Rams as a linebacker. That summer, his father passed away and he left the Rams. Shortly afterwords, he was arrested with intent to deliver cocaine and marijuana. He received one year probation for the incident.

From there, the record becomes a bit fuzzy. Wikipedia says he went on to play in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders but has no references. In 2008, it looks like he played in the Arena Football League 2 (a sort of farm league for the AFL) with the Iowa Barnstormers and the Green Bay Blizzards.

Most recently, he was drafted by Louisiana in the newly made United National Gridiron League.

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Jeremy Sheffey: The Chargers picked up Offensive Guard Sheffey after the draft. He was given a two year contract but was released before the beginning of the season after an injury.

Sheffey was also picked up by the AFL 2's Blizzards. After a short stint with the AFL's New York Dragons in 2008, he returned to the AFL 2 and the Blizzards but was released after an injury.

Pittsnogle Ponders Rebound

Lure of Pro Ball Still Tugs at Pittsnogle
By John Branch
New York Times, January 15, 2009

Martinsburg, WV -- There is a middle school up the hill from the McDonald’s here, and behind it are several classroom trailers, the type that are added when space gets tight and are never taken away.

Kevin Pittsnogle has put aside his basketball career for a chance to help a high school team as an assistant coach and teach special education students in his hometown, Martinsburg, W.Va.

Inside one of the trailers last Friday stood a tall man with a familiar face. He wore a Bugs Bunny tie and a gray dress shirt with sleeves rolled to the elbows. Tattoos spilled to his wrists. He spoke kindly to two of his special education students, who called him Mr. Pittsnogle.

On the inside of the door was a sign: “You are who you choose to be.”

For now, this is who Kevin Pittsnogle chooses to be.

Less than four years ago, he was a basketball star and a folk hero, a homegrown kid with a funny name, a bowl haircut, a 6-foot-11 frame covered in tattoos, and a baby-soft 3-point shot. During West Virginia’s unexpected thrill ride to the quarterfinals of the 2005 N.C.A.A. tournament, his name became a taunting verb: you’ve been Pittsnogled. His mother still has a box of the T-shirts in a closet.

Less than three years ago, Pittsnogle was an all-American senior averaging 19.3 points who led West Virginia to the 2006 regional semifinals. He expected to be chosen in the N.B.A draft. He was not.
. . .
As a player, Pittsnogle is a pure shooter whose body does not match his skills. Kelvin Sampson, then the coach at Oklahoma, once called him a “two-guard who grew to 6-11.” After college, Pittsnogle’s weight grew, too, by about 40 pounds, to 300.

“I kept hearing, ‘You’re overweight,’ ” Pittsnogle said. “ ‘You can average 20 points a game, but we’re not going to bring you up until you lose some weight.’ ”
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But something happened on the way back to an ordinary life. Pittsnogle learned last fall that he had a thyroid condition that slowed his metabolism. It helped explain his fluctuating weight, long trending upward.

Medication has helped him lose 25 pounds and re-energize his playing hopes. He is pondering N.B.A. summer leagues, one last time.

“If I look the way I’m supposed to look, and play the way I’m supposed to play, I think I’ll get a chance,” Pittsnogle said. “If not, I’ll come back and live my life here.”
. . .
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/16/sports/ncaabasketball/16pittsnogle.html

JR Isdaner Declares for Draft

WVU's Isdaner headed for NFL draft
Pittsburgh Post Gazette, January 10, 2009

West Virginia fourth-year junior guard Greg Isdaner -- who started but soon after gave way to senior John Bradshaw in the Mountaineers' bowl game two weeks ago -- plans to skip his senior season and enter April's NFL draft.

Isdaner, a 6-foot-4, 322-pound lineman from Gladwyne, Pa., started 36 career games for the Mountaineers. NFLDraftScout.com forecast him as a fourth-round pick in 2010.
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http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09010/941044-144.stm

2008 Undrafted Players

Marc Magro: Undrafted in 2008, linebacker Margo was signed to the Miami Dolphins practice squad. After this, there is some conflicting information. There are sources saying he was cut by the Dolphins in October but picked up by the Rams in September. Not possible. Either way, he ended up with the Buccaneers practice squad.

Johnny Dingle: The Kansas City Chiefs picked up Dingle, who left college early, after he was undrafted in 2008. The Chiefs played him during the preseason but released him before regular games began.

Keilen Dykes: The Arizona Cardinals signed Dykes, a defensive tackle. He was released before the beginning of the season but then resigned to the practice squad.

Darius Reynaud: The Vikings picked up Reynaud after the draft, released him, then re-signed him the the practice squad. During the season, he was given a chance as a kick returner. Reynaud returned eight kicks for 201 yards, a 25.5 yard average. He was limited during the latter portion of the season, due to a turf toe injury.

Eric Wicks: Wicks was signed by the Seattle Seahawks but was released before the regular season after two injuries.

2000 NFL Draftees

Anthony Becht: The 2000 NFL draft has been pretty productive. Becht was drafted by the Jets in the first round (27th overall) but only managed to have 40 receptions in his college career. This tells us the guy was one hell of a blocker.

In five seasons with the Jets (2000-2004), Becht seems have been given more of a receiving role than anywhere else. He peaked in 2003 with 40 receptions for 356 yards, an impressive 8.6 yards a gain, while making 26 first downs. In 2004, however, he had a career low 100 receptions. The stats say he was on the roster for all the games in his last year with the Jets (only missing two in his career - his rookie year - so far).

Since his time with the Jets, Becht signed with the Buccaneers but has been hampered with injuries. Knee, ankle, hamstring, and most recently his elbow. He even had lasik eye surgery. He wasn’t used much as a receiver. In 2007, Becht became an unrestricted free agent and, although still sought after by the Bucs, signed with the Rams.

Coincidently, signing with the Rams as a free agent in 2008 teamed Becht up with former WVU teammates Mark Bulger and Marc Magro.


Jerry Porter: The Oakland Raiders drafted Porter in the second round (47th overall) as a wide receiver. Porter played for the Raiders for eight years (2000 to 2007). During his time there, 2004 and 2005 appeared to be his most productive and he had over 900 yards in each. 2006, with the hiring of head coach Art Shell, spelled the beginning of the end for Porter’s tenure in Oakland. He openly criticized Shell’s hiring and asked to be traded before the season began. He was suspended in August of that year due to open criticism during practice, though his sentiment was echoed by other players. After only playing in four games in 2006, Porter bounced back in 2007 while receiving 705 yards without Shell at the helm.

Porter became a free agent after the 2007 season and was picked up by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was plagued by both hamstring and groin injuries during the 2008 season. After only having 11 receptions, giving him about $1 million a catch, there’s some talk about him not being invited back.



Barrett Green: The Detroit Lions drafted green in the second round (50th overall) as a linebacker. He played four years in Detroit (2000-2003) and was generally productive. His pinnacle, both for the Lions and his career, came in 2003 with 93 tackles and 3 sacks.

Green was signed by the Giants in 2004, playing there for two years. His first year, he started in nine games and only had 37 tackles. During the 2005 season, Green was plagued by knee and ankle injuries and barely played at all.

Green attended a Miami Dolphins mini-camp in 2006 but was injured during practice. Shortly afterward, in May of 2006, he was signed to a one year contract with the Houston Texans. After re-aggravating his groin injury during practice, he was not able to suit up for pre-season games and was released in August before the beginning of regular season.

Rumor Mill: Alexander to be Traded

It's said that Joe Alexander and Ramon Sessions may be traded from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Memphis Grizzlies for Mike Conley.

Pacman Released from Cowboys

ESPN Snitches On Pacman, Costs Him His Job
By Dashiell Bennett

Reporter John Barr was preparing a story for Sunday's edition of "Outside the Lines," alleging that Adam was under investigation for "ordering" the shooting of three men, following an altercation at a strip club. This happened in June 2007, after he had already been suspended a full year for a completely separate strip club shooting incident. Barr waited until Wednesday to call the NFL, the Cowboys, and Jones' agent for comment, and claims that they knew about the investigation, but that he provided them new details that they were not aware of. Hours later, Jones was gone.
. . .
http://deadspin.com/5126160/espn-snitches-on-pacman-costs-him-his-job?skyline=true&s=x


Cowboys release troubled CB Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones
By Jeff Carlton
The Associated Press, January 8, 2009

Irving, TX (AP) -- Adam “Pacman” Jones’ attorney doesn’t think the troubled cornerback will be unemployed for long.

The Dallas Cowboys said Wednesday they are done with Jones, releasing him after a 2008 season marred by disappointing play and a six-game suspension for an off-field scuffle.
. . .
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-cowboys-pacmanjones&prov=ap&type=lgns

Avon Cobourne

Although Avon Cobourne was one of WVU’s most decorated runners, he was undrafted. He was picked up by the Detroit Lions in 2003 and played seven games that year, rushing 10 times for 27 yards. In 2004, Cobourne was transferred to the NFL Europa Cologne Centurions where he played with fellow Mountaineer Lance Nimmo. In 2005, he signed with the Miami Dolphins but was let go before the season opener.

In 2006, Couburne made a move to Canada by joining the Montreal Alouettes and the CFL. He played as a backup running back for his first two years and gained the starting job in 2008. This past year he ran for 950 yards on 145 attempts, 6.6 yards a carry, and caught passes for 607 more yards. The Alouettes made it to the Grey Cup but lost 22-14 to the Calgary Stampeders. What’s the Grey Cup? The CFL’s Super Bowl and the most watched sports event in Canada. Huh.

Tired of reading? Here's a video.

2003 NFL Draftees

An updated version of this blog post is available at WVUPros.com

Lance Nimmo: Nimmo is a hard guy to find. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round (130th overall) as a tackle. His practice squad career lasted from 2003 to 2005, ending in where it began in Tampa. In between, he also played for the Patriots, Jets, and Browns. But that’s not all, he also played for the Cologne Centurians in the NFL Europa. There are no stats whatsoever for him, even for his time in Europe. At least he got to travel.

James Davis: Drafted by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round (144th overall), Davis played threes years for the team. His top year came 2004 when he recorded 83 tackles and 3.5 sacks as a linebacker starting all 16 games. He also started 16 games in 2005, however his stats were depressed. Davis was released before the beginning of the 2006 season and was subsequently signed by the Giants in early 2007. After playing time during pre-season he was cut again. That’s too bad, he could’ve had a shiny ring if he pulled through.

2004 NFL Draftees

An updated version of this blog post is available at WVUPros.com

Quincy Wilson was the only WVU player drafted in 2004. He was taken by the Atlanta Falcons in the seventh round (219th overall). After taking several snaps during the preseason, he was downgraded to the practice squad and the signed by the Bengals near the end of the year. Wilson spent the next three years (2005-2007) with the Bengals, playing on the practice squad or acting as a backup and usually only playing when injuries occurred. Overall, he had 2 carries for 2 yards in four games he dressed for in his career.

He does have another distinction. He was arrested in 2007, making him the second Bengal from WVU to be arrested and the third in the NFL in a fairly short period of time (the other two are from the 2005 draft).

Let’s remember him for something else, shall we?

2005 NFL Draftees

An updated version of this blog post is available at WVUPros.com

Rasheed Marshall: Marshall was drafted by the 49ers in the fifth round (174th overall) and wasn't particularly impressive there. He was converted from QB to receiver and used as a return specialist. He had 43 touches as either a punt or kick returner and averaged 5.1 and 18.8 yards a return, respectively. More importantly he had 4 fumbles during those 43 touches. I don't think coaches like giving the ball back after kicks/punts. Marshall was let go after the 2005 season. Between 2006 and 2007 he hopped from the Steelers (another surprise) to the Rams practice squad before departing for the Arena League. I don't know much about the Arena League, so if you're interested you can check out his stats.

Chris Henry: Not one of West Virginia's favorite sons. He was drafted in the third round (83rd overall) by the Bengals. On the field he hasn't been great recently. Looking at his stats, he seems to have peaked in 2006 with 605 receiving yards and only had 220 in 2008 (while only playing in one more game in 2006 than 2008). Of course, the Bengals were beat up this year and looked downright ugly. Unless they were playing the Redskins, anyway.

Adam "Pacman" Jones: Titans to Cowboys, troubles the name. I don't feel like getting into it. For more insight, watch the hilarious video below.

2006 NFL Draftees

An updated version of this blog post is available at WVUPros.com

Alton "Dee" McCann was the only 2006 draftee. He was drafted by the lions in the sixth round (179th overall). Unfortunately for McCann, his career never made it off the ground. It looks like he spent his 2006 season on the Lions practice squad and then attempted to make the Vikings in 2007. In Minnesota he was released from the practice squad before the beginning of the season, never to be heard of again. At least by me.

Joe Alexander - Rookie Season So Far

I'll be the first to admit, I not the biggest NBA buff. As a layman, Alexander seems to be doing pretty well. He was drafted 8th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks and has averaged 4.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in just under 12 minutes a game.

Outside of the usual stats, Alexander may also end up in the Slam Dunk Contest this February. If he gets enough votes.

Here he is acting goofy, begging for votes.

Ryan Mundy - Rookie Season?

Surprisingly, I didn't realize that Ryan Mundy was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers (surprising since they're my pro-team). Mundy was drafted in the sixth round (194th overall). The reason I didn't realize that he wasn't on the Steelers roster was because, well, he wasn't. Mundy suffered an ankle sprain in pre-season and was released. In November he was re-signed to the practice squad. Next year?

Below is an interview with Mundy by a local Pittsburgh station.

Owen Schmitt - Rookie Season

Owen Schmitt, everyone's favorite Mountaineer at one point or another, was drafted late in the fifth round (163rd overall) by the Seattle Seahawks. He was used sparsely by Seattle as a backup fullback. He only carried the ball five times but had a respectable 4.2 yards a carry. Hopefully he'll see more playing time next year. Much of that will hinge what the Seahawk's offense looks like after the coaching change.

Below is a nice little highlight from a pre-season game. Look familiar?

Steve Slaton - Rookie Season

I feel that I should start with Slaton, since it seems he is the most prolific 'Eer to Pro in recent years. He was drafted in the third round (89th overall) by the Houston Texans in 2008. He put up great rookie numbers in his first year. Slaton ended up the Texan's go-to RB and amassed 1,282 yards on 268 carries (4.8 yards per carry). This makes him the top rookie running back as well as 6th overall in total yards. Additionally, he only had two fumbles. This is good to hear as I'm sure Mountaineer fans remember a few of his gut wrenching fumbles during college.

Below is an interview video and below that some rookie season highlights.

Welcome!

This blog is dedicated to former WVU Mountaineer sports stars who are lucky enough to make a mark in professional sports. My main goal is to gather the information needed to keep fans up to date, all in one place. If you'd like to be helpful and send me something you come across on the subject, please do.