New Website!

I will be shorty joining up with the better maintained outfit at WVUPros. I'll begin by editing and moving some of the articles already contained on this site. Afterwards, I will continue writing for them, focusing on non-contemporary drafted/undrafted players. You should check out the WVUPros' Facebook Page and Twitter Account.

2003 Undrafted Players

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

Angel Estrada: In 2004, the Ohio Valley Greyhounds of the National Indoor Football League (NIFL) gave Estrada his first professional start. Estrada dominated the league in defense while playing both sides of the ball and special teams. On the defensive side, he lead the league with 14 interceptions as well as recording 65 tackles and 21 pass break ups. For his efforts the team gave him the Rookie of the Year Award, the conference awarded him as the Defensive MVP and the league chose him as an All-Star.

In 2005 the AFL's Nashville Kats signed Estrada, where also played both sides of the ball. Before the regular season was over, Estrada was released.

The New York Dragons picked up Estrada for the remainder of the 2005. He played 4 games and caught an interception despite an injury to his hamstring. In 2006, he stayed with the Dragons and racked up 40 tackles, one interception and two forced fumbles while playing in 11 games.

The Grand Rapids Rampage contracted Estrada before the beginning of the 2007 season. He suffered an injury, however still played five games. Despite the few amount of games, he still racked up 26 tackles.

Estrada returned to the Dragons for the 2008 season. He preformed again though injury, recording 16.5 tackles.

As far as I can guess, Estrada is still with the Dragons but it's hard to tell for sure since the AFL season has been canceled due to the recession.

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Lewis Daniels: The cornerback also began his pro career with the Ohio Valley Greyhounds in 2004. He had 28.5 tackles and 3 sacks his first season. They re-signed Daniels in 2005, a year where he totaled 61 tackles and 5 interceptions. In 2006 he totaled 39 tackles and had 3 interceptions. Daniels was not included in team statistics in 2007 and I was not able to find any other information on him.

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Kenny Sandor: The offensive lineman was also with Greyhounds, but started in his draft year, 2003. He received a few starts in his first year after several injuries to starting players. Sandor received NIFL All-Star status for his help giving the team's running back, Rayshawn Askew, the rushing title. He was re-signed along with Lewis Daniels in 2005. Like Daniels, Sandor was not included in team satistics in 2006 and I could not find any other record of him playing anywhere else.

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Jason Davis: The Texans took Davis, a defensive tackle, after the draft. He spent his fist three years (2003-2005) on the practice squad before being sent to play with NFL Europa's Berlin Thunder in 2006.

After a season in Europe, Davis was waived from the Texans. For the rest of 2006 he jumped around the NFL, spending time with both the Cowboys and Colts, before turning toward the AFL.

The Philadelphia soul signed Davis in 2007. He only produced one assisted tackle that year.

It looks like the following year the New York Dragons signed Davis. Beyond the one article, the books on him start to fade.

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David Upchurch: The Steelers picked up defensive lineman Upchurch after he went undrafted in 2003. He spent all of 2003 and two weeks of 2004 on the practice squad before he was released.

After being released from the Steelers, Upchurch was signed with AFL's Orlando Predators but was given NFL waiver. He spent less than a month with the Ravens practice squad before being signed by the Chargers.

In 2005, Upchurch went back to the Predators. He had 7 tackles on the year after being hampered by an injury. Like Jason Davis, Upchurch's record fades. I'll update them both if I find more later on.

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.