UDRFA

[jerthemessiah]

Undrafted rookie free agents.

Here's a list when i get some time and am feeling less lazy I will try to post some info on each one. Yay we have a kicker! And a guy that played for the Gophers.

Sarth Benoit LB So. Connecticut St.
John Bowenkamp QB North Dakota
Eric Coleman DT Clemson
Ira Cooper LB Nebraska
Dovonte Edwards CB North Carolina St.
Heath Farwell LB San Diego St.
David Harley DT Rutgers
Christopher Jones WR Jackson St.
Rian Melander T Minnesota
Jonathan Nichols K Mississippi
William Obeng T San Jose St.
Matt Ross TE Texas Lutheran
Kyle Schmitt C Maryland

[toro]

Does anyone know anything about that Nichols kid from Ole Miss?

[jerthemessiah]

Sarth Benoit LB So. Connecticut St - Could not find much on this guy other than he played D-2 football and ran a 4.6 in the 40 and he's 6-2, 248 lbs.

John Bowenkamp QB North Dakota -
Attitude
John has a genuine love of the game. The other players fed off of his enthusiasm to play the game. During the off-season, John was constantly organizing throwing sessions with the receivers and defensive backs. John always exhibited a positive demeanor in whatever he did.

Drop Mechanics
At 6’5” and 230 pounds, John is your prototypic drop back passer. John has very good pocket sense and is very patient in the pocket. Although John is not known as a scrambler, he does possess the ability to use his feet. His speed and agility numbers at UND are a 4.69 40-yard dash, a 4.31 pro-test and a 30 inch vertical jump.

Throwing Mechanics
John’s throwing mechanics are text book. John has a very quick release with a high follow through throwing motion. John has worked several QB schools (Jeff Trickey QB School and the Rob Bollinger Passing Camp) as an instructor and possesses an impressive understanding of the techniques required to be a successful quarterback.

Accuracy
At UND, John’s accuracy is well documented. John currently holds the school record for a season completion percentage (.651), career completion percentage (.642), most passing yards during a regular season (2,247 yards). John also set a NCAA Division II record for completions in a National Championship game (28 Completions).

Offensive Knowledge
John has an incredible capacity to understand offensive schemes. At UND, our offensive philosophy was based on a pro-style offense where we have 50/50 run-pass ratio. We also used a multi-formation attack with extensive motion. John has a tremendous capacity of knowing the complete offensive package. John understood the relationship of being in the right formation and motion for the offensive played called. John was also called upon to set the pass protection schemes, recognize audible situations and execute an effective cadence attack.

Defensive Recognition
John took it upon himself to know as much as possible about the defenses we faced. He understood their theory, basic alignments, shifts, plus each defensive schemes strengths and weaknesses. John has the ability to communicate what he sees on the field to the coaches which allowed us to be very successful in our game adjustments.

Leadership
The greatest compliment a player can receive from his team is to be elected as team captain. At UND, we elect captains at the end of season and John was voted team captain after the 2003 season - his junior year. John made our team better because of his leadership skills.

Summary
John will be remembered as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play at UND. I truly do believe that if John had remained healthy for his senior year, he would have broken every significant school passing record. A rare latissimus dorsi muscle tear limited his ability to compete his senior year, otherwise he would have received considerable interest from the NFL.



Eric Coleman DT Clemson - 6-5 / 300

Associated Press reports NFL Draft prospect DT Eric Coleman (Clemson) tested positive for marijuana at the NFL Combine.

E. Coleman Fact: Has never started a game for the Tigers, but his 677 career snaps rank second among active Clemson defensive linemen.
Years Lettered: 2001,02,03
Bowl Participation: Reserve defensive lineman in the 2001 Humanitarian Bowl against Louisiana Tech, the 2002 Tangerine Bowl against Texas Tech, and the 2004 Peach Bowl against #6 Tennessee.
Fall 2004 Depth Chart Position: First-team defensive tackle

Overview: Will take over for the departed Donnell Washington as a starter at defensive tackle...veteran of 34 career games as a reserve; he should be counted on as a team leader in 2004...has played at least 20 plays in 16 consecutive games...has made at least one tackle in 27 consecutive games, which is an accomplishment considering he has not started any of those games...had a solid winter workout with a 460-pound bench press and 500 squat...solidified his first-team status thanks to a good spring practice...had two tackles for loss in the April 3 scrimmage...had two pass deflections in the Spring Game...one of only two scholarship players from Virginia; he will make a return trip to his hometown of Charlottesville when the Tigers play at Virginia on October 7.

[jerthemessiah]

Ira Cooper LB Nebraska - Cooper ran a 4.57 and 4.61 in the 40-yard dash. He had a 37-inch vertical, a 9-foot-8 long jump, a 4.17 short shuttle, a 7.07 cone and 18 strength reps.

Dovonte Edwards CB North Carolina State - 5-11, 180 Ran a 4.55 in the 40 yard dash, started as WR in 2003.

Heath Farwell LB San Diego St. - Farwell (6-0 1/8, 224) ran his 40s in 4.54 and 4.59. Had a 36-inch vertical jump, 9-foot-9 long jump, 4.30 short shuttle, 11.40 long shuttle and 6.95 three-cone.

David Harley DT Rutgers - The 6-1, 300-pound Harley, of Tallahassee, FL., was a two-year letterwinner for the Scarlet Knights, appearing in 22 games in 2003 and 2004. He registered 45 tackles and 8.0 tackles for loss in two seasons at Rutgers. As a senior in 2004, Harley was in on 16 tackles in 10 games. In 2003, Harley recorded 29 tackles in 12 games, and led the BIG EAST Conference with three fumble recoveries.

Harley came to Rutgers after two seasons at Pasadena City College. In two years at Pasadena, he was in on 69 tackles. In his second season in 2002, Harley posted 51 tackles and was named First Team All-Mission Conference, leading the team to an 8-3 record. In two seasons at Pasadena City College, Harley’s team posted an 18-4 mark. Harley earned All-City honors as a defensive lineman at Tallahassee’s Lincoln High School in 2000.

Christopher Jones WR Jackson St. - I gave looking for info on him couldn't even find height or weight.

Rian Melander T Minnesota - Melander (6-6¾, 307) ran his 40s in 5.34 and 5.37. He also ran the short shuttle in 4.93 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.81. He had a 27½-inch vertical jump, an 8-foot-2 broad jump and 18 bench presses.

Part of an offencive line that has has two 1,000 yard rushes for the past two seasons.

Jonathan Nichols K Mississippi -

After only three seasons, Nichols already held the school's career scoring record, and added on to that total in 2004 to finish with 344 points. That total ranks sixth on the Southeastern Conference's all-time record list. He finished his Ole Miss career as the owner of 15 school records.

Nichols was an All-SEC Freshman team choice in 2001. He scored 56 points on 3-of-6 field goals and 47-of-49 extra points. He led the team in scoring in 2002, totaling 85 points on 15-of-20 field goals and all 40 PAT attempts. Nichols garnered All-American honors and was the recipient of the Lou Groza Award, given to the nation's top placekicker. He scored 124 points that year, breaking the old school season-record of 102 points by Deuce McAllister in 2000. Led the SEC in field-goal percentage (86.2) as he connected on 25-of-29 three-pointers and made all 49 conversion attempts.

He became the 14th player in Southeastern Conference history to score over 300 points in a career. Nichols amassed 79 points on 20-of-27 field goals and all 19 PAT tries in 2004. He is the school's career leader with 63 field goals and 155 extra points. His streak of 117 consecutive PATs was the longest active streak in the NCAA and ranked sixth on the conference record books.


ANALYSIS
Positives: Has a lean, natural build … Has above-average leg strength and consistently gets his kickoffs to sail out of the end zone … Shows good leg quickness and approach on field goals, with an average get-off of 1.28 seconds … The ball explodes off his foot, getting good distance … Has adequate accuracy on his placements and shows a calm nature in pressure situations … Right-footed soccer style three-by-two-step kicker who attempts his field goals and placements bare-footed.

Negatives: Has no muscle tone to his frame … While he has good leg strength to kick for distance, too many of his kicks are line drives and he needs to develop a better follow-through … Also gets inconsistent height on kickoffs … Struggles some kicking into the wind … Marginal tackler who just seems to get in the way on the coverage unit … Hang time on kickoffs is only marginal.

[jerthemessiah]

William Obeng T San Jose St - 6-6, 307 That's all I found......

Matt Ross TE Texas Lutheran - Played D3 football and made 3rd team all-american.

Kyle Schmitt C Maryland - 6' 5 297 Thats all I found........

[jerthemessiah]

Of all these players I think John Bowenkamp is the most intruiging, read that he ran a 4.5 at one of his workouts and he's big 6'5 230 could develop into a solid backup in a few years. It should be fun to watch him play in the preseason if he decides to scramble because of his speed.

[vikings4ever]

What kicker did the Vikings get?

[jerthemessiah]

Originally Posted by vikings4ever What kicker did the Vikings get?

Jonathan Nichols K Mississippi