Big Ten Nation’s Nick Hlebichuk Looks at Some Undrafted Free Agents

With no shortage of NFL news today, NFL Mocks has turned to some Big Ten experts in need of some analysis on some of the undrafted free agents being signed around the league today. For more, here is Nick Hlebichuk.

John Clay, RB, Wisconsin – Pittsburgh Steelers

John Clay has been one of the Big Ten’s best running backs over the past few seasons, and would have been a pick in the first two rounds had his season been as successful as predicted.

Of course, the Wisconsin Badgers had a three-headed monster at run

ning back last year, so a dip in production by Clay would have been understandable.  Clay was hurt more by being essentially the third option in the backfield towards the latter part of the season.

He also had trouble with ankle problems, which is a huge red flag for any NFL team looking for a big, bruising running back.

Clay is a great fit in Pittsburgh however, as he fits the mold of their offense, as well as their team, perfectly.  Clay should step in and make an impact right away, possibly as the number two back behind Rashard Mendenhall.

Ben Chappel, QB, Indiana – Washington Redskins

Ben Chappell was one of the few bright spots at Indiana last season, and I, like many was surprised to not hear his name called on draft day.  However, once the lockout ended, the Washington Redskins came calling.

Chappell will enter a confusing situation at quarterback for the Redskins, so he could wind up with the starting job this fall if he can impress the coaches early on.  McNabb is almost certainly to be cut, and I have a hard time seeing Rex Grossman hold on to the job for an entire year.

At Indiana last season, Chappell threw for just under 3300 yards and 24 TD’s.  Now, he had to throw that much in order to keep the Hoosiers competitive, because when they couldn’t move the ball on offense, it got ugly.  (See the box score of the Wisconsin game for prove of this.)

I hope Chappell can get some playing time this season, and I truly feel that Chappell has some serious NFL potential and was vastly underrated coming out of college.

Adam Weber, QB, Minnesota – Denver Broncos

The Minnesota Golden Gophers had very few solid players last season, the most notable of which was quarterback Adam Weber.  Weber ended his collegiete career on a bright note with an upset over the Iowa Hawkeyes.

When draft day came, I was expecting Weber to be a late 6th or 7th round pick, but instead he went undrafted.  However, the Broncos called and will reunite him with another former Gopher, Wideout Eric Decker.

Weber threw for nearly 11000 yards to go along with 72 touchdowns in his career in Minneapolis, but he also had 51 interceptions.

He is a conventional NFL dropback quarterback and could compete for the 2nd spot on the depth chart behind Tim Tebow in Denver.

James Rogers, CB, Michigan – Denver Broncos

James Rogers went undrafted in April, but once the lockout was lifted, it didn’t take him long to find a home.  The Denver Broncos came calling mere hours after the lockout was ratified, and Rodgers accepted.

Rogers is a former receiver so he will have very good hands and has sub 4.5 speed.  Rogers was among the few experienced players in the Michigan secondary last season, and showed good leadership skills towards the end of the season.

In addition, Rogers shared the team lead in interceptions last season (3) and recorded 40 tackles.  While it will will be a challenge for Rodgers to make the team as an undrafted free agent, he has a good chance because of his leadership qualities as well as his speed and size. Of course, including the Rogers, the Broncos have 7! corners on the roster so it will likely be a race to the finish.

I believe Rogers will work extremely hard to grab one of those roster spots and even if he doesn’t grab one with the Broncos, I expect him to be suiting up with a NFL team this fall.