Appalachian State Mountaineers: Three Sign UDFA Deals
The Appalachian State Mountaineers saw three of the players join the NFL ranks after the Draft.
The Appalachian State Mountaineers successfully got Ronald Blair into the pros on Draft Weekend. However they weren’t done there. Over the next couple days, more players have joined NFL rosters from the bowl winning Mountaineers squad.
They will get to join Blair for the right to play on Sundays. Some of them may start off on special teams but they at least have the advantage of signing with teams that want them. That should encourage the boys of Boone as they enter training camps this summer.
The other Mountaineers to sign deals are:
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New York Jets
DB – Doug Middleton
Indianapolis Colts
T – Davante Harris
Arizona Cardinals
WR – Jeff ‘Bobo’ Beathard
The Jets clearly are looking to add youth and depth to their defensive backfield. Middleton is not the only fresh face that they added over the weekend at that position. They also added NC State’s Juston Burris.
Unlike Burris or Darelle Revis, Middleton is likely a safety by position. As such he has a bigger chance to prove himself on the special teams unit. Special teams is always a mix and compromise between size and speed and safeties can fit well there if they can tackle.
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Harris is also part of a theme for the Colts. They know that Andrew Luck got beat up behind poor protection last year. They drafted Ryan Kelly and more linemen to begin addressing that problem. This is Harris’ chance too. He could snag a role with good play.
If Harris can prove himself competent then some other team might sign him away from the Colts later on in his career. Just look at the number of former Carolina Panthers offensive linemen that dot the league to see how that process works.
Beathard was probably destined for the pros given his scout father and former general manager grandfather. If he had to choose, Arizona was close to perfect. Bruce Arrians will find uses for people down there, although Beathard may start off as the punt returner at first.
So Appalachian State fans have two things to look forward to in the coming season, a shot at the Sun Belt Conference title and the birth of four pro careers.