For some time, the last player to be selected in the National Football League's annual draft has earned the dubious title of "Mr . Irrelevant."
So what do you call a couple of undrafted free agents from South Dakota State?
Longshots, for starters, but former Jackrabbits Chris Wagner and Mitch Erickson are determined to make an impression and ultimately earn a roster spot as they head into training camp with NFL teams.
Offered post-draft free agent contracts by the Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos, respectively, Wagner and Erickson have both been back to the SDSU campus recently during the brief break between OTAs (Organized Team Activities) and regular training camp, and each will report later this month in hopes they may eventually be members of AFC rivals.
Teammates for four years at SDSU, Wagner and Erickson capped their careers together with a conference title, and share parallel paths as undrafted rookies. As evidenced by their mere presence at the start of camp, both players certainly have qualities attractive to NFL teams, both seem to be good fits for the teams which are auditioning them, and both have certain factors working against their chances.
More on the duo's individual experiences at minicamp later, but for now let's examine the situation of a rookie free agent. "¢ Teams enter training camp with extra prospects at nearly every position, but must whittle the roster size down to 80 before the season starts. A majority of those spots are already certain for stars, veterans and other players who have previously cemented their place on the team. Through reasons financial, numerical or otherwise , plenty of good football players get sent home before the final roster is set.
A wrinkle in the NFL for teams to deal with, which drew minor headlines previously but will undoubtedly become a bigger issue, is the recent elimination of NFL Europe. One thing this means for players like Wagner and Erickson is that they have no chance to be designated for assignment in the former spring league. Previously, teams were able to carry around six or so extra players due to those roster exemptions. Now, the number for teams is a defined 80, and clubs are without the luxury of signing extra depth through the Europe league.
That being said, both Wagner and Erickson have legitimate reason for at least a sliver of optimism .
Wagner is a big tight end with NFL size and speed, and Oakland is a team looking to get younger, faster and stronger at nearly every position. Heading into camp, Wagner said the Raiders are bringing five tight ends; four of whom will earn spots. Three on the active roster, one on the practice squad. Aside from 2007 second round draft pick Zach Miller, who you can pencil in as the starter, the other tight ends in Oakland's camp will be three journeymen types and another undrafted rookie. The bright side here is that they are players who the Raiders don't have much invested in. Prospective secondstringer Tony Stewart was active for 16 games last season but saw action in only a few.
Wagner's youth could actually play in his favor with the rebuilding Raiders, who have a young quarterback in JaMarcus Russell.
As for Erickson, it's a bit unsure whether he is a tackle, guard or even a center in pro ball, but one thing certain is that he may be in the only training camp where he wouldn't be saddled with the "undersized"
tag. At 6-6 , 280 pounds, Erickson could fit the mold of quicker, "smaller"
linemen favored by Denver and its zone blocking scheme.
Out in Oakland, Wagner is excited about his chances of earning a spot after taking part in the team's OTAs.
He says there's been a lot of learning as he has tried to absorb the atmosphere of one of the most infamous organizations in sports.
"When I first got down there, I found my locker and sat down and said 'this is it; this if what I've been dreaming for' ,"
the Brookings native said.
Aside from meeting some of the players and coaching staff, Wagner also had a run-in with longtime owner Al Davis, whom Wagner admits to not knowing when he signed on with Oakland."When I started telling people (about signing with the Raiders), I kept hearing 'Oh, Al Davis, Al Davis' , and I didn't know who they were talking about,"
Wagner said.
During one of his first days there, Chris was in the weight room when Davis, who could politely be described as eccentric, approached him.
"I was in the weight room and he was walking through when all of a sudden he said 'Hey , come here' ,"
Wagner said.
"You're the South Dakota guy, right?"
Davis said. "Some good football players from there."
Brief as it was, I told Chris it was impressive that Davis knew his name, and that since their encounter went amiably, he should definitely avoid Davis at all costs from here on out.
As for the football side of things, Wagner said digesting the playbook and adjusting to pro style football took precedence over eyeing the competition.
"The biggest part of the OTAs was just learning the rules; the basics,"
he said. "You're just getting the system down and learning the plays."
"¢ In Denver, Erickson was too wrapped up in the duties of the OTAs to be very star struck. Even now, he's already back at the Broncos facility working out four times a week while he waits for camp to begin."
"It's kind of neat meeting guys you watch on television,"
the Hutchinson, Minn., native said. "But things are faster, and you've got to learn the playbook."
Erickson described the average day during offseason activities as two hours of work with the quarterbacks, two hours of meetings, two more hours of practice and an hour of weightlifting to cap it off. He was home briefly after mini camp broke, and returned to Brookings for four days, still working out each day on the SDSU campus.
He said Denver's system of blocking is similar to that of the Jackrabbits, so he's striving for a quick learning transition and prompt execution.
"It's very similar; there's inside zone and outside zone,"
Erickson said. "The main difference is the terminology, getting that down. What we might have called a play or set at SDSU, the same term is something different here, so you try not to mix it up."
"¢ Friends, family and fans of both SDSU standouts will no doubt be watching the headlines and news clippings for mention of the former Jackrabbits, all surely hoping their names aren't mentioned in each round of fresh discharges."
But whether each lasts a week at training camp or survives to be a part of the ride that will be the coming NFL season, one thing for certain is that they've both already done the Jackrabbit faithful proud.
