FSU football: Noles react to signing as undrafted free agents

FSU football only had one player drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft. However, it looks like more Noles will have a chance in the NFL.

FSU football and the NFL Draft have not had many interactions in the past few years. The Noles have only had 15 players selected since 2016.

Granted, seven of those pics have come in the first or second rounds, it’s still a far cry from the then-record 29 Noles selected over a three-year span just a few years ago.

Cam Akers was the lone FSU football player selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, but that’s not indicative of the talent on the ‘Noles roster.

A few former Noles were snatched up as soon as the draft was complete. Check out how they reacted to their opportunity below:

Player Reactions

Thoughts

It’s great to see these players get a shot at achieving their dream of playing at the highest level. However, a couple of these players not getting drafted speaks to the decline of the program as a whole.

Stanford Samuels III was the No. 38 ranked player overall out of high school, and the No. 4 ranked cornerback. Levonta Taylor was the No. 7 ranked player overall out of high school and the No. 1 ranked cornerback.

Both players went undrafted, but oftentimes that’s better than getting drafted in the late rounds as there’s more room to negotiate signing terms.

It’s not the end of the world, as there are former Noles still in the NFL who have found success going this route. Players like Trey Marshall, Christian Jones, and Javien Elliott were all undrafted have played more than one season in the NFL.

Here’s to hoping these guys make the most of their opportunity and represent the Noles in the NFL as we know they will.