NFL Veteran Combine Participants 2015: Players Who Will Make Rosters This Season

Football mania in America has made the NFL a true 365-day operation, even during the leaner parts of the league calendar.

In past years, this period would be one of those voids, leaving analysts to speculate over secondary free-agency waves and still-too-early draft projections.

But with the addition of the NFL Veteran Combine on March 22, the league has added an interesting wrinkle to spice up the dog days. At first blush, the combine might look like a glorified extension of the anonymous workouts that teams hold for street free agents all the time.

Apart from Michael Sam, there isn't much in the way of a mainstream storyline, especially with the likes of Tim Tebow, Ray Rice and Vince Young not on the invitees roster.

However, none of that is particularly relevant to winning games. Organizations are always searching for the extra 1 percent, and while any acquisitions from this combine will likely be for depth purposes, building a deep roster is indispensable to winning.

Just ask Malcolm Butler, Chris Matthews or anyone else from the two most recent Super Bowl participants.

Taking a look at the complete combine roster, let’s highlight a trio of veterans who currently deserve a place on someone’s team—and may receive that opportunity after their workouts in Tempe.

Name	Pos.	College
Armstrong, Matt	C	Grand Valley State
Carter, Sherman	C	Tennessee State
Foster, Jason	C	Rhode Island
Gallington, Deveric	C	Texas Tech
Golic, Mike	C	Notre Dame
Gottschalk, Ben	C	Southern Methodist
Pocic, Graham	C	Illinois
Van Roten, Greg	C	Pennsylvania
Berry, Aaron	CB	Pittsburgh
Burton, Brandon	CB	Utah
Carr, Deveron	CB	Arizona State
Edwards, Kip	CB	Missouri
Lee, Saeed	CB	Alabama State
Love, Jordan	CB	Towson
Lyn, Keon	CB	Syracuse
Patrick, Johnny	CB	Louisville
Posey, Julian	CB	Ohio
Reid, Greg	CB	Valdosta State
Sullen, Jordan	CB	Tulane
White, Ryan	CB	Auburn
Anderson, Jamaal	DE	Arkansas
Brown, Sammy	DE	Houston
Carriker, Adam	DE	Nebraska
Cox, Rakim	DE	Villanova
Mims, Tevin	DE	South Florida
Paulhill, Shahid	DE	Temple
Rayford, Caesar	DE	Washington
Roh, Craig	DE	Michigan
Sam, Michael	DE	Missouri
Black, Larry	DT	Indiana
Collins, Nate	DT	Virginia
Forston, Marcus	DT	Miami
Harris, DaJohn	DT	Southern California
Jerideau, Byron	DT	South Carolina
Minter, Zach	DT	Montana State
Thompson, Everrette	DT	Washington
Troup, Torell	DT	Central Florida
Moore, Dan	FB	Montana
Pryor, Lonnie	FB	Florida State
Unga, Harvey	FB	Brigham Young
Dominguez, Ray	G	Arkansas
Goodin, Stephen	G	Nebraska-Kearney
Huey, Michael	G	Texas
Morris, Darius	G	Temple
Wells, Justin	G	St. Augustine's
White, Ian	G	Boston College
Baker, Chris	LB	East Carolina
Copeland, Brandon	LB	Pennsylvania
Divitto, Steele	LB	Boston College
Doughty, Jake	LB	Utah State
Dowtin, Marcus	LB	North Alabama
Drakeford, Darin	LB	Maryland
Fox, Dan	LB	Notre Dame
Glaud, Ka'Lial	LB	Rutgers
Keiser, Thomas	LB	Stanford
Kimbrough, Jeremy	LB	Appalachian State
Lutrus, Scott	LB	Connecticut
Rolle, Brian	LB	Ohio State
So'oto, Vic	LB	Brigham Young
Steward, Phillip	LB	Houston
Miller, Jordan	NT	Southern U.
Johnson, Jerrod	QB	Texas A&M
Kafka, Mike	QB	Northwestern
Kay, Brendon	QB	Cincinnati
Price, Keith	QB	Washington
Robinson, Zac	QB	Oklahoma State
Thomas, Darron	QB	Oregon
Wilson, Tyler	QB	Arkansas
Bush, Michael	RB	Louisville
Hampton, Jewel	RB	Southern Illinois
Hines, Quentin	RB	Akron
Jones, Felix	RB	Arkansas
LeShoure, Mikel	RB	Illinois
Scott, Da'Rel	RB	Maryland
Wood, Cierre	RB	Notre Dame
Mcmillian, Jerron	S	Maine
Mitchell, Charles	S	Mississippi State
Owusu-Ansah, Akwasi	S	Indiana, Pa.
Sebetic, Kyle	S	Dayton
Silva, Mana	S	Hawaii
Starling, Jawanza	S	Southern California
Young, Joe	S	Rutgers
Aladenoye, Josh	T	Illinois State
Breckner, Jack	T	Gustavus Adolphus
Foketi, Manase	T	West Texas A&M
Harris, Randall	T	Towson
Childers, Jamie	TE	Coastal Carolina
Momah, Ifeanyi	TE	Boston College
Ogbuehi, Emmanuel	TE	Georgia State
Veldman, Matt	TE	North Dakota State
Walker, Dallas	TE	Western Michigan
Waters, Eric	TE	Missouri
Adams, Joe	WR	Arkansas
Anderson, Joe	WR	Texas Southern
Gadsden, Ben	WR	Miami
Jean, Lestar	WR	Florida Atlantic
Johnson, Darius	WR	Southern Methodist
Kurihara, Tukashi	WR	No College
Mayo, Thomas	WR	California, Pa.
Mitchell, Carlton	WR	South Florida
Slaughter, Nathan	WR	West Texas A&M
Steelman, Trent	WR	Army
Williams, LaQuan	WR	Maryland

Keith Price, QB

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

By their nature, combine workouts tend to favor the freakishly athletic marvels.

However, the best of the seven quarterbacks in attendance may be the relatively unimposing 6-footer Keith Price. After three seasons as a starter at Washington, Price had a cup of coffee with the Seattle Seahawks last spring but was released when the Hawks embarked on the ill-fated Terrelle Pryor experiment.

Still, there’s clear talent here, as Price set UW records for touchdown passes (75), career completion percentage (64 percent) and career passer rating (143.2). Moreover, for all the fuss over Price’s lack of ideal measurables, his pro-day results, per NFL Draft Scout, would have placed him in the top 10 among combine quarterbacks in the broad jump, vertical jump and three-cone drill.

After Seattle cut him, Price languished in the CFL last season as the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ third-stringer, a development that was probably less optimal than landing on an NFL practice squad. But with three years under noted quarterback whisperer Steve Sarkisian—plus the intangibles that made him a two-time captain in college—Price’s leadership and strong work ethic will probably land him a more earnest tryout.

Price would fit best as a developmental prospect in a system with spread principles, which would allow him to take advantage of his mobility while also hiding his mediocre arm strength. Teams like the Eagles, Packers and Jaguars might benefit from Price’s skill set and provide him with a genuine opportunity to work his way onto the roster.

Ifeanyi Momah, TE/WR

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

No player is better built for this combine than the 6’7” hybrid receiver/tight end Ifeanyi Momah. After going undrafted and missing his 2012 rookie campaign, the former Boston College receiver was in the Eagles training camp the past two years, only to miss the final 53-man roster both times. Momah also spent time on the Cleveland and Detroit practice squads last year, but the Lions waived him on Feb. 3 after he failed to disclose a physical condition.

The fact that Momah is suiting up for this combine does suggest promising signs about his health, however. Eagles reporters were gushing about Momah—an ultra-raw prospect coming out of college—last summer in his second training camp go-around. When Philly released Momah during the final cutdowns to the 53-man roster, some were even clamoring that the Birds retain him on the practice squad: 

Hopefully, Momah developed some capacity for special teams during his time on taxi squads last year. For all his physical tools, his inability to play anything aside from receiver made him an impractical selection for the final squad. Contributing to the third phase is indispensable for any bottom-of-the-roster candidate, and Momah’s athleticism certainly makes him a logical gunner on coverage units.

Ultimately, though, it’s not difficult to imagine a team taking another flier on Momah’s upside, especially given the monumental leaps forward he took last summer. The receiver-needy Eagles could take a third shot at him, but they likely won’t be the only suitors this time.

Michael Sam, DE/OLB

Marc Serota/Getty Images

Ultimately, this event’s most prominent player is also probably one of its best. Michael Sam’s talent doesn’t match the attention he garners—a fact that may irritate some—but regardless of his cultural significance, he probably belongs on a roster due to the league’s insatiable thirst for edge-rushers.

Sam’s prolific senior season at Missouri, in which he garnered 11.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss, isn't reflective of his NFL potential because of how he generated those big plays. As breakdowns like this one from SBNation’s Stephen White illustrate, Sam won in college almost exclusively by beating tackles around the corner but doesn't possess the speed to pull that off in the NFL.

Without secondary moves or functional strength to develop as a bull-rusher, Sam is stuck.

Nevertheless, no mid- to late-round prospect is a complete player, and Sam’s motor and arm length provide him with nice starting points to work from. It’s not surprising that Sam was drafted lower than expected, but his failure to make an active roster was a bit of a surprise.

Many 2014 edge-rushers projected as mid- to late-round picks by NFL Draft Scout and Walter Football last season were underdrafted, but most made it into the league:

Player	Proj. Round	Actual Round
James Gayle	4	UDFA
Ethan Westbrooks	4-5	UDFA
Ed Stinson	5	5
Michael Sam	5	7
Brent Urban	5-6	4
Aaron Lynch	5-6	5
Josh Mauro	6	UDFA
Cassius Marsh	6-7	4
Zach Moore	6-7	6

Player	Proj. Round	Actual Round
Jackson Jeffcoat	4-6	UDFA
Cassius Marsh	4-6	5
Ben Gardner	4-6	7
Morgan Breslin	5-7	UDFA
Trevor Reilly	5-7	7
James Gayle	5-7	UDFA
Michael Sam	5-7	7

Clearly, Sam wasn't the only one who failed to meet predraft prognostications. But apart from James Gayle and Morgan Breslin, everyone else was on an active roster last season. And neither Gayle nor Breslin was a consensus All-American like Sam was in his final year at Missouri.

Ignoring the noise, Sam is probably an edge-rushing specialist worth attempting to develop. For 3-4 teams with a dearth of young pass-rushers—like Pittsburgh or Washington—Sam may be worth a flier solely for his on-field merits.