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Fighting loaded depth charts and an uphill battle to continue playing football into the NFL, former Wildcat players Collin Klein and Braden Wilson have found themselves in different situations from the two NFL teams most connected to Kansas City. While Wilson was not among the Kansas City Chiefs cut yesterday, Klein was informed the Texans would not be in need of his services this fall.

The Chiefs drafted Wilson in the sixth round, but traded for Arizona fullback Anthony Sherman shortly thereafter in a move that remains a significant obstacle to Wilson making the final roster of 53. However, another FB – Patrick Sherman – was released last month to reduce the competition in the backfield. Yesterday Nate Eachus was also released, solidifying Wilson’s predicament to a two-horse race for the fullback job.

Eachus is not a traditional fullback in any sense of the word, standing at only 5’10″ and 212 lbs. However, on a team that had no defined FB, he often served as a blocker in the backfield with the potential to roll out in the flat for passes.He made the team as a rookie free agent last year and started two games while seeing action in 11 total. He only totaled 18 yards rushing on five carries and had one catch for 19 yards, but was previously kept around for his physical presence and not his yardage production. The move demonstrates Andy Reid and company are definitely committed to having a true fullback on the field this year, and hopefully that man is Braden Wilson.

On the flip side of the coin, Collin Klein will not be suiting up for the Houston Texans this year (I say they have strong ties to Kansas City b/c the Chiefs were originally the Dallas Texans before moving north in 1963). Regardless of Klein’s physical abilities, he was a longshot to make the roster with four other quarterbacks already in Houston: starter Matt Schaub, T.J. Yates, Stephen McGee, and Case Keenum. And due to his continued insistence that he play the quarterback position and not line up as a tight end, Houston made the decision this morning not to retain his services.

As of this writing, no other team has offered Klein a contract to try out. However, he did leave the Texans with a glowing verbal recommendation from his temporary employers. Over the weekend Texans coach Gary Kubiak discussed Klein, commenting:

I tell you what, it was impressive, I’m fixing to go up and have a long talk with him. I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, but to watch how far the guy came in two and a half days… probably his best day out here today. He’s found a way his whole career, and he’s probably going to find a way this time, too.

He’s got a ton (of talent). For what he did in college and what Jake (Plummer) has been doing with him, he’s come a long way, as far as working under center and stuff. The arm strength is there. The delivery is a little different but you work with that. But his instincts as a football player you can’t coach; the way he just takes off and stuff like that.

Update: FB Ryan D’Imperio was also released after being signed by the Chiefs in March of this year.

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With the dust settled on the 2013 NFL Draft, I wanted to look into where the Wildcat’s drafted fit into their new teams.  Lead Editor Dave Thoman did a great job overlooking where the entire Wildcat’s drafted and undrafted went.  If you haven’t had a chance check it out.  I wanted to look into the three drafted players and grade how they fit into their new systems.

Arthur Brown – LB, 56^th pick in the 2^nd round by the Baltimore Ravens

I was a little disappointed that Brown dropped to the second round because I really felt he was a first round talent.  But I couldn’t be happier to what team he fell to.  One of the Raven’s biggest needs heading into the draft was at Inside Linebacker after future Hall of Famer and dance enthusiast Ray Lewis retired.  Brown has big shoes to fill replacing Ray, but his attributes seem to fit what the Raven’s did with Lewis.  Brown’s instincts and tackling ability should allow him to start right away.  I actually thought if the Chicago Bears didn’t take him as I stated in my Draft Watch List, that the Ravens would snag him with the last pick in the first round.  Overall I think this is a great match for both team and player.

Overall Grade – A

Chris Harper – WR, 123^rd pick in the 4^th round by the Seattle Seahawks

Chris Harper to the Seahawks was a little surprising to me.  I thought that the Raven’s would target him more in the 3^rd round to replace Anquan Boldin.  Why the Seahawks surprise me is the big offseason trade for Percy Harvin.  Acquiring Harvin to go along with Sidney Rice, Golden Tate and Doug Baldwin help put their receiving corps in a better situation.  Harper’s key to this bunch is he’s a great possession receiver, ideal for a 3^rd or 4^th option for Russell Wilson.  His battle will be for a receiver spot on the roster, one I do think he can obtain if he clicks with Wilson.  The grade for Harper is due to what seems like a more crowded battle than the other two drafted.  I do love the potential Harper could bring to the Seahawks if he can gain Wilson’s confidence as a possession receiver.

Overall Grade – C, potential for B

Braden Wilson – FB, 204^th pick in the 6^th round by the Kansas City Chiefs

I may be a bit biased but I love this pick because I am a Chiefs fan as well.  I was surprised it was in the 6^th round, not the 7^th but new Head Coach Andy Reid had stated he thought Braden Wilson was the best blocking fullback in the draft in his opinion.  He backed that decision up by drafting a fullback that I think will be a great addition to the Chiefs lineup.  Wilson was viewed pre-draft as maybe being athletic enough to be drafted as an H-back type player.  This fits well into what Reid is bringing to the Kansas City offense, where Wilson’s main job will be opening holes for Jamaal Charles, but can catch the football if called upon.  The competition got a little more clouded with last week’s trade with the Arizona Cardinals that landed fullback Anthony Sherman.  The chances the Chiefs carry two fullbacks are slim to none, but investing a pick in Wilson would suggest he is the early favorite.  Wilson has the chance to be the Chiefs main fullback since Tony Richardson left, as the team has struggled to find a fullback in years past.  I think it’s a great fit and could be used extremely well.

Overall Grade – B if he wins the job, U if not

Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

As discussed here last week, an acquisition for Arizona Cardinals fullback Anthony Sherman complicated the Chiefs’ roster with four (and arguably five) fullbacks competing for one spot, following the sixth round selection of Kansas State fullback Braden Wilson. And while Wilson was likely unexcited about the trade for Sherman, the recent release of FB Patrick DeMarco should help him rest at least a little easier.

DeMarco came to Kansas City in August of 2012 as a free agent. However, he was not a highly valued component of the team and only saw action in five games – all towards the end of the season when Kansas City’s shot at a division title was already toast.

The Chiefs, with a reformation of the front office this year, have developed a greater emphasis on the position and will undoubtedly look for a player better than Nate Eachus, who assumed the role last year but is in no way built to play the position. The team brought in Ryan D’Imperio in late March this year in the interest of having at least one true fullback on the roster. Considering the teams’ recent acquisitions, D’Imperio is a longshot to make the team. However, Wilson must still battle to solidify a spot over Sherman with the Chiefs this year.

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

On Saturday Braden Wilson was riding high, having been drafted by his hometown Kansas City Chiefs and looking at a team without a true fullback in 2012 and a new head coach that demands one on the roster. As of this Wednesday, it’s time to start hitting the weight room because the path to making the 53-man roster got a lot more difficult with the addition of Cardinals FB Anthony Sherman.

Wilson was taken in the sixth round of the NFL draft after cutting his teeth at K-State while blocking for Collin Klein and John Hubert (both players accumulated almost 1,000 last fall). The acquisition of new head coach Andy Reid was supposed to make it easier for Wilson to make the team, as Reid actually employs a fullback (unlike his predecessor Romeo Crennel did last year). Someone is going to get that roster spot this fall.

However, the Chiefs made a startling move today by trading CB Javier Arenas to Arizona in exchange for Sherman. The trade doesn’t necessarily indicate Kansas City is determined for someone else to win the spot over Wilson – the Chiefs have been beefing up their secondary all summer and Arenas was probably on the chopping block anyway. Sherman was simply the best player they could trade for. Yet best deal or not, the roster move certainly complicates things for a player that tens of thousands of fans were hoping to watch play Sundays at Arrowhead. We’ll be sure to keep an eye on this and other training camp battles around the league as the summer progresses.

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With the conclusion of the NFL season following Superbowl Sunday, The Jug will be looking back at how Wildcat alumni fared in the 2012 season. For our fourth installment, we visit 2009 graduate Josh Freeman, one of the most talented quarterbacks to ever play for K-State.

Josh Freeman was a bright spot during an otherwise dark era K-State fans refer to as ‘The Ron Prince Era.’ Freeman started the last eight games of his freshman year and every game from 2007-2008. The team compiled a truly mediocre overall record of 17-20 during this time (7-6, 5-7, 5-7). However, Freeman was instrumental in ensuring the school’s win streak remained intact against Texas.  As a freshman he was instrumental in beating the #4 ranked Longhorns 45-42 in Manhattan. The following year he led the Wildcats to a 20-point victory in Austin against #10 Texas.

Over the course of his career with K-State, Freeman compiled a passer rating of 124.7 while throwing for over 8,000 yards. After two years of negative rushing yardage accumulated from taking sacks while rarely straying from the pocket, Freeman became a running threat as a junior. In 2008 he ran for 404 yards and 20 touchdowns. He finished with a a school-record 8,427 total yards while joining Ell Roberson as the only two quarterbacks to record over 60 touchdowns. Freeman declared early for the NFL draft and was taken with the 17th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Freeman was solid overall prospect. Although his collegiate touchdown:interception was far from impressive (44:34), teams were willing to overlook this statistic in light of his spotty offensive line protection and fact that K-State was often playing from behind, forcing Freeman to force throws against defenses playing pass protection. What teams did see was a 6’6”, 250 lbs player with strong fundamentals who scored above average on the Wonderlic exam. He eventually signed a five-year, $26 million contract with another $10 million possible if certain incentives were/are met.

Freeman had an up and down rookie season, which started by winning his first start and helping the Buccaneers break an eleven-game losing streak. However, he finished with only ten touchdowns while throwing 18 interceptions and achieving a 59.8 passer rating in ten games  (Freeman sat out the first six games of the season). He proceeded to truly break out his sophomore year, leading a formerly hapless Tampa Bay team to a 10-6 record while connecting for 25 touchdowns with only six picks. Freeman regressed in his third season in the league, recording only 16 touchdowns to 22 interceptions. His quarterback rating dropped from 95.9 the year before to 74.6 quarterback rating as the Bucs finished 4-12.

Freeman somewhat failed to recapture his sophomore magic this past year, but definitely played well enough to cement his place as an NFL starter. He set multiple franchise records in 2012, including most passing yards in a season (4,065), most passing touchdowns in a season (27), and longest completed pass (95 yards). He also set a career high of 7.6 yards/pass attempt. His passer rating of 81.6 was the second highest of his career.

Josh Freeman is entering into the final year of his contract and looks ready to have his most successful season yet. He was forced to make several adjustments last year, with a new head coach and offensive weapons (TE Dallas Clark and WR Vincent Jackson). With a full season of experience working with a different system and players, in addition to breakout rookie Doug Martin commanding respect for the team’s run game, it’s realistic to believe Freeman will once again throw for over 4,000 yards while also topping 30 touchdowns.

But really, if there’s one thing you need to know about Josh Freeman, it’s that he recently did this bangin’ recreation of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller” reincarnation for ESPN the Magazine.

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As the NFL season comes to a close this Superbowl Sunday, The Jug will be looking back at how Wildcat alumni fared in the 2012 season. For our third installment, we visit 2006 graduate Jeromey Clary, a player unwanted during much of the draft but able to turn his opportunities into a serious payday once given the chance.

San Diego Chargers tackle Jeromey Clary was an upstanding Wildcat, landing on the All-Big 12 academic team three straight years from 2002-2005. He was also recognized as the team’s Scholar-Athlete of Year and received the Paul Coffman Award for outstanding leadership, attitude and improvement as senior. Coming out of Kansas State, Clary was drafted in the sixth round.

Clary had a difficult time establishing himself initially, and spent his 2006 rookie year on the Chargers’ practice squad after being initially waived. However, in week three of 2007 he received a start due to other injuries in the line. In December that year he officially moved into the starting lineup. 2008 saw a big payday for Clary, who earned an additional 406K thanks to the NFL’s performance-based pay system, which takes into account playing time in comparison to salary. This made him the biggest beneficiary of the policy. In 2009 he was awarded two game balls from coaches for his blocking prowess. However, he injured his ankle in the performance earning him the second game ball in November and was placed on injured reserve, lost for the year.

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Clary came back stronger than ever in 2010 and won the team’s Ed Block Courage Award after playing every offensive snap – one of only five players with the organization to do so (although, if you know anything about San Diego, you’re aware most players have trouble staying healthy enough to even play every game in the season). His performance allowed him to leverage a four year, $20 million contract following the lockout in 2011.

Jeromey was only able to participate in 14 games in 2012 as a groin injury kept him out of the first part of December. Despite his tremendous start, Clary has struggled over the past two years and became the source of much criticism as fans felt he failed to justify his big contract with San Diego. However, the lack of a quality/healthy running backs in the backfield (Ryan Matthews was either out or playing hurt all year) caused two problems for Clary and the rest of the offensive line: it made the line look bad, because subpar runners are going to be less effective by nature; and opposing defenses were able to blitz more effectively knowing the running game didn’t pose a significant threat. Additionally, the Chargers will be implementing a zone blocking scheme in 2013 – a big step away from the current man blocking system the team currently runs. Assuming Clary can effectively pick the system up – remember, the man’s smart – it should be a fresh start for the former Wildcat. Aside from two games against Kansas City, The Jug wishes him all the best in the 2013 football season.

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As the NFL season comes to a close this Superbowl Sunday, The Jug will be looking back at how Wildcat alumni fared in the 2012 season. For our second installment, we visit 2010 a graduate who made his way the hard way, Washington Redskins receiver and return specialist Brandon Banks.

As the NFL season comes to a close this Superbowl Sunday, The Jug will be looking back at how Wildcat alumni fared in the 2012 season. For our first installment, we go big with a perpetual fan favorite, New Orleans running back Darren Sproles.

Almost a decade removed from graduation, Darren Sproles remains legend around K-State’s campus. As a senior, Sproles led the nation in rushing yards and eviscerated the #1 Oklahoma Sooners in the Big 12 championship game, helping the Wildcats to a 35-7 victory while finishing fifth in Heisman voting. After finding his way to New Orleans in 2011, Sproles broke out and demonstrated the same home run threat Wildcat fans fondly remember.

Standing at only 5’6″, Sproles received the nickname “noseeum” after moving to the Saints – a nosseum is a local insect that is too small to see but produces painful bites. While Sproles was part of an offense featuring Drew Brees – who set the single-season passing record in 2011 – while finishing 13-3, the infamous body scandal left the organization emotionally scarred and without head coach Sean Payton, who was suspended for the year. Yet while the Saints dropped to 7-9 this year, Sproles has refused to lose a step and put up another season of fantastic numbers in a system that features several running backs distributes the ball around the team.

Sproles only finished with 244 rushing yards this year, his lowest output since playing backup to Ladainian Tomlinson in San Diego. However, he made the most of his opportunities by averaging a full 5.1 yards per carry with one touchdown in 13 games. The scat back would have been even productive but missed three games towards the end of the season with a hand injury. In addition to his rushing yardage, Sproles caught 75 passes for 667 yards in 2012. Utilizing Sproles in screens and quick passes out of the backfield is where he has proven most lethal, and he averaged 8.9 yards/catch while hauling in an additional seven touchdowns through the air.

Although he’s taken on a much greater role since leaving the Chargers for the Saints in free agency, he retains primary return duties in addition to his job as running back. In his 13 games Sproles returned 18 kickoffs with an average return of 26.8 yards (although Sproles typically handles 40-50 returns each year, the NFL’s new kickoff rules made touchbacks more likely as kick returners around the league experienced significantly diminished total production). Sproles also handled 37 punts in 2012, with 14 fair catches and 23 returns. He netted 183 yards on those returns, for an average gain of eight.

Sproles finished the season strong, with just three carries for one yard but eight catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. He has not indicated any signs of slowing down after eight years in the NFL, and should be even more productive in the 2013 season with head coach Payton calling plays again on the sideline.

Mark Simoneau with the New Orleans Saints. Mandatory Credit: Matt Stamey-US PRESSWIRE

Mark Simoneau, one of the greatest football players in K-State history, has been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. He is the first player of the Bill Snyder era to be selected for this honor, and joins former linebacker Gary Spani, as the only K-State members of the Hall.

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