look who else was not drafted.... Heisman winner White goes undrafted 06:31 PM CDT on Sunday, April 24, 2005 Associated Press A Heisman Trophy on Jason White's resume wasn't enough to get him drafted. Oklahoma had 11 players drafted, but the Sooners quarterback was not one of them. After having six players taken in the first three rounds, five more Sooners were selected Sunday in rounds four through seven, including cornerback Antonio Perkins, linebacker Lance Mitchell and safety Donte Nicholson. "I'm real happy for our players and very proud of them, too," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "I have a lot of confidence that they'll go on and do well in the NFL and I believe the players that were drafted will be joined by others who will sign as free agents. "We're happy about the number but not surprised. Look back over the last few years at the Big 12 championships, all the victories and the BCS bowls. It's obvious we had a lot of good players." Oklahoma has played in the last two Bowl Championship Series title games, losing both. White rebounded from two major knee injuries to win the Heisman two years ago, throwing for 3,946 yards and 40 touchdowns. He received a waiver from the NCAA to return for a sixth season at Oklahoma last year and made another run at the Heisman. He passed for 35 TDs and 3,205 yards, and finished third in the Heisman voting behind quarterback Matt Leinart of Southern California and Sooners freshman tailback Adrian Peterson. But White, with sketchy arm strength and a history of injuries that have cut into his quickness and mobility, was projected to be a late-round selection at best. Instead, he'll look to latch on as a free agent. Fourteen quarterbacks were taken in the seven-round draft, including Harvard's Ryan Fitzpatrick and James Killian of Tulsa. The last Heisman Trophy winner to not be drafted was Charlie Ward, who won the award with Florida State in 1993, but he made it known he was going to play basketball instead. Ward was a first-round pick in the NBA for the New York Knicks. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/042505dnsponfldraftbriefs.43655ced.html
Wilkerson will get picked up as an undrafted free agent by a team that will make good use of his skills. It won't mean as much initial money for him, but it's not uncommon for linemen to play in the NFL for many years after going undrafted.
if danny weurfel can't make it in the NFL, there's no way jason white will. If you can't through a 10 yard out with velocity as a cb is breaking on the ball, you can't cut it as an NFL QB. white will be in the arena league
Man, I hope the Steelers will consider picking up Big Ben.....he's be a nice addition to their squad.
Ben wasn't the only big name OL to go undrafted. Michael Munoz from Tennessee who was touted as the best OL ever coming out of high school was also not drafted. He says he's no gonna pursue football any more since he wasn't drafted.
Didn't the center from Ole Miss go in the first round? If so, Ben would definitely have been in that place had he not been injured.
Yeah, Chris Spencer, 26th pick overall to the Seahawks. From the SEC, they also got David Green (UGA), Jeb Huckeba (Arkansas), and Cornelious Wortham (Alabama).
i dont know about that. ive read several draft review of him and they all say he's too weak. sounds like a great college player that might not be able to handle pros. he only did something like 16 reps.
ben would have certainly been drafted if not for the injury. he was the top or 2nd best center coming into this year. that was listed unanimously amongst many sites. his strength is his only negative. seeing him alongside faneca would be nice in pitt but he signed with cinci. So i guess he'll have to settle playing with tory james. The Bengals picked up one of the most coveted players in college free agency when they reached a deal with LSU center Ben Wilkerson hours after he went undrafted. Media outlets in New Orleans and Baton Rouge have reported in the two days since the completion of the draft that the man who had once been the draft’s leading center candidate on some boards had reached a deal with Cincinnati. Before tearing the patella tendon in his kneecap on the last play of a 24-7 win Oct. 30 against Vanderbilt, the 6-3, 300-pound Wilkerson had been at or near the top of pro lists, and he still won the Rimington Award as the nation's best center with Michigan's David Baas. The injury shelved him at February’s NFL combine and from a full workout for league scouts during a LSU pro day on March 31.
I hope that Big Ben makes it. He suffered an injury at the worst time in his football career. This is a nice article about Ben. "LSU center Ben Wilkerson, headed to the top of the NFL draft boards before last season’s knee injury, has joined the Bengals as one of college free agency’s major signings. Agent Pat Dye said his client turned down “significantly more money,” to play in Cincinnati because he sees an opportunity to compete for the starting job quickly." http://www.bengals.com/press/news.asp?iCurPage=0&news_id=2885
