UFL offers opportunity to undrafted players to play football
With the 2011 National Football League (NFL) Draft over and done-with, there is a slight problem for players who went undrafted. With the NFL lockout now back in place, they are unable to sign with teams as undrafted rookies and could be looking at weeks,
or even months, of unemployment up ahead.
Players such as Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich and University of North Carolina cornerback Kendric Burney went undrafted in this year’s draft and will most likely be taking a look at what the United Football League (UFL) has to offer them. The UFL’s
draft and season has been moved back a couple of weeks so that they can try and get some undrafted players to play for them.
"If you really look at the population of NFL players, the majority are first- and second-round picks, but once you get past that, the second-biggest group is the undrafted group," said Omaha Nighthawks General Manager Randy Mueller. "Part of that's the numbers
that sign after the draft, but it's also because it's a pretty good pool of talented players. The evaluation process is difficult for us, because we don't have the full staff (that NFL teams) do, but there's opportunity here."
"There's opportunity for players that can't get on teams to sign free-agent contracts to come to the league, and a chance for us to get younger as a league," said Mueller, who also used to be General Manager for the Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints.
The NFL lockout is the force behind the UFL’s decision to target undrafted players. If the league receives its wish and can continue to lockout its players, then undrafted players will strongly consider the UFL, which holds its draft on Monday 2 May, 2011.
Every player that was not drafted in the 2011 NFL Draft is considered eligible and the season will start in August and end by the end of October.
However, players that decide to go with the UFL instead of waiting for the lockout to end are bound to their teams for the entire UFL season. Since the lockout prohibits teams from having any contact with players, there is no chance for undrafted players
to be signed or for free agents to be re-signed by their teams. So if the lockout ends and signing begins, players that were drafted in the UFL Draft cannot change sides and head for the NFL.
However, players that want to play football, but may not be able to if the lockout is not over, will find what they are looking for in the UFL: football. Since the fate of the 2011 NFL season is unknown, players will be able to play football for the season
and may move over to the NFL after the 2011 UFL season is over.
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