April 25, 2024

Stephens, Oladipo, and Wade among former Ferris State football players hoping to hear their names called during the NFL Draft

The 89th annual National Football League Draft takes place this weekend in Detroit and former Ferris State University football standouts are hoping to hear their names called or be contacted as potential free agent pickups following the annual event.

The Bulldogs have several players who completed their eligibility this past fall, leading Ferris State to a nation-leading ninth consecutive playoff appearance and hoping to make the jump to professional football.

Defensive back Shon Stephens, defensive end Olalere Oladipo and wide receiver Xavier Wade are receiving the strongest attention. All have either spent the past several months training for an opportunity, taken part in pro day events or been pegged on various draft boards. 

Former quarterback Mylik Mitchell has already started his pro career in the Indoor Football League while other alums such as defensive end Ian Hall and slot receiver CJ Jefferson have also been listed among players competing for training camp opportunities.

Several lists have Stephens featured among the top players in the small college ranks leading into the draft and tabbed as either a potential late round or preferred free agent pickup by various sources. He has drawn significant interest from NFL organizations. Both Wade and Oladipo have also garnered interest from professional football teams.

The NFL Draft will take place in Detroit this year and be aired across ABC, ESPN, and the NFL Network from Thursday to Saturday. The opening round begins on Thursday at 8 p.m. with rounds two and three set for Friday starting at 7 p.m. The final day will consist of rounds four thru seven on Saturday beginning at noon.
Six years ago, former defensive tackle Zach Sieler became Ferris State's first-ever NFL Draft choice when he was picked in the seventh round as the 238th overall selection by the Baltimore Ravens.

Overall, the Bulldogs have had 11 players in a NFL Preseason Camp over the past three summers, which is the most of any D2 school in the country. 

The Dawgs who took part in NFL camps from 2021 to 2023 have included former DB Tavierre Thomas (Houston Texans), DL Zach Sieler (Miami Dolphins), DT Justin Zimmer (Buffalo Bills), WR Jake Lampman (New Orleans Saints), WR Malik Taylor (Green Bay Packers and New York Jets), DL Austin Edwards (Kansas City Chiefs), DT Chris Okoye (Los Angeles Rams), receiver Jared Bernhardt (Atlanta Falcons), offensive tackle Zein Obeid (Detroit Lions), offensive tackle Dylan Pasquali (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and defensive end Caleb Murphy (Tennessee Titans).

Four Bulldog alums are currently still with NFL organizations, including Thomas with Tampa Bay, Sieler with Miami, Taylor with the Jets, and Murphy with the Titans, which is among tops of all D2 schools. 
Several Bulldog alums are also competing professionally in indoor and outdoor leagues.

The recent Bulldog alums in the NFL have also included former linebacker Brady Sheldon and former two-time Harlon Hill Trophy winner Jason Vander Laan. 

Ten of the alums have played in at least one NFL regular-season game since 2016. Three former Bulldogs were part of team's that made the NFL Conference Championship Games in 2020 in Taylor, Zimmer and Edwards.

While Sieler is the only Ferris State football player to ever be drafted by an NFL team, several other former Bulldogs have inked NFL contracts as free agents and played in the league. 

The Bulldogs had at least one NFL free agent pickup following the draft each of the past eight seasons in which they've played a campaign. Fifteen alumni have earned camp invites over the past five years as offensive tackle Devon Johnson and receiver Keyondre Craig also competed in training camps in 2019.
Over the past nine seasons, Sieler, Vander Laan, Sheldon, Zimmer, Thomas, Lampman, Taylor, Edwards, Bernhardt, and Murphy have all seen NFL regular-season action after Lampman became the first to do so in 13 years back in 2016.

Unofficially, nearly 30 former Ferris State players have inked NFL free agent deals. 

Former defensive back Marvin Robinson inked with the Dallas Cowboys in 2014 with defensive tackle Marcus Cribbs signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015. Those two represented the first since free agent cornerback Angelo Williams with the Minnesota Vikings in 2010. 

In 2013, former defensive end Jordan Morgan received a rookie tryout with the New York Giants but did not sign. In 2016, Vander Laan, Lampman and Zimmer all signed and reached NFL camps while Sheldon did likewise in 2017 before Sieler, Thomas and Okoye joined NFL organizations in 2018. In 2019, the trio of Taylor, Johnson and Craig all were signed following the draft while Bernhardt, Obeid, and Pasquali garnered opportunities in 2022 followed by Murphy in 2023.

The select group also consists of running back Dave Gagnon (1974-Chicago Bears), outside linebacker Monty Brown (1997-New York Jets), defensive tackle Ed Philion (1994-Buffalo Bills), defensive end Dave Zuiderveen (2001-Atlanta Falcons), flanker Clarence Coleman (2002-Buffalo Bills), tackle Matt McCoy (2004-Detroit Lions), wide receiver Carlton Brewster (2006-Cleveland Browns) and defensive tackle Jake Visser (2009-Houston Texans).

Two other former Ferris State players, offensive guard Bill Bourdlais and safety Patrick Wells, received tryout invitations from the Cleveland Browns in 2008 and participated in the team's rookie minicamp, but did not ink a deal. 

Others with NFL tryouts including wide receiver Andre Johnson (1989), quarterback Dave DenBraber (1987), tight end Scott Alward (1984-Detroit Lions/New York Giants) and receiver/returner Fred Kirkland (1981). Defensive back James Skodak (2006) also had tryouts with several NFL organizations among other past Bulldog standouts.

The Bulldog standouts awaiting the draft all played key roles this past fall in leading Ferris State to a ninth consecutive playoff berth this past fall and many were part of back-to-back NCAA Division II National Championship teams in 2021 and 2022. Ferris State also ranks as the country's winningest program over the past nine full seasons in D2 Football.