DG156 - Part 2

Dread gallery #156 features the NFL's 2015 class of rookies with dreads. In Part 1 we saw the rookies with all of the NFC teams along with the teams in the AFC South. Now here are the rookies from the remaining three AFC divisions.

Technically the AFC West's teams drafted the most players with dreads of all the divisions - 8; but that number is a bit misleading. I was all ready to brag about how the Kansas City Chiefs were this year's leader for the team drafting the most players with dreads. But sadly, even before they got to training camp two of the four players with dreads selected by the Chiefs said goodbye to their dreads.

1. Having already picked three players with dreads in their first 7 picks, the Chiefs broke the tie with the Vikings for the lead for the team with the most draft picks with dreads when they picked former Southern Mississippi DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches with the last pick of the 6th round. And there was no reason to believe his dreads were in any danger as they remained intact throughout the summer practices, including the one on June 17 (photo on left).
But by the time Nunez-Roches showed up at training camp, they were gone, as he is seen warming up alongside star DT Dontari Poe on July 30 .....


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2. ..... That made it two ex-dreads in the Chiefs' 2015 draft rookie class, as former Oregon State CB Steven Nelson, selected near the end of round 3, lost his dreads sometime between the rookie minicamp practice on May 15 (left photo) and the mandatory minicamp practice on June 18 (right photo).

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3. Chiefs fans are hoping that former Georgia WR Chris Conley, selected with the first of the Chiefs' two selections in the 3rd round, is as proficient at catching the football as he is with a Sharpie in his fingers. Conley signs an autograph for a fan at the NFL's Rookie Symposium (right photo) on June 23; and on the left displays a drawing he did of his new home - Arrowhead Stadium - during the signing session at the NFL's Rookie Premiere event at the end of May.

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4. With Conley's dreads now more than 2 years old, they're a lot easier to see now than in his final two seasons for Georgia. As expected, Conley's impressive display at the Combine did indeed improve his draft stock, as he moved up to the 3rd round. Unfortunately for him, he was picked by a team with a QB who doesn't like throwing the ball to wide receivers. As you probably can recall, Chiefs WRs had exactly 0 (that's zero) TD catches last season, an astonishing feat. But I'll tell you, if that QB can't hit Conley deep for at least a few touchdowns this season, it'll be time to get a new QB.

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5. The Georgia Bulldogs are the college team that had the most players with dreads taken in this year's draft. After the Rams picked Todd Gurley in round 1 and the Chiefs took Chris Conley in round 3, the Chiefs picked LB Ramik Wilson in the 4th round. Although I don't think they drafted him for his ball carrying skills, Wilson ended up with the ball in his hands on this play during rookie minicamp on May 18. On the left in the photo is Steven Nelson before he cut his dreads off, and on the right, #43 is former Pittsburgh WR/TE Manasseh Garner, who was released after rookie minicamp.

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6. After having his dreads reduced at rookie minicamp, Ramik Wilson has them going at full blast here during an OTA practice on June 2, dreads that earned him a place on my dread all-America team when he was at Georgia. Unfortunately though, there's a rumor that his dreads are much shorter than this now.

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7. With Marcus Reed not joining the Chiefs until the middle of June, I didn't think I was going to be able to include a photo of him. But then I discovered I had this shot from the Packers rookie minicamp, where you can see his dreads (kind of) as he stands next to Fabbians Ebbele. Reed, an O-lineman signed by the Chiefs after the Packers released him, weighs 345 pounds and played his college ball at Division 2 Fayetteville State.

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Can they get along? The Oakland Raiders draft class includes (maybe) three players with dreads - a Seminole, a Hurricane, and a Gator.

8. DE Mario Edwards started growing dreads (and scored a TD) during Florida State's undefeated 2013 season but then cut them off for his junior season last year; so I was surprised when he showed up at Florida State's pro day on Mar. 31 looking like this.

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9. Mario Edwards, drafted by the Raiders early in the 2nd round, warms up at practice and meets the media on the first day of rookie minicamp on May 8. With him having cut off his dreads once before, I'm kind of reluctant to welcome Edwards back to the house. I'm not going to get too excited until he shows he intends to let his dreads grow long, and we won't know that until next year. Mario, just 21 years old, led FSU with 11 TFL last season.

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10. I am also unsure of the intentions of TE Clive Walford, the Raiders' 3rd round draft choice. Walford is not included among the 38 players with dreads drafted because he didn't have his hair in dreadlocks on the second night of the draft. But a week later he did (left photo). But then shortly after the Raiders' OTA practice on May 28 (right photo, getting some advice from TEs coach Johnson), he untwisted the dreads and went back to normal. I thought Walford was done with dreads when he cut off the very long dreads he had early during his junior season at Miami in 2013. But now, who knows. Although he untwisted his dreads in June, he didn't cut his hair; so maybe he's going to let it grow longer before converting it back to dreads. We'll see. It'd be nice to welcome Clive back to the house; but I'm not holding my breath waiting.  

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11. Although Raiders fans won't be able to see the beginner dreads of Mario Edwards or the possible beginner dreads of Clive Walford, they'll have no problem seeing the dreads of 5th round draft choice Neiron Ball, who went shirtless at Florida Pro Day on Apr. 7.

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12. LB Neiron Ball, hitting the sled at mandatory minicamp on June 9 (on left) and running alongside DE Denico Autry on OTA practice on May 28 (on right), was picked by the Raiders in the 5th round, the last of the 6 LBs with dreads drafted.
You know, I can't keep track of everybody; I just don't have the time. So it wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I found out about the adversity that Ball has had to deal with. If you like and/or have the time, please click on the following link for a 12-minute video from two years ago for the story of Ball's recovery and comeback from a serious illness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP8FKXsJU5U 

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13. There is one other rookie with dreads in training camp with the Raiders, and he too went to college in Florida, although he wasn't drafted. And if he makes the team, Raiders fans won't be able to miss the dreads of 6-foot-6, 310-pound O-lineman Quinterrius Eatmon, who was a starter in all 4 of his seasons with the South Florida Bulls.

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14. On the day before his first practice with the San Diego Chargers, former Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon makes sure he gets pads that fit just right ......

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15. ..... And on the day of his first practice (May 15) Gordon and the rest of the Chargers rookies are greeted by a rare San Diego rain shower as they warm up. Even though he was picked midway through the 1st round, Gordon was the last of the two players with dreads drafted from the Big 10. His close friend, Trae Waynes, of course was the other. With jersey #25 already taken, Melvin settled for #28.

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16. It was no secret that the Chargers were planning on drafting a RB in the 1st round. And with their spot at #17, I think they thought they would have their choice of either Gordon or Todd Gurley. But when the Rams picked Gurley at #10, you could just hear the red alert sirens going off in the Chargers' war room. Suddenly faced with the possibility of missing out on them both, they traded up to #15 to select Gordon. And they didn't do that to have him sit on the bench. If all goes according to plan, Melvin will be in the starting lineup on opening day and in the running for rookie of the year by the time the season ends.

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17. 12 SEC players with dreads were drafted (by far the most of any conference), and the last of them was 21-year old DT Darius Philon, who left Arkansas with two seasons of eligibility remaining. A Mobile, AL, native, Philon wanted to sign with Alabama; but when they at the last minute asked him to grayshirt (meaning he wouldn't be able to enroll until the spring semester the next year and would have to pay his own way for that semester), he decided to go to Arkansas. And it worked out for the best, because if he had gone to Alabama, with the way Coach Saban hoards D-linemen, he probably would have hardly played in his first two seasons and would still be there now instead of getting ready to play on Sundays.

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Next up, it's the AFC East.
Wait a minute. What's that? What about the Broncos? No, I didn't skip the Broncos; there was nothing to skip. They have no rookies with dreads this year.
And now, the AFC East.

18. Since they had no pick in the first round of the draft (they traded it away last year in the trade that moved them up far enough in last year's draft to be able to select Sammy Watkins), the Buffalo Bills decided to give the VIP treatment to their 2nd round pick - former Florida State CB Ronald Darby - including having his picture taken with the team's co-owners, GM Doug Whaley (on left), and new Coach Ryan (on right) on the day after he was drafted.

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19. Ronald Darby takes part in the annual Bills' rookie tour around the Buffalo area, which this year took place on May 15 and as always included the always cool visit to Niagara Falls. Two players with dreads from Florida State were drafted, and both went in the 2nd round, with Darby being taken 15 picks after the Raiders took Mario Edwards. Like Edwards, Darby is just 21 years after skipping his senior season at FSU.

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20. I don't know the benefits of the training drill Ronald Darby is participating in (left photo) during at OTA practice on May 26, but he certainly seems to be enjoying it.
Believe it or not, as long as Darby's dreads are, they would only rank third or even fourth longest of all the cornerbacks currently on the Bills roster. But none of those other CBs are faster than him; and it's that great speed that is his greatest asset, allowing him to be a shutdown corner at FSU for 3 years (even though he had only 2 career INT) and hopefully allowing him to continue to shut down receivers in the years ahead.

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21. The Bills have (or should I say had) one more rookie with dreads in training camp. Not #90, who is 2nd year DT Jeremy Towns. I'm talking about #67, former Bethune-Cookman DE Erik Williams. I had no idea Williams was good enough to be an NFL prospect, so I was surprised to see him with the Bills. Unfortunately though, rumor has it that he was released a couple of days ago.

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22. Three players with dreads were drafted from teams in the MWC, and very surprisingly former Boise State star RB Jay Ajayi was not the first of them, as he inexplicably wasn't picked until the 5th round by the Miami Dolphins.

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23. All of Jay Ajayi's dreads get full extension as he stretches during his first practice with the Dolphins on May 8. Actually it is explicable why he wasn't picked until the 5th round. After examining the knee he had ACL surgery done on 4 years ago, doctors from NFL teams apparently were concerned it wouldn't be able to hold up much longer under the rigors of NFL football - never mind the fact that he had 397 touches last season (scoring 32 TD) without missing any time due to injury. I don't know, but I think Jay just got cheated out of a lot of money, because there's a big difference between a 5th round contract and a 2nd round contract. Anyway, here's Ajayi and that English accent of his from rookie minicamp a week after he was picked: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRGBkn00Pu8

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24. The one other rookie with dreads with the Dolphins is former Memphis CB Bobby McCain, drafted 4 picks before Jay Ajayi in the 5th round. I'll admit that I blew it not having him on my list of players with dreads when he was in college. I thought he might have dreads but could never get a good, close look to see if they actually were dreads. As you can see in these shots from his first practice with the Dolphins on May 8, I think it's about time to welcome him to the house. McCain had 12 INT during his 4 years at Memphis - all as a starter - including 4 pick sixes.

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25. Your world champion New England Patriots began training camp with 4 rookie players with dreads (but rumor has it they're down to 3 now), including former Texas DT Malcom Brown, shown here hitting the sled during OTA practice on May 29. Brown was the last of the 8 players with dreads selected in the 1st round of the draft.

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26. Sometimes you wonder what teams are thinking. There's no way Malcom Brown should have still been available when it was the Patriots' turn to pick at the end of round 1; but there he was. Everyone in the Patriots' war room must have been laughing their asses off. Brown was the 2nd DT picked in this year's draft. The last time the 2nd DT picked in any draft went later than the 32nd overall pick was 19 years ago. That's how fortunate the Patriots were. Brown was one of the players featured in my draft preview, so you know how highly I think of him. Now he's with the Patriots - and just in time too, since the great DT Vince Wilfork just left as a free agent after 11 years with the team.

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27. It's been a while since we've seen sick dreads like this in the Patriots' secondary - probably not since Brandon Meriweather was with the team. Hopefully we'll still see these dreads, on the head of undrafted former UAB CB Jimmy Jean, in a Patriots' uniform when the season begins. One of the taller CBs around at 6-foot-3, Jean had 3 INT and 9 PBU in his two seasons as a starter for UAB after a transfer from junior college.

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28. There's one other rookie CB with dreads with the Patriots - former Marshall CB Darryl Roberts. Taken in the 7th round (10 picks from the end of the draft), Roberts was the last of the 38 players with dreads drafted and the last of the 9 CBs with dreads drafted. Sorry, but I couldn't find a better photo of him other than this one from the 2nd day of training camp on July 31. Although Darryl didn't get picked as early as he hoped (see story on link below), he certainly landed in a pretty good place.
http://herdinsider.com/football/roberts-ready-waiting-for-draft-call-20153032

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29. Players didn't wear any numbers on their jerseys during the Patriots' summer practices, so it's hard to tell who's who. But with dreads like these, by the process of elimination this has to be former Bowling Green LB D.J. Lynch doing a drill at mandatory minicamp on June 16. Lynch was on hand for the start of training camp but unfortunately was released on the 3rd day of camp.

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30. The New York Jets will have at least one and maybe two rookies with dreads on their defense this season. Almost certain to make the team is former Louisville LB Lorenzo Mauldin, picked by the Jets in the 3rd round of the draft, the 4th of 6 ACC players drafted. After dyeing his dreads red for his senior season at Louisville, you wondered if he would change them to green after he was picked by the Jets. Well, I haven't seen it yet, but rumor has it that he has dyed some of them green since getting to training camp, after going with straight blond during the OTA practices on May 20 and June 3 in the photos above.

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31. Less likely to make the team is DT Jordan Williams, here on the bench press at Tennessee Pro Day on Mar. 25. I included this photo because his dreads are too short to be seen with his helmet on. Williams was not drafted; and neither of his teammates were either, which ended a 51-year streak of at least one player from UT being drafted.

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32. Lorenzo Mauldin and Jordan Williams pose with some other the other Jets rookies at the end of minicamp practice on June 9. But will they be in the same picture a month from now?

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33. There were two WRs with dreads drafted in the 1st round. After the Bears picked Kevin White at #7, the Baltimore Ravens took former UCF star Breshad Perriman in their spot at #26. A 6-foot-2, 212-pound speedster, Perriman averaged more than 20 yards per reception in his final two seasons for UCF; and he arrives in Baltimore just in time, as the Ravens need a deep threat now that Torrey Smith has left the team as a free agent. Breshad has a lofty target to shoot for - his father, Brett Perriman, had 525 catches for 6,589 yards in 30 TD in 10 NFL seasons between 1988 and 1997.

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34. There's nothing unusual about seeing a player with dreads wearing #90 for the Ravens. But this isn't the same player who wore #90 for the past 4 years, Pernell McPhee. After McPhee left for Chicago as a free agent, the Ravens gave #90 to the player they drafted in the 4th round, former Kentucky DE Za'Darius Smith, who will be a LB in the team's 3-4 defense. The 6-foot-4, 275-pound Smith had 14 TFL, including 10.5 sacks, in his two seasons as a starter on the UK D-line after a transfer from junior college. 

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The Ravens will also have two undrafted rookies with dreads in training camp, both from SEC schools .....

35. RB Terrence Magee played behind some talented RBs during his 4 years at LSU; but he's pretty talented himself, hopefully talented enough to make the team. Magee rushed for 1,330 yards and 12 TD for LSU, most of which were during his junior and senior seasons.

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36. At last we finally get to see how long Leon Brown's dreads are, although it looks like they are reduced in this shot from an OTA practice on May 28. Brown, a 6-foot-6, 320-pound O-lineman, played the last two seasons at Alabama (after a transfer from junior college), which means he couldn't have his dreads hanging this far down outside of his helmet. He can wear them any way he wants now, and hopefully he'll be doing it in a Ravens uniform this fall.  

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37. Bengals DBs Coach Vance Joseph sets Josh Shaw straight on the first day of rookie minicamp: "I don't care how you did it at USC, you're in Cincinnati now." Shaw, who likely would have been drafted earlier had he not told that tall tale last summer, had to wait until Day 3 of the draft, when the Bengals picked him in the 4th round. BTW, in the background of the right photo watching Shaw is WR Tevin Reese.

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38. If Josh Shaw is planning on having a long NFL career, he's going to have to cover better than this. WR Cobi Hamilton (unfortunately recently released by the Bengals) beats Shaw on this play during OTA practice on June 9 but can't reach the off-target pass.

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39. Not invited to the NFL Combine, former Texas A&M DB Floyd Raven's path to Cincinnati began at one of the NFL's Regional Combines, the one in Houston on Feb. 14: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-am/0ap3000000470662/Houston-Regional-Combine-recap

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40. After (not surprisingly) not being drafted, Floyd Raven signed with the Bengals as a free agent. And you get the feeling that somehow, some way, he's going to find a way to make the team. At 6-foot-0, 202 pounds and at 4.45 seconds in the 40 (at his pro day) he certainly has the size and enough speed to succeed. I'm really pulling for him. It'd sure be great to see these dreads on Sundays.
Yes, I know. You can't see what number he is. Raven is in jersey #41.

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41. Former Iowa State TE E.J. Bibbs makes a catch on the first day of Cleveland Browns rookie minicamp on May 8. Much to my disapointment (and probably his too) Bibbs was not one of the 256 players selected in this year's draft. He is the only rookie with dreads currently with the Browns. 

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42. E.J. Bibbs, wearing #48 on June 18 but now in jersey #88, reaches for a pass as DB Brandon Stephens (no longer with the team) defends during a practice at mandatory minicamp.
The moral of the story is this: If you want to get drafted, don't have an injury. Jay Ajayi and T.J. Clemmings fell in the draft due to injuries (real and imagined). Anthony Harris fell all the way out of the draft before signing with the Vikings; and so did Bibbs, who had issues with his knee last season and yet still managed to make 8 TD catches. All of those players will be helping their teams win this season while getting paid much less for it than they should be. Here is what an article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer had to say about Bibbs at the end of minicamp in June: "The knee issues prevented him from being drafted, but he's an outstanding pickup after the draft ...... He has impressed the coaches and could find a spot at least on the practice squad."

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After selecting five players with dreads in the 2013 draft and three players with dreads last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers settled for just two this year ..... but they're two really good ones.

43. Former Auburn WR Sammie Coates gives his dreads a little swing during his first practice in a Steelers' uniform on May 8. This is the 3rd straight draft in which the Steelers have picked a WR with dreads. After taking Markus Wheaton in the 3rd round two years ago and Martavis Bryant last year in the 4th round, they took Coates in the 3rd round this year.

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44. Sammie Coates, a 6-foot-1, 212-pound speedster, averaged 21.4 yards per reception during his 3-year career at Auburn and figures to make an already explosive Steelers offense even more dangerous.

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45. It wasn't until last season was already over that I found out that Liberty DE Dominique Davis had begun growing dreads. And it wasn't until while I was checking every NFL roster to make sure I didn't miss any rookies that I found out he's going by the name Niko instead of Dominique. Niko Davis, participating in a kids clinic on June 3 (left photo) and at training camp on July 26 (right photo), is a 25-year old undrafted rookie and a longshot to make the Steelers' roster. But if he does make it, no doubt everybody will be eager to tell of his circuitous path to the NFL. But you don't have to wait until then. Just click on this link for the story from the Buffalo News: http://bills.buffalonews.com/2015/05/06/lafayette-highs-davis-attempts-unlikely-leap-to-nfl/ 

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46. Apparently tired of waiting for 2013 1st round pick Jarvis Jones to give them the pass rush they thought he was going to give them (he has 3 total sacks in his first two seasons), the Steelers spent another 1st round pick on a pass rusher this year, selecting former Kentucky LB Bud Dupree with their 22nd overall pick. Dupree increased his sack total in each of his 4 years at UK, going from 2.5 to 6.5 to 7 to 7.5 for a total of 23.5.

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47. Bud Dupree's position coach with the Steelers will be Joey Porter (photo on left), who should be able to teach him a thing or two about rushing the QB. Porter had 98 career sacks and 12 career INT (not including the playoffs) in his 13 NFL seasons, the first 8 of which were with the Steelers. I have a feeling that Dupree is going to be very successful for the Steelers. But after seeing how Jones has struggled, maybe I'll temper my enthusiasm a bit.

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48. Bud Dupree and Za'Darius Smith, together at Kentucky Pro Day on Mar. 12, spent the last two seasons lined up on opposite ends of the Wildcats' D-line on almost every play, combining for 25 sacks between them. But the next time they're on the same field they'll be on opposite sidelines in one of the NFL's most intense rivalries. At some point in their careers they both have to record sacks in the same game. It would only be fitting.

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49. And this just in. There's one more rookie with dreads with the Steelers, and one I'm a bit surprised to see in anybody's training camp. Former Wisconsin WR Kenzel Doe, who didn't sign with the Steelers until after training camp had been underway for a week, runs at practice on Aug. 5. Doe scored only 3 TD in his 4-year college career; but maybe the Steelers will be able to put his speed and quickness to use better than the Badgers did.


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For the rest of DG156 let's take a look at some of the rookie players with dreads you won't be seeing in training camp.

50. Despite having his only successful college season while playing for Colorado State in 2014, RB Dee Hart went back to Alabama for pro day (left photo, on Mar. 11) - most likely so that more scouts could see him. His slow time in the 40 at the Combine (4.80) no doubt was a big factor in nobody drafting him or signing him as a free agent after the draft. He tried out at the Dolphins' rookie minicamp, but neither he nor former Arkansas S Alan Turner (trying to stop Hart in right photo) were signed by the team.

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51. WR Mark Roberts had a senior season so good for Lamar that he earned FCS all-America honors; but after he tried out with them, the Chiefs apparently decided he wasn't good enough to get open against NFL DBs.

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52. S Demarkus Perkins led FIU in tackles last season; but after signing with the N.Y. Jets as a free agent, he was released at the end of rookie minicamp.

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53. DE Terrell Hartsfield had 9 sacks last season while earning all-AAC honors playing for Cincinnati; but the Colts released him at the end of rookie minicamp.

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54. The Seattle Seahawks certainly tried to increase the number of players with dreads on their roster, but none of the free agents they brought in for tryouts proved good enough to be signed, including former Murray State OT Kamalie Matthews, sporting dreads slightly shorter than those of 4th round draft pick Terry Poole as they take a water break during practice on May 9 ......

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55. ..... and also including former Auburn CB Trovon Reed, here getting a visit from Coach Carroll as the DBs stretch at practice on May 8.

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56. Former South Florida WR Deonte Welch tries to make a highlight reel catch (left photo, I don't know if he did or not) and faces off against former FAMU CB Devonte Johnson (right photo) in a duel of sick dreads on May 8. The Seahawks also sent these two packing after rookie minicamp was over.

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57. It was no surprise when former West Georgia D-lineman Tory Slater (one of the players featured in my draft preview) signed with the Seahawks immediately after the draft. He lasted for about a month before being released but then was picked up by the Browns. But they let him go too, just a week before the start of training camp. Keep trying, Tory.

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58. The Nebraska website describes S Corey Cooper's 4-year career with the Cornhuskers as "outstanding"; but when their rookie minicamp was over, the Saints told him, "Don't call us, Corey, we'll call you."

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59. WR Malcome Kennedy, shown at Texas A&M Pro Day in left photo, had his rookie season come to an end almost immediately after it started. The Saints placed him on the injured reserve list after he broke his foot during rookie minicamp and had to have surgery. At least, it'll give his dreads a chance to get longer before he tries again next season.

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60. The Cowboys' training camp might have had even more than the five rookies with dreads on the roster, but tryout players Isiah Corbett, LB from Southeastern Louisiana (on right) and Ronald Fields, S from Division 2 Texas A&M-Commerce (on left) were not signed after rookie minicamp.

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61. Other than having great dreads, I can't remember anything notable that D-lineman Harold Legania (shown here working against 6th round pick Tyrus Thompson on May 10) did on the field during his 4 years at Minnesota; so it was more surprising that he was in Vikings' rookie minicamp at all than it was when he was not signed after camp was over.

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62. It would have been neat seeing Travis Taylor's sick dreads on Sundays this fall; but evidently the former Murray State LB didn't show enough at rookie minicamp for the Buccaneers to sign him.

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63. If WR Geremy Davis (#9) thought he was going to be the player with the longest dreads at Giants rookie minicamp, he found out otherwise when he lined up against his opponent, former Bethune-Cookman CB Thomas Finnie, on this special teams drill on May 9. Unfortunately Finnie was not signed after camp was over.

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64. Former Maine WR Arthur Williams makes a catch at Jets rookie minicamp on May 8, trying to join D-linemen Leonard and Jordan and make it three rookies named Williams on the Jets' roster. But Arthur was not signed after camp .....

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65. ..... If at first you do not succeed ......
The following weekend Williams was at the Chiefs' rookie minicamp, but again he was shown the door after camp ended. However, the Arthur Williams story might yet have a happy ending, as rumor has it that he was signed by the Jets last week, a couple of days after training camp had already been underway. Go get it, Arthur.

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66. And finally, here are more sick dreads that aren't in the Buccaneers training camp. Just as with Tory Slater with the Browns, former Minnesota S Derrick Wells had the rug pulled out from under him just before the start of training camp. Man, that has got to be tough; you're all set to get your big chance to prove yourself, and then just like that they say, "See ya."
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Of course, attrition takes place more in the NFL than in any other league; so even though they're not wanted now, it behooves these players to stay ready. Some of them possibly will be signed to teams' practice squads once we get near the end of the season and teams need more healthy players on their rosters.
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So there you have them - this year's class of rookies with dreads, ready to take the NFL by storm - or not.

Taking a quick look back to last year .... I always want at least 60% of the rookies with dreads to play in at least one regular season game. That didn't happen in 2014, as 37 of the 68 rookies pictured in DG151 played during the regular season. That's only 54.4%. 8 of those 37 scored touchdowns. Hopefully this year's rookies will do better.