DG160 - Part 2

It's not even close. It's the NFC in a landslide. At the start of training camp 44 members of the Class of 2016 rookies with dreads were with NFC teams, while only 28 were with AFC teams. But the AFC does have one thing they can hang their hat on, that being they have the team that picked the most players with dreads in this year's draft. The Baltimore Ravens selected players with dreads with 4 of their 11 picks - one more than the three taken by NFC leader Arizona. In Part 2 of DG160 we'll take a look at those four along with all the other rookies with dreads on AFC teams as well as those on teams in the NFC North.

Of the Ravens' four draft picks with dreads, fans attending training camp unfortunately will only be able to see the dreads of two of them. That's because .....

1. ..... The other two, a couple of guys who played for colleges in Michigan, have dreads too short to be seen with their helmets on - former Michigan Wolverines DT Willie Henry and DE Matthew Judon, who played for Division 2 school Grand Valley State - seen together here during the 2nd day of the Ravens' rookie minicamp on May 7.



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2. Since I didn't find any photos of Willie Henry with his helmet off with the Ravens, you'll have to settle for these two from the Combine on Feb. 28. If I had done an all-America with dreads team for last year, Henry wouldn't have been eligible for it. He didn't convert his afro into dreads until sometime in November. After recording 10 TFL, 6.5 of which were sacks, during his 2015 junior season at Michigan, he decided to skip his senior season. Asked at Michigan pro day if he was the best D-lineman in the draft this year, he replied, "Of course, hands down." Evidently NFL personnel departments thought otherwise. The Ravens didn't draft the 6-3, 300-pounder until the 4th round. As long as he is with the Ravens he will have a home game away from home each season. He's a product of the football factory at Cleveland Glenville HS.

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3. He was known as Matt Judon when I did my draft preview, but now I see the Ravens' website has him listed as Matthew. Matthew Judon, who already had baby dreads throughout his senior season at GVSU, takes a jog (right photo) during rookie minicamp on May 7 and listens in (left photo) as Coach Harbaugh's father, Jack Harbaugh, holds court during the Ravens' OTA practice on June 5. FYI the player next to Judon is (I think) Za'Darius Smith. Coming off a senior season in which he had 20 sacks, Judon was drafted in the 5th round - just 14 picks after Willie Henry. He'll make the position switch to LB in the Ravens' 3-4 defense but figures to spend most of his time rushing the QB.

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4. After the draft the Ravens signed another D-lineman with short dreads - 6-0, 339-pound DT Michael Pierce, who played for Tulane as a freshman before transferring to FCS school Samford for his last three seasons. The only photos I could find of him where you can see his dreads were of him preparing drinks as the Ravens' rookies served lunch at a homeless shelter on June 20. If Pierce doesn't make it with the Ravens, don't be surprised if you see him in the Olympics one day as a weightlifter.

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5. With their 11th and final pick of the draft the Ravens took former Virginia CB Maurice Canady in the 6th round, a player whose dreads fans will have no problem at all seeing. Canady carries the ball during his first NFL practice (on right) on May 6 and walks off with Tavon Young (left photo), a rookie CB whom the Ravens drafted in the 4th round, after OTA practice on May 26.

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6. Usually you see these big blocking bags used in pass rushing drills. But they didn't draft the 6-1, 193-pound Canady to rush the passer, so I really don't know what he's doing in this drill on May 25.

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7. This is what Ravens fans hope to see Maurice Canady doing this season, getting his hands on the ball, breaking up passes, and getting INTs. Canady, the only player with dreads from the ACC in this year's draft, was a 3-year starter for Virginia and finished with 5 career INT. I'm sure the Ravens like his 6-1 height; but he must not be very fast, otherwise he would have been taken earlier than round 6.

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8. Before taking Willie Henry in the 4th round, earlier in round 4 the Ravens picked former Cincinnati WR Chris Moore. Deep threat are the two words that first come to mind when you think about Moore (see video on link below). 26 of the 119 career receptions he made in a UC uniform went for touchdowns, and he averaged a whopping 19.3 yards on those catches - 22.0 in the last two seasons. With Marlon Brown gone and Breshad Perriman no longer with dreads, it looks like Moore is the best bet if anybody with dreads is going to take one to the house for the Ravens this season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkdejsr_uWI

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After the 5 rookies with dreads with the Ravens, the pickings are slim for the other 7 teams in the NFL's two North divisions. Rounding out the AFC North, both the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns have no rookies with dreads at all this year, and the Pittsburgh Steelers aren't much better .....

9. Two rookies with the Steelers have dreads, but they're two more players with short dreads. As late as Mar. 24, the date of Houston's pro day, WR Demarcus Ayers didn't have his hair in dreads; but then he showed up at rookie minicamp looking like this after the Steelers drafted him early in round 7. He along with Chris Moore are the only two AAC players with dreads drafted this year. WR is not exactly a position of need for the Steelers, but kick returner most definitely is. He was named 1st team all-AAC as a KR as a freshman at UH and 1st team all-AAC as a PR during his 2015 junior season, during which 1 of his 8 TD came on a punt return to the house. Not that he isn't a great receiver too, but the best chance for the 5-11, 190-pound Ayers has of being with the Steelers on opening day is for him to excel on special teams.

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10. Former South Carolina O-lineman Mike Matulis, with the white guy dreads, likely saw his dream of playing in the NFL come to an end when the Steelers didn't offer him a contract at the end of rookie minicamp. But the player Matulis is blocking here on May 7, with dreads you can barely see (if you make the photo larger), is still with the Steelers .....

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11. He's in jersey #62, former Mars Hill star DE Johnny Maxey, shown warming up with his fellow D-linemates (including the long dreads of Ricardo Mathews in right photo) during mandatory minicamp on June 14 and signing an autograph (left photo) at the Steelers' rookie luncheon on June 8. If Maxey is to make the team, it will be because of his speed and quickness for someone as large as he is (6-5 and 283 pounds). He had 23 career TFL, including 14 sacks, during his 4 seasons at Division 2 Mars Hill. You may laugh at a school with a strange name like that, but Mars Hill had a player drafted last year; and Maxey, although not drafted, has a decent shot to make it this year.

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The NFC North was the only one of the 8 divisions whose teams drafted nobody with dreads this year. 6 players with dreads were signed as free agents after the draft, but all of them are longshots to be in uniform on opening day.

12. His little brother, Sony, is a star RB at Georgia and likely to be a 2017 NFL draft pick, but Marken Michel isn't too bad himself. The 5-11, 191-pound WR scored 8 career TD in a Massachusetts uniform, including a career high 4 in 2015. Unfortunately he had his dreads reduced during the Minnesota Vikings' rookie minicamp after signing with them.

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13. That's right, Marken; do it just the way the coach shows you - in this case the coach being special teams coordinator Mike Priefer. Just as with almost all undrafted rookies, Michel will enhance his chances of making the team by playing well on special teams. He certainly has the speed to do well. Still he better plan on doing really, really well if he wants to be with the team on opening day.

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14. Try as I did, I was unable to find any photos of Denzell Perine and his sick dreads from any of the Vikings' offseason practices. So here's one of the 6-2, 250-pound DE from a photo shoot of Vikings rookies shortly after their rookie minicamp was finished. Perine had a combined 20 TFL and 11 sacks during his junior and senior seasons at FIU in which he was named honorable mention all-CUSA in both years.

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15. The most important thing in an undrafted rookie's longshot bid to make a roster is to stay healthy - because if you get injured, they don't put you on IR, instead they just let you go with an injury settlement. The Chicago Bears are looking for some help on their O-line, but unfortunately they won't be getting any from OT Adrian Bellard. The 6-5, 308-pounder was a 3-year starter for Texas State - the last two of which he had dreads - but suffered an undisclosed but serious leg injury just one week after training camp started and was waived.

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16. That leaves Kieren Duncan as the only remaining rookie with dreads with the Bears. Kevin White, who missed his entire 2015 rookie season due to injury, might not be the only WR with sick dreads to make their debut with the Bears in 2016. WR is hardly a settled position for the Bears; so if Duncan, a 5-11, 172-pound speedster (he ran a 4.32 at a regional combine) from the Phoenix area, can show out in the preseason they way he did in college for Division 2 powerhouse CSU-Pueblo - as a receiver and kick returner - he has a better than average chance of being in uniform on opening day. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

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17. Unfortunately 312-pound DT Demetris Anderson will not be increasing the puny number of players with dreads on the Green Bay Packers roster - even if he makes the team. Anderson had dreads only during his 2015 redshirt senior season at UCF (don't ask me how they got this long so quickly) and missed that season due to injury. But those dreads, which he kept throughout the offseason practices, including here at an OTA on June 2, were gone by the time he showed up for training camp.
The Packers have no other rookies with dreads.

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18. Louis Palmer, a 6-2, 285-pound DE from Central Michigan, listens to some advice from 2nd year DT Gabe Wright during a Detroit Lions OTA practice on June 9. Palmer had dreads during only his senior season at CMU and didn't exact stand out during his time there. He had 1, 2, 1, and 1 sacks during his 4 seasons in college. But he must have done something right during rookie minicamp, as the Lions signed him a few days after the end of that camp.

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19. Maybe from now on I'll start watching the NFL Combine more closely. Because I wasn't paying attention this year I didn't find out that Matthew Judon (Ravens) and Cory Littleton (Rams) had dreads until long after it was over. And Brandon Shell too, the 6-5, 324-pound OT the New York Jets drafted in the 5th round. In Shell's case the "long after it was over" was actually only a couple of days ago. Doing the standing long jump at the Combine in right photo and meeting with kids (left photo) as the Jets hosted a Play 60 event as part of their rookie symposium on June 20, Shell moved into the starting lineup early in his freshman season at South Carolina and stayed there, starting 48 of the 51 games he played during his 4 seasons on the Gamecocks' O-line. In case you're wondering (as I was), the answer is yes. Yes, he is related to the former Raider O-lineman in the Hall of Fame. Art Shell is the great uncle of Brandon.

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20. Other than Brandon Shell the only player with dreads drafted by any teams in the AFC East was former TCU WR Kolby Listenbee, here walking off after his first NFL practice on May 6 after being picked by the Buffalo Bills in the 6th round. He's the last of the 4 WRs with dreads drafted this year and the last of the 2 players with dreads drafted from Big 12 schools.

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21. Kolby Listenbee, with the rookie nameplate on his helmet during OTA practice on May 24 and without it during mandatory minicamp on June 14, is used to be the fastest player on his team; but that might not be the case now that Sammy Watkins is his teammate. Kolby isn't nearly the player Watkins is; but like Watkins is he is a very dangerous deep threat. He averaged 18.4 and 19.9 yards per catch with a total of 9 TD during his junior and senior seasons at TCU, in both of which he was named honorable mention all-Big 12.

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22. The Bills had two other WRs with dreads when training camp started but sadly both were gone before the first preseason game. Former Arizona State WR Gary Chambers moves forward to cover a kickoff during a special teams drill (right photo) in rookie minicamp on May 6 and checks what's showing on Davonte Allen's phone (left photo) on May 20 during the Bills' rookie tour of the city. I wasn't surprised to see Chambers let go early. The 6-4, 215-pounder had only 36 receptions (4 for TD) during his entire 4-year career at ASU. As for Allen, I have his name in boldface because underneath the hat and hood .....

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23. ..... are his beginner dreads, which he didn't have during his career at Marshall. The 6-2, 201-pound Allen laughs while next to Kolby Listenbee from the rooftop of one of the stops on the rookie tour on May 20. A product of the Muck City football factory, Allen had 13 career TD catches for the Thundering Herd, including 5 during his big 58-catch senior season; but surprisingly he was released even before Chambers was.

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24. The way Richie Incognito treats rookies, I'm surprised Marquis Lucas would go anywhere near him. On the other hand Incognito is one of the best O-lineman in the league, so Lucas probably figures he can pick up a few tidbits of wisdom that will help him make the team as the two do a drill together during an OTA practice on May 24.

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25. Marquis Lucas, a 6-4, 318-pound OT, wasn't a full-time starter until his junior season at West Virginia. He actually had wanted to go to Florida State, but when their O-line coach told him he would have to cut off his dreads, the Miami native decided to head north to WVU instead. The odds are not in his favor to still be with the team on opening day. He's just not talented enough. But he has overcome adversity in his life before, so don't be surprised if he does it again and makes it in the NFL.

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26. The only rookie with dreads with the New England Patriots this year, CB Cre'von LeBlanc battles fellow undrafted rookie CB V'Angelo Bentley (right photo) during a drill at an OTA practice on June 7 and checks out an exhibit at the Patriots Hall of Fame (left photo) during rookie minicamp on May 13. I wonder where the section on Spygate and Deflategate is. LeBlanc had 6 career INT in college for FAU, including 4 during a 2015 senior season in which he was named 2nd team all-CUSA.

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27. The same as with the Patriots, an undrafted CB is the only rookie with dreads with the Miami Dolphins. Here's former Pittsburgh Panther Lafayette Pitts, whose dreads made a spectacular showing at Pitt pro day on Mar. 16: http://www.apimages.com/Search?query=lafayette+pitts+pro+day&ss=10&st=kw&entitysearch=&toItem=15&orderBy=Newest&searchMediaType=excludecollections

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28. No doubt Lafayette Pitts' dreads always make a spectacular showing, including here during an OTA practice on May 26. Lafayette gets a star for perfect attendance during his college career. After redshirting in 2011, he played in all 52 games in the next 4 seasons for the Panthers, including 51 starts. Hopefully he'll prove he's good enough during camp so that we'll be able to continue to see these dreads in the seasons ahead.

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29. Besides the Ravens the Tennessee Titans are the only AFC team to draft more than one player with dreads. They picked two, both of whom played in the SEC, including 2015 Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry, all stretched out here at the Combine on Feb. 26 so that they can measure some part of his body.

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30. Derrick Henry was the first of 4 RBs with dreads drafted this year, picked by the Titans midway through the 2nd round. After rushing for more than 12,000 yards during his high school career, he ran for 3,591 more during his three seasons at Alabama - and it would have been much more if Coach Saban hadn't waited until his 2015 junior season to put him in the starting lineup. After being forced to keep their dreads reduced under King Saban, most Alabama players are read to unleash their dreads when they get to the NFL; but it looks like Henry is going to be perfectly OK with continuing to keep his bottled up. And that's too bad, because his would be very long if he ever unleashed them. Although not as fast as Todd Gurley, Derrick has outstanding speed for someone who weighs 247 pounds; but he's not all that elusive; so a lot of people (including me) wonder how effective he'll be now that he'll be running behind the Titans' O-line instead of Alabama's. Titans fans wanting to purchase a Derrick Henry jersey have been unable to so far - because they don't know what number he's going to wear. He's been in #2 (the number he wore last season) for all of his practices with the Titans; but once the regular season starts he (and all NFL RBs) has to wear a number between 20 and 49.

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31. I wasn't sure if Sebastian Tretola had his hair in dreads when he arrived at Arkansas in 2014. But now that it has grown longer, it's quite obviously that he does. Tretola, 6-4 and 314 pounds, started at G in both of his seasons for the Razorbacks (after playing two seasons in junior college) and was named 1st team all-SEC as a senior before being picked by the Titans in the 6th round. As you might remember, he's the O-lineman who provided a little coming relief when he threw a TD pass on a fake FG in a game midway through the 2014 season. The Titans probably are planning for him to stick with blocking.

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32. LB Curt Maggitt measures in at 6-foot-3 at Tennessee Volunteers pro day on Mar. 30. A 4-star recruit coming out of high school in Florida, his college career was off to a good start until he tore his ACL late in his sophomore season. He redshirted in 2013 and came back strong with an 11-sack junior season in 2014. But then he suffered another serious injury, fracturing his hip during the 2nd game of last season, and was still on crutches on senior day. That's the reason why he went undrafted.

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33. After signing with the Indianapolis Colts after the draft, Curt Maggitt took it easy throughout the spring practices. In a photo gallery of more than 200 photos on the Colts website from their first rookie minicamp practice on May 6 this (left photo) was the only one of Maggitt - a shot of him jogging with teammates. He saw more action during the Colts' rookies visit to the zoo on June 21 (right photo), as he gets up close and personal with a dolphin. Maggitt was set to go full speed at the start of training camp, but thanks to an injury (what else?) to his ankle he got off to a slow start. If the injury bug ever stops biting him and he can return to full health, the Colts will have gotten a steal. If not, well, he'll be added to the large ranks of players whose careers got ruined by injury.

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34. Former Notre Dame WR Will Fuller makes a catch at the Combine on Feb. 27. Coming off of back-to-back huge sophomore and junior seasons with the Irish, during which he combined for 2,352 yards and 29 TD, Fuller didn't really need to perform at the Combine. He was already rated as one of the best WRs available in the draft.

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35. Will Fuller in action during rookie minicamp on May 7, running a route (on right) and carrying the ball during an agility drill (on left), after being drafted in the 1st round (21st overall) by the Houston Texans. He is is Texans' only rookie with dreads this year. If you read my draft preview (or you've seen Notre Dame play the last two years), you already know that speed is the thing with Fuller. DBs have a very hard time covering him, especially on deep routes. Drafting a deep threat to compliment DeAndre Hopkins means the Texans might have two WRs with dreads in the starting lineup for the next several seasons.

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36. I apologize for the lack of variety in the photos of Will Fuller, but these were the only ones I could find where you also get a good look at his dreads. This is one of him running after the catch during OTA practice on May 23 - something Texans fans hope to see him doing a lot in September, October, etc.
Thanks to Jaylon Smith's injury, Fuller was the first of a trio of Notre Dame players with dreads drafted this year .....

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37. ..... And the last of that trio figures to get two shots to tackle Fuller each season, because DT Sheldon Day was drafted by the Texans' AFC south rival Jacksonville Jaguars. Day was a Day 3 pick, selected by the Jaguars with 5th pick of the 4th round. His dreads were among the best of anyone who participated in the Combine (left photo, from Feb. 28). Surprisingly he had them reduced (a bit) during his first practice with the team on May 6 (on right) .....

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38. ..... Not to worry though. The dreads were flowing full blast here at an OTA practice on June 3. If you read my draft preview (or have seen him play for Notre Dame), you already know that Day is kind of small for a DT (6-1 and 293 pounds) and relied on his quickness while playing in college. Getting a pass rush up the middle is invaluable for a defense, and the Jaguars are hoping he'll be able to do it as well as he did for Notre Dame, where he had 32 career TFL and 7.5 sacks.

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39. Sheldon Day is focused on the QB (Blake Bortles) but first has to deal with G A.J. Cann in a duel of sick dreads on this play during practice on June 6. Don't look now, but the Jaguars are actually going to be pretty good this season. Hopefully Day will be one of the close to a dozen players with dreads on their roster making contributions ......

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40. ..... Of course, that total to rise to more than a dozen if their two undrafted rookies with dreads make the team. Former Louisiana-Lafayette WR Jamal Robinson is no stranger to this blog. But he left the house three years ago, cutting off his nice, easy-visible dreads midway through his sophomore season at ULL. Now it looks like the 6-4, 207-pound Robinson (working against ex-dread CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun on June 2 in left photo) might be bringing his dreads back. But I'm skeptical about whether he's serious about it or not. We'll see. The Jaguars already have players named Robinson in jerseys #15 and #16. Will there be another one in #19 on opening day?

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41. Well, well, well. Look who else is bringing back his dreads. After reading the comments he made about why he cut off his very long dreads before he was drafted in 2013, I didn't think we'd ever see S Josh Evans with dreads again. But there he is, with the beginner partial dreads that are so popular right now, running alongside rookie S Jarrod Wilson (who has real dreads) during OTA practice on June 2. Wilson is trying to beat the odds and be with the Jaguars after totaling 4 INT during his 4 seasons at Michigan, the last three of which he was in the starting lineup.

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42. Demarcus Robinson, not to be confused with the Demarcus Robinson with very long dreads who plays for Cleveland in Arena Football, shows off his beginner dreads as he meets the press before practice on the second day of rookie minicamp on May 7 after being drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 4th round. He never had dreads during his three college seasons at Florida and didn't have them as late as their pro day on Mar. 23; so it was a pleasant surprise to see him looking like this when he showed up with the Chiefs.

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43. Demarcus Robinson joins his fellow WRs for a group photo after mandatory minicamp practice on June 15. It's the 2nd straight year the Chiefs have drafted a WR with dreads. And just as with Chris Conley (#17) the 6-1, 203-pound Robinson arrives in KC with modest career stats. He had 106 catches for 1,355 yards and 9 TD in his three seasons with the Gators.

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44. The only other rookie with dreads for the Chiefs this year is undrafted former Florida State LB Terrance Smith. I was kind of disappointed that he wasn't drafted but happy that he ended up with the Chiefs. The 6-2, 235-pounder and Atlanta area native was a 3-year starter at FSU, finishing with career totals of 12 TFL, 4 sacks, and 3 INT.

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45. Terrance Smith goes up against one of the Chiefs' best players - TE Travis Kelce - on this play during OTA practice on June 10. #62 is kind of a lousy number to have for a LB. Hopefully after Smith, who wore #24 for FSU, makes the team a better number will be available.

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46. Hmm, a Gator and a Seminole as teammates. Can they get along?
Demarcus Robinson and Terrance Smith make their entrance as the Chiefs' rookies host a Play 60 event at Arrowhead Stadium on June 24. It'll be a huge disappointment to me if they don't both make the Chiefs' 53-man roster to start the season.

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47. The only rookie with dreads with the Denver Broncos is undrafted former Louisiana Tech DE Vontarrius Dora. As you can see from this photo from rookie minicamp on May 7 the 6-4, 256-pounder is making the position switch to LB. Dora increased his sacks total in each of his 4 seasons with the Bulldogs, from 1 to 2.5 to 4 to 6, and finished with 23.5 career TFL.

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48. While the rest of the Broncos were at the White House on June 6, the rookies spent the day at the Broncos' Boys and Girls Club, where apparently Vontarrius Dora shot some hoops. I noticed that in the Broncos' first preseason game Dora was on the field in the 1st half, which is a good thing because it means the Broncos think he has a real chance to make the team. If he does make it, he immediately becomes the player with the longest dreads on the team.

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49. Teammates today, enemies next season?
On pro day at Michigan State on Mar. 16, as G Donavon Clark sets to get his height measured, DE Shilique Calhoun steps on the scale to get weighed. It's interesting that standing next to Calhoun is someone wearing an Oakland Raiders shirt, because it was the Raiders who drafted him in the 3rd round. Unfortunately when he showed up at rookie minicamp, the dreads he had for only his senior season at MSU were gone. That left the 3rd round of the draft without any players with dreads at all. As for Clark, he got drafted too (much to my surprise), and might have a chance to block Calhoun this season after being drafted by the Raiders' AFC West rival San Diego Chargers.

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50. Donavon Clark takes part in his first practice with the Chargers after being selected in the 7th round. Honestly I didn't think he had any chance at all to be drafted; but maybe the Chargers know something about the 6-4, 315-pounder that everybody else doesn't. His draft profile on NFL.com says this: "His intelligence and toughness give him a shot at making a roster."

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51. Up until this week Clark was not the only rookie O-lineman with dreads on the Chargers' roster. Right after the draft they signed 6-6, 297-pound OT Mike McQueen, a 3-year starter in the MAC for the Ohio Bobcats. Unfortunately he was released before even getting a chance to play in a preseason game.

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52. Donavon Clark and Mike McQueen watch and learn as the Chargers' best O-lineman, Joe Barksdale, does a blocking drill during OTA practice on May 24. I was going to say that if both Clark and McQueen made the team, it would give the Chargers four O-linemen with dreads. Obviously that won't happen now. The good news for McQueen is that the Dallas Cowboys claimed him on waivers after the Chargers let him go. So he'll have a chance for the distinction of being released twice in the same preseason. Hopefully not.

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53. Travis Benjamin (in background in left photo) is not the only WR with dreads new to the Chargers this season. Hoping to join him on the opening day roster is #88, former Marshall WR DeAndre Reaves, running after the catch on during OTAs on both May 24 (on left) and May 25 (on right). After entering his senior season with only 8 career catches, the 5-9, 177-pounder finished up strong with 56 catches for 705 yards and 4 TD in his 2015 senior season .....

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54. ..... But as any Marshall fan will tell you, where Reaves really excels is on special teams. Here during mandatory minicamp on June 14 the Chargers try to find out if he's going to be able to get the job done as a gunner. We already know he can get the job done as a kick returner. He scored on both kickoff and punt returns last season and averaged an outstanding 29.1 and 30.1 on kickoff returns the last two seasons. The Chargers sucked on kickoff returns last season and really sucked on punt returns, so Reaves definitely signed with a team where he has a good chance to make the team. Hopefully we'll see #88 returning the opening kickoff when the Chargers open the season in Kansas City a month from now.

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Now, to wrap up DG160 here are a couple of shots of some rookies not in training camp.

55. What's this? Another D.Robinson with dreads? There's Denard with the Jaguars and Demarcus hoping to be with the Chiefs; but former Utah State WR Devonte Robinson won't be with the Packers. He was released on June 1. Should've signed somewhere he had a better chance of making the team.

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56. Sick dreads that won't be seen at an NFL stadium near you anytime soon (and probably anytime ever). Neither S Trevon Stewart (on right at Houston pro day on Mar. 24) nor G/C Justin Bell (working against 1st round pick Laremy Tunsil at Ole Miss pro day on Mar. 28) were signed by any of the 32 teams after the draft.

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57. Former Richmond RB Jacobi Green and his awesome dreads tried out with both the Packers at their rookie minicamp and with the Panthers at theirs a week later; but neither they nor any other team has signed him to a contract yet. Keep trying, Jacobi.

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58. No rookies here, but these sick dreads were at the Panthers' rookie minicamp, as WR Cobi Hamilton makes the catch while defended by CB Travell Dixon on May 13. Dixon was a rookie with the Raiders last season but was released near the end of May. The Panthers I hear are looking for a few good men to play CB, so Dixon at least will get a look. Hamilton has been cut at the end of training camp three years in a row - twice by the Bengals (who drafted him in the 6th round in 2013) and by the Dolphins last year. He has already been released by Carolina (just before training camp started) and is currently with the Steelers (he had 2 catches for 22 yards in their preseason opener).

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59. Last, and apparently least, former Mississippi State WR De'Runnya Wilson. After catching 9 and 10 TD passes the last two seasons, the 6-5, 215-pound Wilson decided he would skip his senior year with the Bulldogs. But then at the Combine he ran his 40 in 4.85 seconds - the slowest (by far) by any WR. His vertical jump wasn't much better. After the showing he had it was no surprise he didn't get drafted. But he didn't get signed as a free agent either. He tried out with at least one team (the Saints), but no contract yet. That's too bad. I thought he was better than that. Heck, if he knew this was going to happen, he would have stayed at Mississippi State.
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So that does it for this seasons class of rookies with dreads. Of the 71 rookies in the 2015 class (36 drafted, 35 undrafted) there were 38 who played in at least one regular season game, including seven of whom scored touchdowns. That's 53.5% - much lower than the 60% I'd like to see but almost exactly the same as the 54.4% of the 2014 rookies that played. With there being so many undrafted players in the 2016 class, I think I'll be very happy with 53 or 54% this time.