Philadelphia has never really been known as a hot-bed of talent when it comes to producing football prospects, but a bevy of local college athletes will have opportunities with NFL teams when mini-camps begin at the end of the spring. Here’s a look at the new Philly flavor in the league this year, as players look to turn chips on their shoulders onto roster or practice squad spots:
Drafted:
Round 4 pick 6: Tavon Young, CB (Temple)to the Ravens
Round 5, Pick 13: Matt Ioannidis, DT(Temple)to the Redskins
Round 7, Pick 25: Tyler Matakevich, LB (Temple)to the Steelers
Undrafted free agent signings:
Brandon Shippen,CB(Temple)to the Dolphins
Robby Anderson, WR(Temple)to the Jets
Kyle Friend, C (Temple)to the Jets
Daniel Sobolewski, K (Albright)to the Jets
Ryan O’Malley, TE(Penn)to the Raiders
Don Cherry, LB(Villanova)to the Bears
Quentin Gause, LB(Rutgers)to the Eagles
Anthony Kelly, WR (Kutztown) to the Buccaneers
Hakeem Valles, TE (Monmouth) to the Cardinals
Josh Popper, DE (Rowan) to the Cardinals
Steve Longa, LB (Rutgers) to the Seahawks
Additionally, published reports have indicated that the following former Templeplayers have upcoming minicamp tryouts: OL Shahbaz Ahmed (Falcons), DL Hershey Walton(Seahawks), and DB Alex Wells (Jets).