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Tuesday, May 05, 2020

Ferguson looks to free agency after not being drafted

Bahamian collegiate offensive lineman Chris Ferguson said he will now look to free agency after not being drafted into the NFL this past weekend. FILE PHOTO

The 2020 National Football League (NFL) Draft – a three-day event – wrapped up on Saturday and none of the 255 draftees were named Chris Ferguson. Ferguson, a Bahamian, was looking forward to hearing his named called by one of the 32 teams in the seven-round draft. He is an offensive linesman who can play the right and left tackle positions as well as left guard. Ferguson played collegiately for the Cincinnati Bearcats.

It is not the end of the rope for the Bahamian offensive lineman. Like many others, he signs on to the undrafted free agency portal where he and his agent will be looking to get him acquired by one of the 32 NFL teams.

Some of the more notable former league’s players who played as undrafted rookies include quarterback Tony Romo, wide receiver Wes Welker, running back Arian Foster, wide receiver Victor Cruz, tight end Antonio Gates and two-time league Most Valuable Player (MVP) quarterback Kurt Warner.

Provided that Ferguson gets picked up by a team, he will have to work very hard in training camp in order to make the respective 53-man roster.

He is known as a workaholic, and said he has been working out extremely hard during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s a tough road ahead for Ferguson, but he is no stranger to roadblocks as has had to overcome a few challenges during his time at the University of Cincinnati. He redshirted his freshman year and battled injuries for the first three-and-a-half years of his collegiate career. In his final year, he showed a lot of mental toughness.

The 6’5”, 310-pounder helped the Bearcats achieve back-to-back 11-win seasons. They also won two-straight bowl games. The team finished the past season ranked at number 23 in the Associated Press’ (AP) Top 25 poll.

Ferguson was the captain for the team for those two years.

In his final game as a Bearcats player, the Birmingham Bowl game this past January, Ferguson helped lead his team to victory over Boston College in Birmingham, Alabama. The Bearcats won easily, 38-6, in a game that was almost canceled due to lightning.

The Bearcats’ offensive line did a good job of opening holes in that game as they had 343 rushing yards as a team. Also, they only gave up two sacks.

That thrashing came after a fourth-quarter breakdown in the Atlantic Coast Conference (AAC) Championship game against the University of Memphis Tigers in Memphis, Tennessee, in December. The Bearcats lost that game, 29-24.

Ferguson said he likes to play the left guard position because of the contact that he experiences at that position. He said he and his team will continue working to have his dream of playing in the NFL realized.

The post Ferguson looks to free agency after not being drafted appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.



source https://thenassauguardian.com/2020/05/05/ferguson-looks-to-free-agency-after-not-being-drafted/

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