By Mark Inabinett | minabinett@al.com | Posted May 06, 2018 at 05:30 AM
Bob Leverone
Throughout the NFL this weekend, teams are holding rookie minicamps, and the majority of the players participating were not picked in the league’s 83rd draft on April 26-28. The odds are against the undrafted rookies earning places in the NFL, but there are players from Alabama high schools and colleges who are proof that it can be done.
Since the draft began in 1936, 13 former players from Alabama high schools and colleges went from undrafted to play in more than 150 NFL regular-season games or receive at least one Pro Bowl invitation or both. And there are nine players with Alabama football roots in the NFL now, such as Mario Addison (pictured), who were full-time starters in 2017 or have been Pro Bowlers even though they weren’t drafted.
Here are 22 players from the state’s football past and present who should serve as inspiration for the undrafted rookies trying to reach an NFL regular-season roster:
Jason E. Miczek
Mario Addison, Tarrant, Troy
After playing for five teams in his first two NFL seasons, Addison made his first start at defensive end for the Carolina Panthers in 2013. After making 9.5 sacks in 2016, he joined the lineup as a starter in 2017 and registered 11 more.
Seth Wenig
Malcolm Butler, West Alabama
The cornerback ended his rookie season by making a go-down-in-history, game-saving defensive play in New England’s Super Bowl victory over the Seattle Seahawks. He came back in 2015 to earn a Pro Bowl invitation in his second campaign, and in his third season, Butler got another Super Bowl ring and was a second-team All-Pro. Last year, Butler was on the field more than any other New England defensive player during the regular season, then left the Patriots in free agency for a $61.25 million contract from the Tennessee Titans.
Rob Bironas, Auburn
It’s not unusual for even top-flight kickers to go undrafted. Bironas scored at least 99 points in each of his nine NFL seasons, including 133 in 2007, when he led the league with 35 field goals and was an All-Pro for the Tennessee Titans.
Ron Schwane
Isaiah Crowell, Alabama State
In his four seasons with the Cleveland Browns, Crowell was the team’s leading rusher each season. After running for 3,118 yards and 21 touchdowns on 737 carries and catching 96 passes for 770 yards and one TD for Cleveland, Crowell left the Browns in free agency this offseason for a three-year, $12 million contract from the Jets.