Although they were not among the 255 players picked in this year's NFL Draft, five former Duke football players inked undrafted free agent deals with NFL teams this weekend, including defensive tackle Vince Oghobaase and quarterback Thaddeus Lewis.
Oghobaase, a defensive tackle who had the best chance of getting drafted of the quintet, was signed by the Miami Dolphins.
Lewis, who is the leading passer in Duke history, signed with the St. Louis Rams.
Linebacker Vincent Rey, who met with the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders prior to this week's draft, ended up with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Additionally, the Giants signed two Blue Devil players—cornerback Leon Wright and defensive end Ayanga Okpokowuruk.
It is far too early to determine if any of the former Blue Devils will start next season on an NFL roster, as they will have to survive training camp cutdowns that will reduce rosters from up to 80 players down to a 53-man regular season squad. Still, making an NFL team as an undrafted free agent is far from unprecedented for recent Duke players. Former Duke linebacker/defensive end Patrick Bailey signed a undrafted free agent deal with the Steelers in 2008 and earned a slot on the team's practice squad once training camp broke. From there, Bailey was added to the 53-man roster by the Steelers in September, eventually playing in 12 games and Super Bowl XLIII.
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