EUGENE, Ore. — After coming off a last second loss in the BCS National Championship to the Auburn Tigers, the Oregon Ducks looked as if they had multiple NFL prospects, but once the NFL Draft ended in April only one Duck was selected — Casey Matthews was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round.
Now as the lockout has been lifted and teams can sign players five more former standout Ducks have been signed as undrafted free agents. The five players signed were wide receivers Jeff Maehl and DJ Davis, Brandon Bair, Spencer Paysinger and Kenny Rowe.
Maehl, a former cornerback, has signed with the Houston Texans and could be perfect addition to an already stacked passing attack. While at Oregon he set multiple school-records and at the NFL combine this year he set a combine record in the three-cone drill with a time of 6.42.
Jeff Maehl set multiple records as a Oregon Duck //Photo: Alan K. Fox
Last season, the 6’1” 184 lb. Maehl finished the season with 77 catches for 1076 yards and 12 touchdowns, including an impressive nine catch 133-yard performance in the national championship game.
Davis, who has been signed by the Atlanta Falcons, also will be joining another lethal passing attack with Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Ryan. He has a chance to learn from one of the best wide receivers in the league in Pro Bowler Roddy White
Davis, who finished the season with 42 catches for 470 yards and three touchdowns, may have not received national attention for his play on the field last year but he did receive a lot of attention for a photo that he carried with him on the field.
The picture was of Declan Sullivan, a Notre Dame student and videographer for the school’s football team that fell to his death when a windstorm forced him to fall and pass away.
Drew "DJ" Davis will be joining an already strong passing attack as a Atlanta Falcon. // Photo: Alan K. Fox
Bair, a 6‘7” 272lb. defensive tackle, has been picked up by the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs could use help on the defensive line and this could be a great fit.
Bair finished last season with 45 tackles and three sacks, but was unable to play in the BCS Championship game for the Ducks. He also accumulated over 100 tackles for his career.
Paysinger, who has now signed with the New York Giants, finished his career at Oregon with 236 total career tackles (133 solo) with six sacks and two interceptions.
Last season he finished with 66 total tackles (40 solo) and three sacks that helped the Ducks finish the regular season with an untarnished record.
His size could be a great fit for the NFL whether he makes the Giants or another team in the league. He is 6’3” and weighs a solid 231 lbs.
Rowe, who was selected as a Pac-10 selection last season, has signed to play with the San Francisco 49ers. With his size, 6’3” 232 lbs. there is no doubt that Jim Harbaugh will be moving him to outside linebacker an giving him a shot there.
Last season Rowe finished his senior year with 39 tackles and seven sacks — which followed up an out standing junior season for the defensive end where he had 37 tackles and 11 sacks.
Also joining Rowe in San Francisco is former Duck and Ole Miss Rebel Jeremiah Masoli, but is not expected to make the team.
Other Ducks signed today include tackle Bo Thran who signed with the San Diego Chargers and Talmadge Jackson to the Baltimore Ravens.
Alan K. Fox can be reached at alanfoxjr@gmail.com and on Twitter @alankfox
Leave a Reply