At least three former UCF players agreed to terms with NFL teams as undrafted free agents after the 2012 NFL Draft ended Saturday night.
Linebacker Josh Linam signed with the San Diego Chargers and tight end Adam Nissley is joining the Atlanta Falcons. Long snapper Charley Hughlett signed with the Dallas Cowboys, according to Tampa Bay Online.
“I feel so blessed because we’ve worked all this time playing in college together,” Linam said. “We finally have an opportunity to reach our dreams and all the goals that we’ve been trying to accomplish since we were little. I’m happy for them because they’re good guys and they deserve a chance.”
Linam (6-3, 240), a Tavares native, originally announced on Twitter that he was signing with the Cleveland Browns, but that quickly changed.
“It was mayhem,” said Linam, who picked San Diego because the Chargers didn’t draft any linebackers. “It was crazy. It was nothing all day until right after the draft got over and then teams started calling. Within a few minutes, I had to talk to my agent to try and make a deal with a team that was the best fit for me. … Cleveland was the first team to offer me and then San Diego came two minutes after that. So it’s really a gamble because you don’t know how many more teams are going to call you.”
A two-year starter for the Knights, Linam accumulated 165 tackles, with 20 going for a loss. He battled nagging injuries in the 2010 and 2011 seasons, but said he is fully healthy now.
Nissley (6-6, 270), a Georgia native, is staying close to home. He displayed some pass-catching skills during his time at UCF, but was used as more of a run-blocker because of his brute strength (40 bench-press reps of 225-pounds). Nissley started for four years at UCF and actually played right tackle as a redshirt freshman, a position he might be best suited for in the NFL.
Hughlett (6-4, 245) was UCF’s starting long snapper for all four years he was with the program and was named second team All-Conference USA as a junior and senior. He might be the most NFL-ready of any UCF undrafted free agent.
Joining Linam in the AFC West will be defensive end Darius Nall (6-4, 250), who is going to try out for the Oakland Raiders. Nall recently overcame his second bout with cancer in four years, receiving chemotherapy in January and being deemed cancer-free by UCF’s pro day in late March. He had 16 sacks in his career at UCF.
Former UCF offensive lineman Nick Pieschel (6-6, 295) will be trying out for the Tampa Bay Bucs. Pieschel could either play the tackle or guard position at the pro level.
Former UCF receiver A.J. Guyton (5-11, 198) reached an undrafted free agent agreement with the Miami Dolphins.
Cornerback Josh Robinson (5-10, 199) was selected No. 66 overall in the third round by the Minnesota Vikings, making him the only UCF player to be drafted this year.
Former UCF running back Ronnie Weaver was in contention for an agreement or tryout, but the Sentinel could not confirm Sunday whether he had reached a deal with a team.