Former Ferris State Football Players Pegged On Lists Heading Into NFL Draft

Big Rapids, Mich. - The 80th annual National Football League (NFL) Draft takes place this weekend the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago and at least one recent Ferris State University football standout is hoping to hear his name called or be contacted by NFL or professional football franchises as a potential free agent pickup following the annual event.

The Bulldogs' Marcus Cribbs (Clinton Township/Lakeshore), who completed his collegiate eligibility as a starter on FSU's defensive line last fall, has received interest from a number of NFL teams and/or taken place in various pro tryouts in recent weeks. He's also currently listed among the top 100 players at his respective positions across the country and projected as a potential free agent aquisition in numerous mock draft lists.  

Along with Cribbs, various listings also have three other Bulldogs pegged on their charts, including cornerback A.J. McEwen (East Grand Rapids), defensive tackle Corey Stone (Sterling Heights/Stevenson) and offensive tackle Jacob VanderKlok (Caledonia/Grand Rapids South Christian).

The NFL Draft begins with round one on Thursday (May 8) night at 8 p.m. (ET).  Round two will take place on Friday night beginning at 7 p.m. (ET) with the final rounds four thru seven set for Saturday starting at noon. Both ESPN and the NFL Network will have endless coverage of the draft. This year marks the first time since 1963 in which the draft has not been held in New York City.

The 6-3, 350-pound Cribbs took part in the Detroit Lions' pre-draft workout in the Motor City last week and has received the most interest among the former Bulldog standouts. A Clinton Township native, Cribbs tallied 32 stops last fall, including tackles for loss, and added two sacks in 11 outings for FSU. Along with the Lions, the teams that have shown the most interest include the Oakland Raiders, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles. The two-year starter and letterwinner previously played junior college football at Grand Rapids Community College and was both a JUCO All-American and all-region choice.

Cribbs is currently rated as the third-best nose tackle among small college (non-Division 1) prospects by college football analyst Josh Buchanan on the 2015 NFL Draft Small School Positional Rankings list. He's also chosen among the top 40 potential Division II prospects by D2football.com on its "Pro Hopefuls" list and found on Pro Player Insider's Top 1000 list for the 2015 draft. He's also found on several other lists of the nation's top potential draftees or free agent pickups.

McEwen has already embarked on his professional football career as he recently was signed to a contract by the Arena Football League's (AFL) San Jose Sabercats. The East Grand Rapids product was a four-year letterwinner for the Bulldogs and started the past two seasons at cornerback after originally beginning his FSU career as a receiver. McEwen, who's currently on the Sabercats injured reserve squad, remains eligible for the NFL Draft.

In addition to both Cribbs and McEwen, various lists also feature both Stone and VanderKlok among the players ranked at their position across the country. Stone was a two-time All-GLIAC honoree along the defensive line while VanderKlok claimed All-America honors this past fall and was the GLIAC's Offensive Lineman of the Year.

No Ferris State football player has ever been drafted by an NFL team, according to the official NFL Draft Report. However, several former Bulldogs have inked NFL contracts as free agents and played in the league.  Last year, in 2014, former safety Marvin Robinson was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent soon after the NFL Draft. 

Robinson unofficially represented at least the 10th former Ferris State player to ever sign an NFL contract and the first since free agent cornerback Angelo Williams with the Minnesota Vikings in 2010. Previously, in 2013, former defensive end Jordan Morgan received a rookie tryout with the New York Giants, but did not sign.

The select group also consists of running back Dave Gagnon (1974-Chicago Bears), outside linebacker Monty Brown (1997-New York Jets), defensive tackle Ed Philion(1994-Buffalo Bills), defensive end Dave Zuiderveen (2001-Atlanta Falcons), flanker Clarence Coleman (2002-Buffalo Bills), tackle Matt McCoy (2004-Detroit Lions), wide receiver Carlton Brewster (2006-Cleveland Browns) and defensive tackle Jake Visser (2009-Houston Texans).

Two other former Ferris State players, offensive guard Bill Bourdlais and safety Patrick Wells, received tryout invitations from the Cleveland Browns in 2008 and participated in the team's rookie minicamp, but did not ink a deal. Several others have also had NFL tryouts including wide receiver Andre Johnson (1989), quarterbackDave DenBraber (1987) and receiver/returner Fred Kirkland (1981). Defensive back James Skodak (2006) also had tryouts with several NFL organizations among other past Bulldog standouts.

The Bulldogs will begin their 107th season of varsity competition this coming fall with their sights set on repeating as GLIAC Champions and making a return trip to the NCAA Division II Playoffs following a historic season in 2014 that saw the Bulldogs finish with their first conference title in 15 years and first trip to the postseason in 18 seasons.

In 2014, FSU head coach Tony Annese led the Bulldogs to an 11-1 overall record, which was the school's best in 19 seasons. A total of 10 FSU standouts earned some form of All-America honors, the Bulldogs had 16 all-conference honorees and standout quarterback Jason Vander Laan, a junior, was tabbed as the Harlon Hill Trophy Award winner given to the NCAA Division II Player of the Year, the best of more than 10,000 players at the level in the nation.

Annese, who was named the GLIAC and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Regional Coach of the Year after leading the Bulldogs to the school's first-ever 11-0 regular season in the program's 106-year history last fall, recently inked yet another stellar recruiting class on National Signing Day in February with FSU adding upwards of 30 incoming prep recruits, including a GLIAC-best 26 from the state of Michigan.

More than 50 letterwinners are slated to return this coming fall for the Bulldogs with upwards of 20 players with significant starting experience eligible to be back for the 2015 campaign. Fall camp will begin in early August.