Ferris State's Marcus Cribbs Joins NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers Following Weekend Draft

Big Rapids, Mich. - For the third-straight year, a former Ferris State University football player will have an opportunity to compete in the National Football League (NFL) as defensive lineman Marcus Cribbs (Clinton Township/Lakeshore) joined the Pittsburgh Steelers shortly after this weekend's NFL Draft concluded on Saturday night as an undrafted free agent and has received a rookie mini-camp tryout invite.

Cribbs, who completed his collegiate eligibility as a starter on FSU's defensive line last fall, received a call from the Steelers shortly after the completion of this weekend's NFL Draft, which was held at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. Cribbs has been offered a rookie mini-camp tryout and is expected to join the Steelers this coming week in preparation for the franchise's upcoming rookie mini-camp which runs Friday thru Sunday (May 8-10).

Phase two of the Steelers' offseason program gets underway this week and consists of three weeks during which on-feild workouts that take place can include individual player instruction and drills as well as team practice conducted on a limited basis.

The Bulldog lineman unofficially represents at least the 11th former Ferris State player to ever sign an NFL contract. Last year, in 2014, former safety Marvin Robinson was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent soon after the NFL Draft and was the school's first since free agent cornerback Angelo Williams with the Minnesota Vikings in 2010. Previously, in 2013, former defensive end Jordan Morgan also received a rookie tryout with the New York Giants, but did not sign.

The select group of former Bulldogs who have joined NFL franchises 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), quarterback Dave 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.

Cribbs received interest from a number of NFL teams and/or took part in various pro scouting combines and all-star contests in recent weeks leading up to the draft. The 6-3, 350-pound Cribbs took part in the Detroit Lions' pre-draft workout in the Motor City last week and had received the most interest among 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. 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 was 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 heading into the draft. He was 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. In addition, he was found on several other lists of the nation's top potential draftees or free agent pickups.

As a senior in 2014, Cribbs helped lead the Bulldogs to the NCAA Division II Playoffs following a historic season that saw FSU finish with their first conference title in 15 years and first trip to the postseason in 18 seasons.

In 2014, Ferris State compbiled 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.

In addition, FSU head coach Tony Annese 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.