MANHATTAN, Kan. – With the 2017 NFL season set to kick off this Thursday night, 12 former Kansas State players made NFL rosters as organizations set their active rosters and practice squads following the mandatory cut down from 90 training camp players on Saturday.
The longest-tenured former Wildcats include cornerback Terence Newman, running back Darren Sproles and wide receiver Jordy Nelson.
Newman is entering his 15th NFL season as the former first-round draft pick is set to start his third season as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. Sproles, a Pro Bowler in 2015, is going into his 13th professional season, including his fourth with the Philadelphia Eagles. Nelson, the 2016 NFL Comeback Player of the Year, is set for his 10th season with the Green Bay Packers, the team that drafted him in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
Third-year wide receiver Tyler Lockett is back for the Seattle Seahawks after suffering a season-ending injury late in 2016, while offensive linemen B.J. Finney (Pittsburgh) and Cody Whitehair (Chicago) are beginning their second seasons on NFL rosters.
Jordan Willis is one of four rookies on rosters in 2017. Willis, a third-round pick by Cincinnati in 2017, extended K-State’s Big 12-leading draft streak to 24 years. Rookie wide receiver Deante Burton was signed to the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad, while rookie linebacker Charmeachealle Moore landed on injured reserve for the Los Angeles Chargers. Additionally, Randall Evans was signed to the Chargers’ practice squad.
Another rookie draft pick, seventh-rounder Elijah Lee, was signed to the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad, while he and Newman are joined on the Vikings by linebacker Emmanuel Lamur, who is in his second season with the organization and sixth overall.
Former Wildcats on NFL Rosters
Name Position Team
Deante Burton* WR Atlanta
Randall Evans* CB LA Chargers
B.J. Finney OL Pittsburgh
Emmanuel Lamur LB Minnesota
Elijah Lee* LB Minnesota
Tyler Lockett WR Seattle
Charmeachealle Moore^ LB LA Chargers
Jordy Nelson WR Green Bay
Terence Newman CB Minnesota
Darren Sproles RB Philadelphia
Cody Whitehair OL Chicago
Jordan Willis DE Cincinnati
* Practice Squad
^ Injured Reserve
Kansas State University, the nation’s first operational land-grant institution and a Carnegie Foundation Tier One university, is recognized as one of the nation’s best colleges with world-class research and academic excellence located in America’s No. 1 College Town (Manhattan, KS).
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RYAN LACKEY
Asst. Director/Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics