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Five Undrafted Hoosiers Join NFL Organizations
Micah McFadden – a fifth round pick by the New York Giants – was the only Hoosier selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, but five of his teammates will now have the chance to play professionally, too.
Wide receiver Ty Fryfogle and tight end Peyton Hendershot signed undrafted free agent deals with the Dallas Cowboys. The pass-catching duo will team up for the sixth-straight season together after leading Indiana in receiving in 2021.
Defensive back Raheem Layne signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as an undrafted free agent. Offensive lineman Caleb Jones and defensive end Ryder Anderson are headed to Green Bay. Jones signed and undrafted free agent deal and Anderson accepted a minicamp invite from the Packers.
Fryfogle was the Big Ten Receiver of the Year in 2020 after catching 37 passes for 721 yards and seven touchdowns in eight games. His career as a Hoosier is highlighted by a three-game stretch in 2020 against Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State where he caught 25 passes for 560 yards and six touchdowns.
Fryfogle chose to return to Indiana in 2021 instead of leaving for the draft, but he didn't make the same impact. In his fifth year in Bloomington, he caught 46 passes for 512 yards and one touchdown in 12 games.
The Cowboys took South Alabama wide receiver Jalen Tolbert with the 88t overall pick, but CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup are the only wide receivers on the Cowboys' roster with significant NFL experience. There could be a path for Fryfogle to make the week one roster and potentially contribute if he makes a strong impression at training camp.
In five seasons as a Hoosier, Hendershot was a three-time All-Big Ten selection and broke the Indiana tight end receptions and receiving yards record. He also finished second among Indiana tight ends with 14 touchdowns. As a senior, Hendershot was tied for first on the team with 46 receptions and led all Hoosiers with 543 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
This record-setting season led to Hendershot earning Indiana’s Anthony Thompson Most Valuable Player Award and the team's Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the Year Award.
Tight end Dalton Schultz has back-to-back seasons with over 600 yards and four touchdowns, and the Cowboys also drafted Jake Ferguson from Wisconsin in the fourth round, so the path to playing time in Dallas could have more barriers for Hendershot.
Layne joins the Chargers after five seasons as a Hoosier, playing in 38 games at cornerback and 12 at safety. He was the first Indiana football player to wear No. 0, and finished his career with 147 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one interception, seven pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
After leading Indiana cornerbacks in solo tackles and winning IU's Special Teams Player of the Year Award in 2019, Layne missed all of the 2020 season with injury. He moved to safety in 2021 and was second on the team with 65 tackles, starting every game.
Layne will likely get a chance to prove his worth at both cornerback and safety on a team that allowed the 12th fewest passing yards in the NFL last season. The Chargers were middle of the pack in receiving touchdowns allowed. Los Angeles also has a pair of studs in the defensive backfield – cornerback J.C. Jackson, who the Chargers signed to a five-year, $82.5 million deal this offseason and Derwin James, who was first-team all-pro as a rookie in 2018.
Jones joins the Packers on an undrafted free agent contract after five seasons on the Indiana football team. After redshirting in 2017, Jones started in 30 games at and appeared in 11 others, moving between right and left tackle. In 2020, Jones was part of an offensive line that led the Big Ten in fewest sacks per game at 1.25. He was named Indiana's Offensive Player of the Week in Indiana's win over Michigan.
Standing at 6-foot-8, 362 pounds, Jones certainly has the build of an NFL offensive lineman. He joins a Packers team that is led by veteran left tackle David Bakhtiari, who was named first-team all-pro in 2018 and 2020.
Anderson received a training camp invite from the Packers after one season in Bloomington in 2021. He transferred to Indiana after playing four seasons at Ole Miss. Starting all 12 games at defensive end as a Hoosier, Anderson stepped in and made an immediate impact.
Anderson was first among defensive lineman with 48 tackles in 2021. He was also named to the honorable-mention All-Big Ten team by the coaches and won the Indiana's Chris Dal Sasso Award, given to the team's outstanding lineman.
Dean Lowry, who has started Green Bay's last 39 games at left defensive end, and Jarran Reed, who has started 80 games in the last six seasons for the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs, project to be Green Bay's starting ends next season.
Related stories to Indiana Football:
- MCFADDEN DRAFTED BY GIANTS: Micah McFadden comes off the board in the fifth round as the New York Giants select the Indiana linebacker with the 146th overall pick. McFadden led Indiana in tackles in each of the last three seasons. CLICK HERE
- MICAH MCFADDEN NFL DRAFT PROFILE: The NFL Draft begins Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, and a Hoosier that could hear his named called is two-year captain and middle linebacker Micah McFadden, who led Indiana in tackles for three consecutive seasons. CLICK HERE
- PEYTON HENDERSHOT NFL DRAFT PROFILE: Peyton Hendershot set the Indiana tight end record for receptions and yards last season, and he'll now pursue a professional career with the NFL Draft beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday. CLICK HERE
