Wolfpack Undrafted Free Agents Still Waiting for NFL Call

A week after the draft, NC State's Jarius Morehead, Emanel McGirt and Deonte Holden, among others, are still waiting and hoping for free agent deals that will give them a shot at making it to the NFL

The coronavirus crisis has been hard on everyone in sports, from the players to the fans and yes, to members of the media as well. Few, however, have been as adversely affected as football players hoping for a longshot opportunity at playing in the NFL on the undrafted free agent market.

With Pro Days and individual workouts canceled, a large group of players were deprived of the usual opportunities to showcase their skills in front of NFL scouts and coaches.

And while some players have been fortunate enough to score free agent and tryout deals in the days following the draft, others are still waiting for a call that might not come. Among them are former NC State players Jarius Morehead, Emanuel McGirt, Deonte Holden, Stephen Griffin and Tabari Hines.

Here's what some of those players had to say about their chances of being signed, what they're doing while they're waiting and their plans should their football careers be over.

Jarius Morehead, 6-1, 215, safety/linebacker

A three-year starter for the Wolfpack, Morehead is hoping to make the transition from safety to linebacker at the next level. Although he hoped he might sneak into the final round of the draft, he was realistic enough to know that the undrafted free agent route would probably his best opportunity. But despite having had contact with numerous teams, that has yet to happen.

"It's been a little crazy, almost a week now and I haven't heard anything from anybody. I think the guys that didn't get picked up are worried right now because the coronavirus stopped a lot of things. I don't know if they're going to have rookie minicamps. I don;t even think they're going to have OTAs, so we're just waiting. That's what I'm doing, just waiting and when my name is called, if it's called, I'll be ready."

How surprised are you that you haven't been offered a free agent deal yet?

"I'm very surprised. I thought at least I'd have a chance if I got drafted or at least an undrafted free agent. But it is what it is. Not having a Pro Day hurt a lot of people, especially guys like me trying to switch positions. Scouts have to see you move, how you work. I'm moving from safety to linebacker, so teams have to take a chance."

"I just think the majority of the draft was the guys that went to the Combine, that they already had on their radar. The scouts got to see whatever they wanted to and they figured out who they really wanted during the Combine. Not having a Pro Day really hurt. That's where you find the diamonds in the rough. They missed out on a lot of people."

Have you come to grips with the fact that your football career might be over?

"Yeah, me and Griff were taking the other day about how crazy it is. We shared our frustration and how it really affected us. We were like, shoot, was Carolina the last game? We were just going back and forth just saying that we've got to be positive and wait our turn. 

"It's hard to say the game's over with, because this is just the beginning. You know? A lot of guys have careers where they don't get drafted or sign right away, but they get signed the next year. So we just have to wait our turn and keep grinding like we've done before."

Emanuel McGirt, 6-6, 305, offensive tackle

McGirt was probably hurt by the lack of a Pro Day and individual workouts more than any of the other Wolfpack free agent hopefuls. He came to State as a four-star prospect, but his career was marred by a series of injuries. He finally cracked the starting lineup last season as a fifth-year graduate student and was selected to play in the Tropical Bowl all-star game in January. But because of his limited body of work the NFL scouts really don't have a lot on which to evaluate him. 

"This is a hard process, not having a Pro Day and not being able to show out for the scouts. ..."Obviously, the uncertainty that comes with not having a camp or possibly not getting a tryout hurts. But it;s just a matter of staying patient and just waiting."

"I feel like with my size and some of the things I was able to do on the field this season, I'll at least get the opportunity go to out there and show what I can do. I went to the Tropical Bowl, which is one of the senior (all-star) games and I was able to perform well and talked to some scouts down there."

"It's just a matter of staying patient. That's something I've done throughout my career, sitting behind Will (Richardson) and Tyler (Jones). I't just a matter of being patient waiting for your opportunity and when it comes, you've got to be ready for it."

What happens if you don't get a free agent opportunity?

"My parents have always instilled in me the mindset of being more than an athlete. I have a couple of job offers and I'm also thinking about going back to school in a master's program. I've got a lot of things planned up."

Deonte Holden, 6-4, 249, Defensive end

Like McGirt, Holden's career with the Wolfpack was sidetracked by injuries. He missed two full seasons because of them, leading to him being granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. He ranked second on the team in tackles for loss in 2018, but played sparingly in third down pass rush packages last season. Still, he was invited to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., in January and put on an impressive performance that included a sack. He was hoping to parlay that into a free agent opportunity, but so far that hasn't happened.

"I'm just spending this time training, staying in shape, doing a lot of things for personal growth -- reading, strategizing and just planning out the next couple of months."

Are you surprised that you didn't get any free agent offers right after the draft?

"I was very surprised, considering the performance I had throughout the NFLPA week and also with the development I had throughout my career. I wasn't the best player. There's obviously things I need to work on. But my throughout college career, I definitely showed some results.

"I was a little sad about it, but everything happens for a reason. So I'm still training, staying in shape, getting ready to receive a call whenever it happens."

Because a lot of teams have yet to fill out their rosters while the shutdown continues, does that give you hope that you will eventually get an opportunity?

"It does give me hope. It also gives me a lot of time to improve on myself with the things I need to work on as an individual and also as an athlete. For the most part, from the scouts that I talked to and my agent talked to, they liked me. But obviously I didn't have enough film from NC State to really be evaluated. Me not playing as much as I did last year hurt me."

"RIght now there's a lot of adversity for a lot of people and they may question 'should I go forward?' But if you really look deeper into it, you never know how close you are to your dreams. So for me, just staying in shape and keep working becaues you never know when you're going to see that call. It can be now until the beginning of August that you can receive a call and dreams can come true."