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Several Huskers Pursue NFL Dreams Despite Going Undrafted

Quinton Newsome, Phalen Sanford, Omar Brown and Nouredin Nouili sign free agent deals, while at least three others get minicamp opportunities

Joe Hudson

Quinton Newsome, Phalen Sanford, Omar Brown, Nouredin Nouili
Quinton Newsome, Phalen Sanford, Omar Brown, Nouredin Nouili / Nebraska Athletics

No Huskers heard their names called during the three-day NFL draft that wrapped up Saturday, but four will get their chances after signing with teams as undrafted free agents.

The Denver Broncos signed a pair of Husker defensive backs, safety Omar Brown and cornerback Quinton Newsome.

Brown, who is from Minneapolis, played two seasons at Nebraska after transferring from Northern Iowa, where he earned FCS All-America honors. In 2023, he started eight games for the Huskers and was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection.

Newsome, from Georgia, was a three-year starter for the Huskers and earned All-Big Ten honorable mention recognition in 2022 and 2023. His most memorable play at Nebraska might have been his 68-yard return of a blocked field goal last season.

Another Husker defensive back, Phalen Sanford, was signed by the Las Vegas Raiders. Sanford, from Benkelman, Neb., joined the Huskers in 2019 as a walk-on transfer from Hastings College. After being named the Huskers' Special Teams Player of the Year in 2021, he earned an increasing number of snaps on defense to the extent that he started five games at safety in 2023. His special teams work included a blocked punt against Purdue in 2022.

Offensive lineman Nouredin Nouili signed a free agent deal with the New Orleans Saints. Nouili came to the U.S. from Germany as an exchange student at Norris High School near Lincoln. As a freshman at Colorado State in 2019, he started seven games at guard before transferring to Nebraska in 2020 as a walk-on. At Nebraska, he had 18 starts at guard.

Those four are not the only Huskers with a chance to continue their quest to play in the league. Long snapper Marco Ortiz and wide receiver Billy Kemp IV have received invitations to the rookie minicamps of the San Diego Chargers and the New York Giants, respectively. Both played one year at Nebraska after spending five seasons elsewhere -- Ortiz at Florida and Kemp at Virginia. Also, running back Anthony Grant will get a minicamp tryout with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Last fall, Ortiz was one of three finalists for the Patrick Mannelly Award, which goes to the nation's top long snapper. Kemp led the Huskers last season in receptions (35) and receiving yards (310). Grant rushed for more than 1,300 yards in his two seasons at Nebraska after transferring from the New Mexico Military Institute.

This was the second time in five years that no Huskers were drafted. Starting in 1963, Nebraska had at least one player selected in 56 consecutive NFL drafts, a streak that ended in 2019. | More info: Huskers in the NFL Draft, 1935-present

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Joe Hudson

JOE HUDSON

Joe Hudson has operated a Husker-related website since 1995 and joined forces with David Max to form HuskerPedia (later renamed HuskerMax) in 1999. It began as a hobby during his 35 years as a newspaper editor and reporter, a career that included stints at the Lincoln Star, Omaha World-Herald, Philadelphia Inquirer and Denver Post. In Denver, Joe was chief of the copy desk during his final 16 years at the Post. He is proud to have been involved in Pulitzer Prize-winning projects in both Philadelphia and Denver. Joe has been a Nebraska football fan since the mid-1960s during his childhood in Omaha. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in journalism and economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1976. He resides a few freeway exits north of Colorado Springs and enjoys bicycling and walking his dogs in his spare time. You can reach him at joeroyhud@outlook.com.