Jake Bobo, Kazmeir Allen Among UCLA Alums to Join NFL as UDFAs

After four Bruins came off the board in the 2023 NFL Draft, five more took different paths to kick off their professional careers.

UCLA football had a handful of alumni sign undrafted free agent contracts on Saturday, with wide receiver Jake Bobo and defensive back Mo Osling III going to the Seattle Seahawks, tight end Michael Ezeike joining the Los Angeles Chargers, wide receiver Kazmeir Allen heading to the Washington Commanders and cornerback Azizi Hearn getting scooped up by the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Seahawks already drafted running back Zach Charbonnet in the second round on Friday night, and now former USC coach Pete Carroll is bringing in two more Bruins in Bobo and Osling.

Bobo reeled in 57 passes for 817 yards and seven touchdowns in his lone season with UCLA this past fall, leading the Bruins in all three categories.

Before coming to Westwood for his super senior year, Bobo played four seasons at Duke. Bobo made the All-ACC Third Team after going for 794 yards and a touchdown on 74 catches with the Blue Devils in 2021, and he finished his career in Durham with 1,441 yards and three touchdowns on 126 receptions.

Bobo used his size to dominate defensive backs at the college level, but it remains to be seen how capable he'll be at doing so in the pros. Some scouts and analysts have suggested that he could make the transition to tight end, which would require the 6-foot-4, 206-pound prospect to put on some weight this offseason.

As for Osling, he played 54 games over six seasons at UCLA. He moved around to several different positions in the secondary through the years, but he settled in as a safety in 2022, starting all 13 games for the Bruins up top.

Osling made the AP's All-Pac-12 Second Team after finishing second on the team with 89 tackles, in addition to his three passes defended.

Ezeike, unlike Bobo, came into college as a wide receiver and eventually made the move to tight end. After spending his first four seasons in Westwood as a rotational depth piece, Ezeike recorded 226 yards and four touchdowns on 20 catches as a starter in 2022.

According to Orange County Register Sports Editor James Williams, Ezeike's deal includes a $13,000 signing bonus.

The Memphis Showboats took Ezeike with the No. 35 overall pick of the USFL Draft back in February, while the New Orleans Breakers took Bobo at No. 60. Both of them will be starting their careers in the NFL instead.

The Commanders added another UCLA pass-catcher when they signed Allen on Saturday.

The 5-foot-9 former track star spent five seasons with the Bruins, but really only became a consistent weapon in 2021. Over the past two seasons, the running back-wide receiver hybrid went for 959 yards and nine touchdowns on 89 touches.

Allen also added 1,054 yards and a touchdown on 39 kick returns in that time.

The NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, meanwhile, reported that Hearn signed a deal with the Raiders that includes $18,000 guaranteed. The former Arizona walk-on and Wyoming transfer, like Bobo, spent one season in Westwood.

Hearn racked up 40 tackles and seven pass deflections over 13 games with the Bruins. The 6-foot-2 corner may have been part of one of the most porous secondaries in the Pac-12, but he brings experience and true NFL size to the table.

Between the four drafted players – which was the 10th-most by any school – and five undrafted free agents, UCLA sent nine players to the NFL for the second year in a row. Charbonnet was the first Bruin to come off the board, while offensive guard Jon Gaines II went to the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round, quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson went to the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round and offensive guard Atonio Mafi went to the New England Patriots in the fifth round.

Safety Stephan Blaylock, offensive tackle Raiqwon O'Neal and longsnapper Jack Landherr IV are among the UCLA products who are still hoping to sign contracts with NFL teams or earn invitations to rookie minicamps.

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