Virginia Football: Two Cavaliers Sign With NFL Teams as Undrafted Free Agents
The 2022 NFL Draft is officially in the books. One former Virginia football player heard his name called in the draft, as UVA tight end Jelani Woods was taken with the 73rd overall pick in the 3rd round by the Indianapolis Colts on Friday night.
As soon as the draft ended, any eligible player not selected in the draft could be signed by a franchise as an undrafted free agent. Such was the case for two Virginia football alums: safety Joey Blount and wide receiver Ra'Shaun Henry. Blount was signed by the Seattle Seahawks and Henry signed with the Carolina Panthers.
In his five seasons as a Cavalier, Joey Blount recorded 306 total tackles, three forced fumbles, 21 passes defended, and nine interceptions, including three interceptions last season. Blount was an All-ACC Third Team selection in 2019, registering 95 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and three interceptions that season to lead Virginia to its first-ever ACC Coastal Championship and appearances in the ACC Championship Game and the Orange Bowl.
Blount's signing with the Seahawks likely had a lot to do with his performance at the UVA Football Pro Day last month. He recorded 20 reps on the bench press, which would have been the fourth-most reps among the safeties at the NFL Combine. His 38.00" on the vertical jump would have been tied for third at the combine with Notre Dame's Kyle Hamilton, who ended up being a first-round pick in the draft. Blount recorded a 10'7" mark in the broad jump, fifth-best among safeties at the combine and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds, tied for the sixth-fastest time among safeties at the NFL Combine. The fastest safety at the combine ran a 4.34. Blount's 6.76-second 3 Cone Drill would have been fourth-fastest among safeties at the combine and his 4.16-second mark in the 20-yard Shuttle would have been second-fastest.
Ra'Shaun Henry also had a stellar performance at the UVA Football Pro Day. Henry's 38.5" vertical jump would have ranked sixth among wide receivers at the NFL Combine. His 4.42 40-yard dash would have been just outside the top ten for wide receivers at the combine.
Henry transferred to Virginia after four seasons at Saint Francis in Pennsylvania. His first season in Charlottesville in 2020 was relatively quiet with only seven receptions, but Henry developed a habit for big plays, scoring touchdowns on four of those seven catches. Last season, Henry had a breakout year, albeit somewhat overshadowed by the plethora of fantastic receivers on the UVA roster. Henry was one of five Cavalier receivers with at least 500 receiving yards. He finished with 34 receptions for 603 yards and three touchdowns and averaged 17.7 yards per catch.
Additionally, Virginia running back Devin Darrington has reportedly accepted a camp invite from the Kansas City Chiefs. Like many of UVA's backs, Darrington did not have many opportunities to shine in Virginia's pass-heavy offense, but he had several plays that displayed bursts of quickness and speed that could be very serviceable at the next level. The Harvard grad transfer recorded 237 yards on 32 carries and two touchdowns last season. Darrington finished his career with 1,414 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.
Good luck to Joey Blount, Ra'Shaun Henry, and Devin Darrington as they hope to fulfill their dreams of playing in the NFL.
For more on Jelani Woods' being selected by the Colts, click here: Jelani Woods Selected in 3rd Round of NFL Draft by Indianapolis Colts
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