OVC Players in the Draft

Here is an article from the Journal Gazette Times Courier, a paper covering Eastern Illinois, about OVC Players getting a shot in the NFL:

CHARLESTON -- Without a crowd, a scoreboard or television, the pressure might still be on Austin Signor this week.

Eastern Illinois’ All-Ohio Valley Conference kicker is leaving Thursday to attend a Kansas City Chiefs minicamp.

“I’m feeling ready,” Signor said. “I’m trying to stay level headed about things. I’m trying to keep my leg in shape. It’s the first time I’ve had to be in game shape during the off-season.”

Signor settled for the invitation received earlier from the Chiefs after no free-agent offers came immediately after last week’s NFL draft which had no kickers chosen.


“I was more so expecting a free agency signing,” Signor said. “I was in Carolina. It came down to me and the Ohio State kid and they took the other kid.”

Now Signor is looking to show the Chiefs he could either compete with Ryan Succop as a field-goal kicker or that he is worth a roster spot by his kickoff talents.

The 2009 Mr. Irrelevant as the last player chosen in the NFL draft, Succop then showed his relevancy by tying a league record for rookies by making 82.6 percent of his field goals.

Whether Signor has to take a roster spot from Succop remains to be seen.

“I can tell you his strength,” the EIU product said. “He made 24 out of 28 field goals. His kickoff it’s not his main strength but he is a good kicker.”

While Signor made 14 of 22 field goals including a 48-yard last season for Eastern’s Ohio Valley Conference championship team, his forte might be on kickoffs where his 27 touchbacks led the nation.

“They do have a kicker already who had a good year,” Signor said. “Hopefully something works out. I actually did already have the mini-camp offer before the draft. Coach Steve Hoffman is the special teams coach. He let me know he liked me a lot. Since they had a kicker who did so well he couldn’t offer me a free-agent contract yet.”

Signor is hoping to make it two years in a row that a free agent from EIU makes the Chiefs’ roster.

Former NCAA Football Championship Subdivision All-American defensive end Pierre Walters made the Chiefs as an outside linebacker last year and remains with the team.

Walters was back in Charleston watching last Saturday’s EIU spring intrasquad game from the sidelines as the Chief and potential Chief had conversations.

“I actually did know then I had the invitation to the minicamp,” Signor said. “We didn’t really talk about their kicker. It only takes one opportunity to get it going.”

Eastern did have offensive lineman Otis Hudson chosen in the fifth round of the NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengalis while another offensive lineman Chris Campbell received a free-agent chance with the Green Bay Packers.

Hudson and Murray State defensive end Austen Lane were the only two Ohio Valley Conference players drafted.

Highly regarded Ryan Perrilloux, the former Louisiana State quarterback who transferred to Jacksonville State, had to settle for a free agent chance with the Minnesota Vikings where his future might partially hinge on a Brett Favre decision.

Jacksonville State also had linebacker Torrey Davis sign as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.