With the NFL lockout ending yesterday, football fans everywhere celebrated and flocked to Message Boards, Blogs, Facebook and Twitter to express their feelings on the situation. Information and misinformation was flying fast and furious. You had to have your head on a swivel, and you had to be very careful about determining what was truly news, as opposed to just hype or conjecture.
NFL teams were granted permission to start football operations, and despite the fact that they can’t sign anyone until Friday, teams are allowed to make hand shake deals with this year’s crop of Undrafted Free Agents. Rumors swirled all night on the world wide web, and it appears as though at least three college players agreed in principle to Redskin contracts. Keep in mind that none of the transactions can be completed until the end of the week, so players can change their minds.
Shaun Draughn – RB – North Carolina – @2ShaunDraughn0
Draugn confirmed via Twitter that he was going to sign with the Redskins. His profile was updated to include, “newest member of the redskins” and at 12:30am, he tweeted, “The newest member of the Redskins!!! Thank God for his many Blessings! And thank you ALL for the support and prayers.” The 6’0″ 205 pound Tar Heel tailback rushed for 637 yards and six touchdowns on 129 carries as a senior, and had 13 receptions for 62 yards. he was named the Music Bowl MVP in 2010, after putting up 160 yards and a touchdown.
Ben Chappell – QB – Indiana
News of Chappel’s potential Redskins future came via former teammate Matt Mayberry’s Twitter account, “Congrats 2 my man B chappell gets his chance 2 shine as a Redskin!!! #welldeserved.” Chappell is interesting as a potential project – he does not possess great physical skills and attributes typical of an NFL quarterback, but he does have great intangibles. He makes up for a lack of mobility and average arm strength, by being accurate and by seeing the field well. A Hoosier team captain and a born leader, Chappell put up 3295 yards and 24 touchdowns in his Senior campaign.
Rumored, but not confirmed:
Will Hill – Safety – Florida
Hill was actually the first name to be floated to Redskin fans, but it appears as though it may have been premature and the Redskins claim that they have not yet reached an agreement with him. Reaction from Redskins fans was mixed as Hill has a bit of a controversial college past. He came out as a junior, but had an awful Pro Day running a very pedestrian 40-yard dash of 4.66 and 4.72. He may be known more for a Twitter account that was laced with profanity and self-serving, ego boosting drivel, than he was for his play as a Gator. With an existing Redskins safety group that consists of LaRon Landry, O.J. Atogwe, Chris Horton and possibly Reed Doughty, it’s tough to see how Hill would have been anything but camp fodder anyway.
Today will likely see another flurry of activity on Twitter, marked by wild conjecture, unfounded rumors, and excited over-reactions. Why would you want to miss it?
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