8 undrafted West Virginia football players earn NFL opportunities

Nov 23, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Garrett Greene (6) celebrates with fans after defeating the UCF Knights at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images
Nov 23, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Garrett Greene (6) celebrates with fans after defeating the UCF Knights at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

The 2025 NFL Draft has came and went, and with it, one West Virginia football offensive lineman (Wyatt Milum) and one Maryland wide receiver who started his collegiate career with the Mountaineers (Kaden Prather) found themselves selected in the Draft before all was said and done.

But what about those players who suited up for WVU football who did not get drafted? After all, there were 17 Mountaineers eligible to be drafted -- will any of those other athletes earn themselves an NFL opportunity?

The short answer is yes, a number of them will. While it is notoriously much harder to earn yourself a spot on an NFL roster as a rookie without landing with an organization in the NFL Draft, it's far from impossible and not an uncommon story. Each season, a large number of players who go undrafted earn opportunities to make the final 53-man roster, getting signed as undrafted free agents or securing an invitation to a rookie mini-camp.

A perfect example of this in recent history for WVU is Beanie Bishop Jr. -- his consensus All-American effort as a senior didn't garner enough attention to be selected in the 2024 Draft, but he was signed as a free agent by the Steelers.

He fought throughout the offseason to secure a roster spot, and ended up making the final roster and becoming an impact player in the Pittsburgh secondary. Both Bishop Jr. and Doug Nester are currently with the Steelers after signing undrafted free agent contracts last off-season, joining their former WVU teammate Zach Frazier, who earned his spot in the draft.

Eight WVU football players have earned such opportunities so far in the days following the 2025 NFL Draft, and will have the oportunity to become the next great Mountaineer alum in the professional ranks. Let's take a look at those West Virginia football athletes below.

WVU UNDRAFTED FREE AGENT SIGNINGS

Fatorma Mulbah - New York Jets

Garnett Hollis Jr. - Tennessee Titans

Kole Taylor - Cincinnati Bengals

T.J. Jackson - Seattle Seahawks

Garrett Greene - Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Austin Brinkman - Houston Texans

WVU ROOKIE MINI-CAMP INVITES

Nick Malone - Miami Dolphins

Ty French - San Francisco 49ers


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