The NFL Draft is over. In case you missed where the Mississippi players went, here is a quick analysis of players who were drafted and others who signed as undrafted free agents.
NFL teams drafted five players from Mississippi schools. Mississippi State led the way with three players drafted; Southern Miss and Ole Miss each had one player drafted.
The Philadelphia Eagles took MSU defensive tackle Fletcher Cox in the first round with the 12th overall pick. Cox is a plug-and-play starter who will make an immediate impact on the Eagles' defense.
Lamar Holmes, offensive tackle from USM, will get a chance to add depth to the Atlanta Falcons' offensive line as he battles for a starting spot. In my opinion, Holmes is more of a right tackle than a left tackle.
The Arizona Cardinals drafted Bobby Massie, offensive tackle from Ole Miss, in the fourth round. Look for him to possibly start this season on their offensive line. Massie could be a left or right tackle, in my opinion.
MSU running back Vick Ballard goes to a bad team in the Indianapolis Colts, but he will get a chance to grow with Andrew Luck, the first pick of draft. Ballard should get carries and help out on special teams.
Charles Mitchell, MSU safety, heads to Atlanta where he will mainly play special teams his first year, but you might see him helping the secondary late in the season.
Two quarterbacks were signed as undrafted free agents: former Southern Miss quarterback Austin Davis and Jackson State University's "white tiger," Casey Therriault.
Davis has landed in St. Louis, where he will have the chance to compete against the often-injured Sam Bradford. Davis has a good chance to make this Rams team.
Therriault signed with the Atlanta Falcons. This is a good spot for him to learn from Matt Ryan and to get a chance to show what he can do in the preseason. Therriault might get cut late in training camp depending where on the team's depth chart he is and how many quarterbacks the Falcons are going to carry in the regular season.
Other Mississippi players signed as undrafted free agents include:
• James Carmon, offensive tackle, MSU, Baltimore Ravens
• Ronnie Thornton, linebacker, USM, Chicago Bears
• Quinton Saulsberry, center, MSU, Minnesota Vikings
• Paul Cox, wide receiver, Mississippi Valley State, San Diego Chargers
• Donovan Robinson, defensive end, Jackson State, New York Jets
• Kelvin Bolden, wide receiver, Southern Miss, Washington Redskins
Follow Bryan Flynn at http://www.jfpsports.com, Facebook and @jfpsports.
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