Ten former Kansas University football players are on National Football League rosters as preseason camps get under way.
Don Davis, a linebacker with the New England Patriots, is the dean of former Jayhawks in the NFL. This will be the 11th pro season for the 6-foot-1, 235-pounder from Olathe. Next on the longevity list are Moran Norris (sixth year) and Justin Hartwig (fifth year).
Norris, a 6-1, 250-pound fullback, was released by the Houston Texans following the 2005 season but was acquired by the San Francisco 49ers as a free agent. Norris has been used primarily as a blocker throughout his pro career.
Hartwig, a 6-4, 305-pound center, became an unrestricted free agent after spending the last four seasons with the Tennessee Titans, and he signed with Carolina in March.
Hartwig, who played offensive tackle at KU during the Terry Allen era, received a five-year contract worth $17 million from the Panthers. The pact also includes $7 million in bonuses.
Other NFL veterans who once played for the Jayhawks are Adrian Jones, who started all 16 games for the New York Jets last season at offensive tackle (third year), and linebacker David McMillan and wide receiver Brandon Rideau, both rookies with the Cleveland Browns in ’05.
McMillan, a sixth-round draft pick, saw duty in four games for the Browns last season – mostly on special teams – while making the transition from defensive end to linebacker. Rideau, a free agent, didn’t see any game action.
No members of KU’s 2005 Fort Worth Bowl team were selected in the April draft, but three are in NFL camps as free agents.
Linebacker Nick Reid, the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, is with the Chiefs in River Falls, Wis. Wide receiver-cornerback Charles Gordon bypassed his senior year to sign with the Minnesota Vikings, who list the 5-11, 180-pounder as a defensive back. And wide receiver Mark Simmons is hoping to land a job with the San Diego Chargers.
Two other members of the ’05 Jayhawks penned free-agent deals with Cleveland, but defensive ends Charlton Keith and Jermial Ashley no longer are with the Browns. Ashley was cut last week, and Keith failed a physical.
Paul Savage, the Browns’ general manager, told the club’s media that Keith had “a lot of medical issues. He’s beat up. We couldn’t risk it.”
Meanwhile, Leo Bookman, who quit football in 2002 to concentrate on track, is trying to hook on as a wide receiver with the Green Bay Packers.
One more former Jayhawk is still playing for pay. Ron Warner is a defensive end for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.
