ACC/NC Pro Football Updates (April/May 2026):

NFL Teams Secure ACC/NC Prospects With
Free-Agent Contracts, Minicamp Invitations

By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
(last updated April 28, 2026)

In the aftermath of the 2026 National Football League draft, hundreds of college football players signed contracts with NFL teams as undrafted free agents, and many others accepted invitations to one or more rookie minicamps.

Many of those players competed in the Atlantic Coast Conference and/or for a North Carolina-based college football program during the 2025 season.

Those players are listed below, along with a few professional prospects who previously played with an ACC or NC-based college program but finished their careers at a different university.

Whereas a player who signs a contract as an undrafted free agent becomes contractually tied to that NFL franchise, those without contracts can accept invitations to multiple rookie minicamps. Some NFL teams will conduct their 2026 rookie minicamp in the May 1-4 range, while most will conduct it in the May 8-11 timeframe, which enables some players to attend two different rookie minicamps.

Players who impress at a rookie minicamp sometimes are signed to contracts as undrafted free agents and invited to attend a team’s mandatory, team-wide minicamp. Those are three-day events, all held within the first three weeks of June, with June 9-11 being the most common dates this year.

ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE
(Previous/Subsequent Schools Listed In Parentheses)

Boston College

QB/WR Tommy Castellanos, Miami Dolphins (Florida State)
OL Kevin Cline, Miami Dolphins
LS Ben Mann, New York Giants (ex-Yale)

Cal

CB Brent Austin, Denver Broncos (ex-JMU/USF)
DT TJ Bollers, Jacksonville Jaguars (ex-Wisconsin)
TE JT Byrne*, Atlanta Falcons/Philadelphia Eagles (Georgia Tech)
WR Jacob De Jesus, Kansas City Chiefs (ex-UNLV)
DT Aidan Keanaaina, Detroit Lions (ex-Notre Dame)
RB Jadyn Ott, Kansas City Chiefs (Oklahoma)
WR J Michael Sturdivant, Green Bay Packers (Florida)

Clemson

DB Fred Davis II, Washington Commanders (Northwestern)
DE Cade Denhoff, Buffalo Bills
TE Sage Ennis, Miami Dolphins (Virginia)
LS Philip Florenzo, Atlanta Falcons
OL Tristan Leigh, Minnesota Vikings
CB Jeadyn Lucas, Tennessee Titans
OL Walker Parks*, Baltimore Ravens/Miami Dolphins

Duke

WR Andrel Anthony, Atlanta Falcons (ex-Oklahoma)
DE Vincent Anthony Jr., Kansas City Chiefs
RB Anderson Castle, Indianapolis Colts (ex-App State)
OL Bruno Fina, Buffalo Bills (ex-UCLA)
LB Jaiden Francois*, Philadelphia Eagles (ex-Utah State/UCF)
DT Josiah Green, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (ex-Dartmouth)
WR Sahmir Hagans, Indianapolis Colts
DT Aaron Hall, Carolina Panthers (pictured above)
OL Justin Pickett, Las Vegas Raiders
S Caleb Weaver*, New York Jets (ex-Sam Houston State)

Florida State

QB/WR Tommy Castellanos, Miami Dolphins (ex-Boston College)
EDGE Marvin Jones Jr., Seattle Seahawks (Oklahoma)
OL Jacob Rizy, New England Patriots (ex-Harvard)
WR Deuce Spann*, Kansas City Chiefs (Pitt)
WR Squirrel White, Chicago Bears (ex-Tennessee)
RB Roydell Williams*, Tennessee Titans (ex-Alabama)
CB Jerry Wilson, Los Angeles Chargers (ex-Syracuse/Houston)

Georgia Tech

TE Josh Beetham*, Buffalo Bills (ex-Michigan)
TE JT Byrne*, Atlanta Falcons/Philadelphia Eagles (ex-Cal)
DB Jy Gilmore, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (ex-Georgia State)
CB Ahmari Harvey, Denver Broncos (ex-Auburn)
RB Jamal Haynes, Cincinnati Bengals
QB Haynes King, Carolina Panthers (ex-Texas A&M)
WR Dean Patterson*, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (ex-FIU)
DB Clayton Powell-Lee*, Atlanta Falcons
WR Eric Rivers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (ex-Memphis/FIU)
OL Corey Robinson II, Cincinnati Bengals (ex-Kansas)
WR Malik Rutherford, Atlanta Falcons
CB Rodney Shelley, Los Angeles Chargers

Louisville

DE Wesley Bailey, Los Angeles Rams (ex-Rutgers)
OL Austin Collins*, Philadelphia Eagles (Syracuse)
DT Rene Konga, Miami Dolphins (ex-Rutgers)
WR Caullin Lacy, New York Jets (ex-South Alabama)
QB Miller Moss, Chicago Bears (ex-Southern Cal)
S Devin Neal, Jacksonville Jaguars (Virginia)
OL Pete Nygra, Kansas City Chiefs (ex-Northern Illinois)
LB TJ Quinn, Green Bay Packers
EDGE Mason Reiger, Miami Dolphins (Wisconsin)
OL Trevonte Sylvester, Baltimore Ravens (ex-Houston)

Miami

LB Wesley Bissainthe, Kansas City Chiefs
DT David Blay Jr., New England Patriots (ex-West Chester/Louisiana Tech)
OC James Brockermeyer, Atlanta Falcons (ex-Alabama/TCU)
PK Carter Davis*, Kansas City Chiefs
WR Keelan Marion, Atlanta Falcons (ex-UConn/BYU)

Stanford

CB Collin Wright, Houston Texans

Syracuse

S Duce Chestnut, San Francisco 49ers (ex-LSU)
OL Austin Collins*, Philadelphia Eagles (ex-Louisville)
DB Devin Grant, Los Angeles Chargers (ex-Buffalo)
DT Kevin Jobity Jr., Pittsburgh Steelers
RB Will Nixon*, Buffalo Bills/Tennessee Titans (ex-Washington)
WR Trebor Pena, Jacksonville Jaguars (Penn State)
DE David Reese, Los Angeles Chargers (ex-Cal)
P Jack Stonehouse, Houston Texans (ex-Missouri)
TE Dan Villari, Los Angeles Rams (ex-Michigan)
OL Da’Metrius Weatherspoon, Buffalo Bills (ex-Howard)
DT Dion Wilson Jr., Baltimore Ravens (ex-Arizona/New Mexico State)

Virginia

DT Jahmeer Carter, Los Angeles Chargers
TE Sage Ennis, Miami Dolphins (ex-Clemson)
LB James Jackson, Tennessee Titans
EDGE Mitchell Melton, Indianapolis Colts (ex-Ohio State)
QB Chandler Morris, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (ex-OU/TCU/North Texas)
S Devin Neal, Jacksonville Jaguars (ex-Baylor/Louisville)
LS Bryce Robinson*, Indianapolis Colts (ex-Valdosta State/Kennesaw State)
CB Jordan Robinson*, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (ex-Kentucky/Cincinnati)
WR Cam Ross, Denver Broncos (ex-JMU)
RB J’Mari Taylor, Jacksonville Jaguars (ex-NC Central)
LB West Weeks, Indianapolis Colts (LSU)

Virginia Tech

LB Ben Bell*, Indianapolis Colts (ex-Texas State)
QB Kyron Drones, Green Bay Packers (ex-Baylor)
DT Kelvin Gilliam Jr., Dallas Cowboys (ex-Oklahoma)
DT Kody Heisman, Buffalo Bills (ex-North Dakota State)
LB Jaden Keller*, Las Vegas Raiders ()
LB Keli Lawson, Minnesota Vikings (UCF)
OL Tomas Rimac, Minnesota Vikings (ex-West Virginia)
RB Terion Stewart, Kansas City Chiefs (ex-Bowling Green)
S Jalen Stroman, San Francisco 49ers (Notre Dame)
P Nick Veltsistas*, Washington Commanders
TE Dae’Quan Wright, Philadelphia Eagles (Ole Miss)

Wake Forest

S Nick Andersen, Los Angeles Rams
TE Eni Falayi, Green Bay Packers (ex-UMass/Utah Tech)
WR Wesley Grimes, San Francisco 49ers (NC State)
DT Jayden Loving, Chicago Bears (ex-Bethune-Cookman/Western Kentucky)
S Lardarius Webb Jr., Baltimore Ravens (ex-Oklahoma State/South Alabama)

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

Appalachian State

QB Joey Aguilar, Jacksonville Jaguars (Tennessee)

Campbell (FCS)

WR Sincere Brown, Los Angeles Chargers (Colorado)

Charlotte

WR Sean Brown, Denver Broncos (ex-UNC Pembroke)
S Ja’Qurious Conley, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (ex-North Carolina)
S Elijah Culp, Arizona Cardinals (James Madison)
DB Randy Franklin*, Denver Broncos (Navy)
LB Shay Taylor*, Kansas City Chiefs (Ohio)
LB Reid Williford, Baltimore Ravens

East Carolina

LB Samuel Dankah*, Denver Broncos
PK Laith Marjan, Pittsburgh Steelers (Kansas)
LS Triston O’Brien*, New Orleans Saints (ex-Indiana State)
QB/WR Mike Wright Jr.*, Seattle Seahawks (ex-Northwestern)

Elon (FCS)

TE Cody Hardy, New Orleans Saints (NC State)
P Jeff Yurk*, Denver Broncos

Gardner-Webb (FCS)

DT Travis Burke, Los Angeles Chargers (Memphis)

North Carolina A&T (FCS)

OL Korian Sharpe*, Cleveland Browns

NC Central (FCS)

RB J’Mari Taylor, Jacksonville Jaguars (Virginia)

UNC Pembroke (D2)

WR Sean Brown, Denver Broncos (Charlotte)

Western Carolina

RB Desmond Reid, Buffalo Bills (Pitt)

*—invitation to rookie minicamp(s) only; others are free-agent signees
NOTE: We are following more than 100 former ACC/NC players, and these lists can change frequently. If you see an error or omission, please let us know with an email: DavidGlennShow@gmail.com. Thank you!