Drew Olson, QB, Baltimore Ravens: The former UCLA signal caller, Olson has gone very far from home in his quest to make it into the NFL. The Piedmont native is the starting quarterback for the Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe.
After spending a season on the Baltimore Ravens practice squad, the team asked Olson to head across the pond to sharpen his skills. The Bruin has made his time abroad count, putting up big numbers for his team. In six games, Olson completed 59 percent of his passes for 1,114 yards and nine touchdowns.
“Hopefully I’ll look back on this and say it was a stepping stone,” Olson told The Associated Press. “There are many ways to get into the NFL, and hopefully this is just one of them.”
He will be competing with Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith for the third-string spot on the Ravens roster.
Tyler Ebell, RB, Edmonton Eskimos: After having his life tied up in the court system for the past seven months, the former UCLA running back is back playing football ““ this time in Canada.
Ebell, whose charges of felony assault, stemming from an altercation at a Westwood Denny’s were dismissed, was a standout for the Bruins before transferring to University of Texas at El Paso.
He rushed for 994 yards as a freshman and earned freshman second-team All-America honors from College Sporting News. As a senior at Ventura High School in 2000, he broke the national rushing record in a single season with 4,494 yards and also set the California state touchdown record for a season with 64.
The 5-foot-9-inch, 200-pound back is considered a borderline NFL prospect because of his small size and will compete for a starting spot on the Eskimo roster with three other prospects.
Justin Medlock, K, Kansas City Chiefs: Medlock got some good news from his new team a little over a week ago. After drafting him with a fifth-round pick, the Chiefs chose to trade former starting kicker Lawrence Tynes.
Tynes had quite a stint in Kansas City, and sits in fourth place on the organization’s all-time list with 68 field goals.
With Tynes on his way to the New York Giants in exchange for future considerations, the starting job at place kicker will be Medlock’s to lose.
Medlock, like Tynes, has been a specialist in long field goals. At UCLA he was a perfect 2 for 2 from longer than 50 yards, and 8 of 9 when kicking from between 40 and 50 yards.
The former Bruin was the first kicker taken overall in this year’s NFL Draft just before Arizona’s Nick Folk who went to Dallas in the sixth round.
Matt Willis, WR, Baltimore Ravens: Willis joined the Ravens as an undrafted free agent after the team expressed an interest in his athleticism and speed. After running on the Bruin track team for two years, Willis joined the football team as a wideout in February 2005.
Known primarily for the speed that allows him to stretch the field and make big plays, Willis finished his career at UCLA after playing in 21 games with 24 receptions, 248 yards and two touchdowns.
Willis joins eight other potential Raven wide receivers, including veteran Derrick Mason and fellow rookies Damien Linson (Central Michigan) and Yamon Figurs (Kansas State).
Several undrafted free agent athletes that the Ravens signed last year, such as Ronnie Prude and Cory Ross, went on to become immediate contributors.
Justin Hickman, DE, Washington Redskins: Hickman, an undrafted free agent, was the only defensive lineman coming out of college signed by the Skins this off-season. In his senior year as a Bruin, he tied for first in the Pac-10 with 12.5 sacks and played a huge role in the Bruins’ defensive turnaround from 2005.
Hickman will look to fill a major need for Washington, whose D-line is a weak spot. The Skins only recorded 19 sacks in 2006 and ranked second-to-last in the NFL in yards given up per game.
Hickman will not be new to the Washington system, however. He played under UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker last season, who served as the Skins’ cornerback coach in 2004 and 2005.
According to the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora, Hickman suffered a minor knee hyper-extension on May 7.