BOONE, N.C. — Seven former Appalachian State University football student-athletes are part of National Football League rosters heading into the first weekend of the NFL regular season.
Five former Mountaineers begin the 2015 campaign on their teams' respective 53-man active rosters. The list includes fourth-year running back
Travaris Cadet (New England Patriots), fourth-year wide receiver
Brian Quick (St. Louis Rams), third-year punter
Sam Martin (Detroit Lions), third-year cornerback
Demetrius McCray (Jacksonville Jaguars) and rookie offensive lineman
Kendall Lamm (Houston Texans).
Lamm beat the odds by making the Texans as an undrafted rookie. He joins a long list of Appalachian State football alumni to become a part of active NFL rosters despite not being drafted. Other notable former Mountaineers on the list include Cadet (who made the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted rookie in 2012), wide receiver/cornerback
DeAndre Presley (who saw regular-season action with the Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers over the past three seasons), defensive end
Jason Hunter (who spent eight seasons in the NFL after making the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted rookie out of App State in 2006) and tight end/current Appalachian IMG Sports Network radio analyst
Daniel Wilcox (who also enjoyed an eight-year NFL career after joining the New York Jets as a rookie free agent in 2001).
In addition to the five former Mountaineers on active NFL rosters, fifth-year offensive lineman
Daniel Kilgore (San Francisco 49ers) begins the campaign on the physically unable to perform/reserve list while still recovering from a season-ending leg injury sustained last year. He becomes eligible to return to the 49ers' active roster following the team's sixth game of the season.
Rounding out the seven former Mountaineers in the NFL, wide receiver
Tony Washington (Jacksonville Jaguars) enters his second year as a member of the Jaguars' 10-player practice squad.
Cadet and the Patriots kick off the 2015 NFL campaign on Thursday night when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers. Quick (vs. Seattle Seahawks), Martin (at San Diego Chargers), McCray (vs. Carolina Panthers) and Lamm (vs. Kansas City Chiefs) open their seasons on Sunday.