In 2017 he went for 51-861-15; then he improved those numbers last year with 66-1,261-14.

We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. “It’s tough to tell what’s going to happen,” Shane, who had been hoping for an NFL tryout before COVID-19 derailed everything in the spring, told The Free Press of south-central Minnesota. When bloodlines aren’t available, Sunderland can turn to grassroots, like he did with a pair of University Montana products from his own home on the range, fellow former Grizzlies Jerry Louie-McGee, a receiver, and linebacker Dante Olson. Join the mailing list to receive daily email updates.

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Read more about cookies here. My biggest negative on him was his slow separation speed and initial get off, but his athleticism is clearly better than what I’ve seen.

“Collectively, across the league and certainly from the league office, there needs to be decisions made on that so we can start doing all those things. And Edmonton was more than happy to take advantage of the family ties. It’s important to note that about 20-25 players are drafted from non-FBS institutions every year. We encountered an issue signing you up. Denzel Mims helped himself as much as anyone in the combine, putting up a 4.38 40 yard dash, 6.66 second cone drill, and 38.5" vertical. NFL Draft Diamonds scout Jimmy Williams has been researching all of the small school prospects lately, and he wanted to post his top 50 available for the 2020 NFL Draft. Such is the life of players who appear on a Canadian Football League club’s exclusive negotiation list, as is the case with the younger brother of one of the top receivers to come through the Edmonton Football Club lately.

His ball skills and body control are top end, helping him make jump ball and sideline catches with regularity. February could turn into a free-agent free-for-all the likes of which haven’t been seen in the CFL, should players under contract for what would have been the 2020 season join those whose contracts expired after last season. After winning the 2019 Buck Buchanan award as the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision, Olson signed as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles before being waived one month ago. “I just have to do my best to stay ready.”. This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. “That’s the type of player that we would call immediately and say, ‘Hey, if you have an interest, you’ve got a home here.’ If you pull up his YouTube highlights, he’s a big guy. He was draft eligible this past season and he went undrafted.”. “They’re guys that I know extremely well just because of that,” said Sunderland, a return specialist with the Grizzlies before becoming a scout in the pros. “Jerry Louie-McGee is a very prolific punt returner and receiver, he ended up as the all-time receptions leader at the University of Montana. “The challenge for us at this time is we’re in a stalled mode from the league of signing players,” said Sunderland, who watched the CFL cancel its season in August, while the COVID-19 pandemic has decimated clubs’ financial forecasts. “It used to be if you had 10 or 15 free agents (off your roster each year), it was like, ‘Wow.’ Now, if you don’t have 25, it’s a rarity.”. It could very well look like the second coming of Brandon Zylstra. NFL Draft 2020 prospect rankings: Our final top 250 separates the four tackles and three elite receivers The 2020 NFL Draft is here, so which players will be taken in the first round? Or, it could end up being nothing at all. “So, we knew about Shane through his brother, so I put him on immediately and he’s been on there for a while.

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4. to play a game and Brandon came up to me on the plane and said, ‘Hey, you might want to start looking at my little brother,’” Sunderland recalled. “But we need to know the parameters we’re working with first.”.

A welcome email is on its way. Minnesota State wide receiver Shane Zylstra (84) runs after catching a pass during the Division II championship NCAA game against West Florida on Dec. 21, 2019, in McKinney, Texas. “We were on a flight to B.C. "Everything we did was a competition," Shane said. He was draft eligible, he’s got a lot of the things that are NFL quality and, for whatever reason, he hasn’t had an NFL opportunity yet. Minnesota State-Mankato wide receiver Shane Zylstra (84) leads the Mavericks with 32 catches for 696 yards and eight touchdowns.

“But in theory, he’s the perfect example of a (neg-list) guy. So, not everyone here will be drafted. He has a big frame, 6050/220, that appears ready for the rigors of the NFL.

He’s six-three at minimum, but maybe more in the six-four range and obviously the bloodlines are good.”. “I think he was a sophomore at the time, and in Brandon’s words: ‘He’s going to be bigger and better than me,’ which we all know how talented Brandon is. © 2020 Edmonton Sun, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. But does that mean some teams could be looking at twice that many — as in, two-thirds of their roster — this time around? But an extremely good returner and he jumped out at me years ago, just watching Montana.”. Heck, in his own words, he thinks it could turn out even better. An undrafted free agent, Thielen signed with his home state Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and was a big source of inspiration for the Zylstra brothers, with Brandon realizing a dream come true in becoming his teammate in 2018. "We … If Shane Zylstra and his older brother Brandon are in the same place at the same time, each better be prepared.

By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Like Thielen, receiver Shane Zylstra was undrafted out of Minnesota State Mankato.
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Shane Zylstra, WR, Minnesota State: Zylstra has dominated Northern Sun opponents for the last two seasons. 1. Of course, there has been nothing typical about 2020. Please try again. “It’s always hectic anyway, but it could be moreso,” Sunderland said. The next issue of Edmonton Sun Headline News will soon be in your inbox. I underestimated his speed, thinking he’d be a plodding runner at his size. “He’s barely five-nine, 180, so I look at the size of the player, the size of the school and he’s probably going to fit up here a little bit better. “We don’t know just yet, I think that’s kind of where there’s the hold right now,” said Sunderland, who, along with the eight other GMs, is barred from signing any new players for the time being.

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“If you look at his stats, he might be the most prolific receiver in (Minnesota State) Mankato history, and that’s where (Adam) Thielen played, so that’s the type of (college) career that he’s had.”. In a typical year, that would be all the ingredients for a potent neg-list signing. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. … Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings. Fairly diminutive, but he’s a verified 4.4-40 guy. Edmonton Football Club eying second coming of Zylstra. Minnesota State wide receiver Shane Zylstra (84) runs after catching a pass during the Division II championship NCAA game against West Florida on Dec. 21, 2019, in McKinney, Texas. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. “He’s highly prolific in Minnesota State,” Edmonton general manager Brock Sunderland said of Shane, an all-American. While Brandon led the CFL for the Green and Gold with 1,687 receiving yards in 2017 on the way to being noticed by his home state Minnesota Vikings and, currently, the Carolina Panthers, his younger brother, Shane Zylstra, could end up picking up where his brother left off here. Shane has been a constant on Edmonton’s neg list since the league began revealing a selection of players off of each of the team’s list since 2018. Immaculate Receiver? So Sunday morning, Shane Zylstra put in a vigorous workout, trying to relieve the stress of encountering a major hurdle in his dream of playing professional football.