Montana Players That Will Get Their Shot at Making an NFL Team

I'm not the biggest fan of watching the NFL Draft. It feels like an eternity of time between teams announcing their picks and the thing is spread out over THREE days! But even if you're just a casual NFL fan, you probably saw at least some of the results and headlines that came out of the draft. Along with the countless other stories of football players having their dreams fulfilled, a few of the names called in the seven rounds of this year's draft were connected to the Griz and Bobcats.

It was figured that Troy Andersen from MSU would be taken somewhere in the draft, the big question was how early or how late it would happen. He didn't have to wait long as the Atlanta Falcons called his name early in the second round with the 58th pick. Andersen became the first MSU player to ever be taken in the second round and the second-highest overall pick in the school's history.

Two other picks from the weekend's draft had Montana connections.

In the seventh and final round, another MSU Bobcat was selected when defensive end/linebacker Daniel Hardy was the 235th pick by the Super Bowl Champion Los Angeles Rams. It's the first time MSU has had two players drafted in the first seven rounds.

Later, near the end of the seventh round, former Griz wide receiver Samori Toure had his name called by the Green Bay Packers with the 258th pick. Toure spent his final season at Nebraska after transferring from Montana and was the fifth-to-last player taken out of the 262 total picks. But it's pretty cool to think that Toure could soon be catching passes from one of the best to ever play the game in Packers quarterback Aaron Rodger.

Players from Montana teams that weren't drafted but could still make an NFL team

After the draft, multiple players from the state were invited to training camps with various teams or signed as undrafted free agents. You can see the list below but one that deserves a mention is former Griz offensive lineman Dylan Cook. The former graduate of Butte High signed an undrafted deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and if he makes the team he could possibly find himself blocking for Tom Brady. How awesome is that?

Dylan Cook - Montana - (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Lewis Kidd - Montana State - (New Orleans Saints)
Lance McCutcheon - Montana State - (Los Angeles Rams)
Hunter Spartz - Montana Tech - (New England)
Tre Webb - Montana State - (Atlanta Falcons)

Good luck to everyone from a Montana college that now has a chance to play in the pros!