Despite not being drafted, several Seminoles find NFL opportunities
The only Florida State Seminole selected in last week’s NFL Draft, safety Jammie Robinson, was one of the first draftees to sign his rookie contract. According to Spotrac, the contract is worth nearly $4.2 million over four years and includes a $329,526 signing bonus.
While Robinson was the only player drafted out of FSU, other former Seminoles have still found new homes all over the league. Here’s a look at where each is headed, as of Thursday, May 4:
Former Florida State tight end Camren McDonald signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Green Bay Packers shortly after the draft ended.
McDonald came to Florida State in the 2018 recruiting class as a four-star tight end from Long Beach Poly in California.
As for his time at Florida State, he was a staple in the Seminoles’ offense over the last three years. In 2020, ’21 and ’22, he played in every single game and started 30 of 34 contests.
In 2021, McDonald caught 24 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns, and he followed that up in 2022 with 21 catches for 312 yards and one score.
The former Florida State defensive tackle signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Seattle Seahawks shortly after the draft ended.
During his career at Florida State, Cooper started 41 games over five seasons. His best seasons statistically came in 2019 and 2021 as he racked up 40 and 39 tackles, respectively.
In 2022, he received Honorable Mention All-ACC honors and also earned the team’s Bobby Bowden Leadership Award.
Wilson will join former Seminole star Derwin James in Los Angeles as he signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Chargers.
Wilson signed with the Seminoles in 2017 and made his debut on the field in 2018, appearing in 11 games. The speedy receiver played in at least eight games every season until he left after the 2022 campaign.
The new Charger played in 51 games at Florida State and made 36 starts; he totaled 1,521 yards on 108 catches and 12 touchdowns.
The Georgia product had a knack for making big plays, such as the one below:
Wilson was named ACC Receiver of the Week after his performance against LSU.
Rector transferred to Florida State from Western Michigan back in 2019 but did not play until the following season due to transfer rules. He has now accepted a mini-camp invitation with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Rector was originally a scholarship quarterback at Western Michigan and came to Florida State as a walk-on and transitioned to the tight end position. He saw playing time in every game from 2020-2022. Rector also was the FSU Special Teams Scout Team Player of the Year and a team captain in ’22. He had two receptions for 13 yards and one touchdown.
Gibbons, who transferred to Florida State from Notre Dame back in 2021 and started on the offensive line for two years, is expected to accept a mini-camp invite from the Indianapolis Colts.
Gibbons started every game at guard once he got to Tallahassee and earned first-team All-ACC honors this past season. He also won FSU’s Bill McGrotha Award for community service, the Wuerffel Trophy and was named Allstate AFCA Good Works Team captain.
Talk about this story with other die-hard FSU football fans on the Tribal Council.
