|
| In his fourth year in the league, Concordia-Moorhead alumnus Brandon Zylstra has caught as many as eight passes in a season. He caught three passes for the Panthers on Sunday, including his first NFL touchdown. Photo by Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports |
Pass-catchers and blockers — that characterizes the vast majority of Division III football players in the NFL these days.
The most veteran of all Division III football players in the league is one of the most unsung. Derek Carrier, who played for Beloit, is in his 10th season in the NFL and his fourth with the Raiders. Meanwhile, Hobart offensive lineman Ali Marpet is a stalwart up front for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he is in his seventh season.
Former UW-Whitewater receiver Jake Kumerow is back with the Buffalo Bills for a second consecutive season and is in his fourth year in the league. And Dan Arnold, a former UW-Platteville tight end, is in his fourth season as well and his first with the Carolina Panthers. He caught 31 passes and four touchdowns for the Arizona Cardinals in 2020.
But it was Arnold's teammate who got a chance to shine on Sunday. Brandon Zylstra, a former wide receiver for Concordia-Moorhead, caught a pass on a slant route from Sam Darnold and took it into the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown catch.
On the run. On the mark. Sam Darnold delivers! #KeepPounding
— NFL (@NFL) September 19, 2021
��: #NOvsCAR on FOX
��: NFL app pic.twitter.com/xi6FC8MZdy
Zylstra played two seasons in the CFL, catching 100 passes in 2017 for Edmonton.
Although he is currently injured, Raiders linebacker Nicholas Morrow remains to carry on the tradition of D-III linebackers in the league, a standard which was set by John Carroll's London Fletcher to the tune of four Pro Bowls in 16 years, and followed by Mary Hardin-Baylor's Jerrell Freeman for six more. Morrow is in his fifth season with the Raiders after a career year in 2020, when he started 11 games and had 78 tackles, three sacks. Morrow has been sidelined with a foot injury since late in training camp.
Ben Bartch of St. John's is entering his second season with the Jacksonville Jaguars and saw quite a bit of playing time in their Week 2 game against the Denver Broncos. On the opposite side was UW-Whitewater alumnus Quinn Meinerz, who was a third-round draft pick of the Broncos this past season. Meinerz is currently listed as the No. 2 at center and right guard.