Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Priorities in order

For UNLV linebacker Adam Seward, nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina.

The Mountain West Conference's all-time tackles leader, projected by some scouting services to be a potential second round pick after an impressive performance at the NFL combine in February, admitted to having a restless night's sleep on Saturday after getting bypassed in the first three rounds of the NFL draft.

And those nerves got even more frayed on Sunday morning when he went unclaimed in the fourth round. But a relieved Seward was finally picked in the fifth round by the Carolina Panthers, the 149th overall player picked in the draft.

"It could have been worse," said Seward, a Bonanza High School graduate. "It could have been a disaster and I could have slipped out of the entire draft."

That's just what happened to his longtime Rebels teammate, All-America strong safety Jamaal Brimmer, whose poor showing at both the NFL Combine and Senior Bowl left Brimmer, a Durango High School graduate, evaluating his free agent signing options on Sunday night.

However, there was good news for Seward's linebacking mate, Ryan Claridge.

Despite missing the last game of the season as well as the combine because of shoulder surgery, the Mountain West Conference sacks champion also was selected in the fifth round by the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots with the 170th pick of the draft.

"It was awesome news," Claridge said from a family get-together in Port Huron, Mich., where a snow-storm canceled his tee time Sunday. "I had a really strong feeling New England was going to pick me. They along with San Diego and Green Bay showed the most interest in me before the draft."

Seward and Claridge find themselves facing different depth chart challenges with their new teams.

Carolina, which played in the Super Bowl just two years ago, has a deep and veteran linebacking corps led by Pro Bowler Dan Morgan, who plays the same middle linebacker position that Seward plays. And the Panthers' No. 1 pick, safety Thomas Davis of Georgia, is expected to move to outside linebacker. And another Pro Bowler, Mark Fields, could re-sign with the team in May if the cancer survivor comes through his physical with a clean bill of health.

Still, Seward, who used to visit an aunt and uncle in Wrightsville Beach, N.C., when he was a youngster, said he was happy with the result.

"When they called to tell me they were picking me, they told me how they thought I was a steal and how they really wanted me," said Seward, who is expected to earn a signing bonus in the range of $250,000, said. "It's great to go to a team that really wants you. It's a great state where they really love their football. I'm just going to go in there and try and help out on special teams and do what I can to help them win."

Claridge will go to a New England team that very well could be without star inside linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who suffered a minor stroke and had heart surgery recently, for the upcoming season. The Patriots' other starter inside, Ted Johnson, turns 33 this year.

"He's a versatile player who makes a lot of plays," New England head coach Bill Belichick said of Claridge. "No matter where he is he finds the ball. He's an instinctive player."

Claridge, who like Seward will attend team mini-camps that begin on Thursday, said he would "do whatever New England tells me to do (to make the team). If they want me to flip pancakes, I'll flip pancakes. It doesn't matter. ... The bottom line is to show up and play football."

Seward and Claridge become only the second and third linebackers in school history to be selected in the NFL Draft joining Tom Polley, an eighth-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1985. It also marked only the second time since 1988 that the Rebels had multiple players selected in the same draft.

Brimmer, who didn't return several phone messages left on his cellphone Sunday night, had some good company when it came to getting bypassed in the draft.

Oklahoma quarterback Jason White, the 2003 Heisman Trophy winner and a Heisman finalist in 2004 as well, and Hawaii quarterback Timmy Chang, who broke Ty Detmer's NCAA career mark for passing yards (17,072), also went undrafted.

Oklahoma defensive tackle and former Cheyenne High star Lynn McGruder, rated by some scouting services as a potential third-round pick, also went unclaimed.

Wide receiver Earvin Johnson, UNLV's career leader in receiving yards, said Sunday he expects to sign a free agent contract with Tennessee today while Mountain West rushing champion Dominique Dorsey and offensive guard Joe Critchfield are also hopeful of landing free agent contracts in the next day or two.

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