Ignored in draft, but not forgotten
Pitt’s Ffrench, 2 teammates must follow undrafted path to NFL after feeling sting of being passed over
Maurice Ffrench sat in his Oakland apartment hurt and confused.
Ffrench’s family drove 360 miles from New Brunswick, N.J., to be with him two Saturdays ago, to be in his company when day three of the 2020
NFL draft started April 25. The wide receiver thought he was going to be selected. Pitt’s single-season receptions record-holder heard fourth- and fifthround grades throughout the predraft process, but he waited and waited and nothing happened.
A total of 19 wide receivers went off the board between Rounds 4-7, and Ffrench wasn’t one of them. He went undrafted — but he didn’t go unnoticed.
Ffrench, along with Pitt teammates Kylan Johnson and Nakia Griffin-Stewart, signed as an undrafted free agent in the hours after the draft. Ffrench landed with the Kansas City Chiefs, Johnson with the Miami Dolphins, and Griffin-Stewart ended up with the Minnesota Vikings. That trio will join Pitt cornerback Dane Jackson, who was drafted in the seventh round by the Buffalo Bills, among the NFL ranks.
It wasn’t their ideal way of reaching the next level. Every player grows up yearning to hear their name called. But Ffrench, Johnson and Griffin-Stewart will take it.
“Whatever the outcome was going to be, I wanted to enjoy it,” Griffin-Stewart told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette when asked about draft weekend. “I didn’t want to not appreciate where I eventually went as much as I should have. … I just took it as it came.”
“Personally, I just prepare for the worst, just so you won’t be as hurt. But Saturday, that kind of took a toll on me,” Ffrench added. “I didn’t go to the combine. I didn’t have a pro day. I didn’t go to an SEC school. So a lot of stuff factors into decision-making. But, at the end of the day, you’ve got to realize it’s a business. I can’t be upset for too long.”
Ffrench should be consoled by the fact that he might be catching passes from the reigning Super Bowl MVP and Madden cover star in 2020. Playing with preeminent passer Patrick Mahomes would be a nice perk for Ffrench, who caught 96 passes last year at Pitt, breaking Larry Fitzgerald’s single-season mark.
Making the roster is always a tall order for undrafted free agents, and Ffrench’s case won’t be an exception. He enters an offense already featuring Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and Mecole Hardman and joins a team that signed five other undrafted wideouts.
Kansas City expressed interest in Ffrench throughout the pre-draft process. The night before the last day of the draft, Ffrench rewatched Super Bowl LIV, knowing Kansas City could be his future destination. He saw Mahomes lead a comeback and watched as the Chiefs lifted the Lombardi Trophy. That opportunity to do the same — to be one of those playmakers at Mahomes’ disposal — intrigued him enough to spurn offers from nine other teams.
“They get their playmakers the ball. They let them get out there and run, and they throw short passes to help them create missed tackles and some [yards after the catch],” Ffrench said. “Right after the seventh round, me and my agent looked at the depth charts and what types of offenses I could be in. Would I be able to make an impact? Would I be able to get on special teams? Would I be able to fit in? And for me, that was the Chiefs.”
Ffrench, who ranked ninth in Football Bowl Subdivision in yards per kick return in 2018 and was a track star in high school, has the speed necessary to compete for attention at the next level. His 576 yards after the catch also ranked third in the ACC last season. Ffrench, however, didn’t make nearly the same special-teams impact in 2019 as he did in 2018, and had only five catches of 20 yards or more and dropped six passes.
After being passed over in a wide receiver class hyped up to be potentially historic, Ffrench knows he has something to prove. “I’m really excited. I love competition. It brings out the best in everybody. I can’t wait to showcase my talent and do what I have to do at a high level.”
Griffin-Stewart also knows he has a thing or two to prove. A graduate transfer tight end from Rutgers, Griffin-Stewart largely struggled with Pitt, with 19 catches for 185 yards and one touchdown.
“I could’ve done better myself. I could’ve been more consistent,” Griffin-Stewart said. “Everything that was a mistake needs to be improved on, and that’s why I love the game of football. It gives you the opportunity to wake up every day with something new to work on. No one’s ever going to be a finished product or a perfect player.”
Minnesota ran the NFL’s second-most plays out of 12 personnel — two tight ends, two wide receivers, one running back — last year. And while that could change with offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski becoming the
Cleveland Browns head coach, it might not. At the very least, Griffin-Stewart will have a “wide-eyed and big-eared” chance to learn from nine-year veteran Kyle Rudolph.
Johnson is adopting the same approach with the Dolphins, even though he and other rookies can’t pick veterans’ brains in person yet. With NFL facilities closed due to COVID-19, teams across the league are getting creative with how they start the teaching process. For example, Ffrench received a tablet device in the mail from the Chiefs with the playbook uploaded, and Johnson frequently is engaged in twohour Zoom sessions.
Johnson — who transferred from Florida for the 2019 season and recorded 6.5 sacks as Pitt’s “Money” outside linebacker — is currently based in Tampa, Fla., where he trained before the draft. Unlike Ffrench or Griffin-Stewart, Johnson did not participate in any postseason all-star games, and his pro day, of course, was canceled.
Johnson thought he was good enough to be drafted regardless. If he had two or three more years of starting experience and production, that likelihood would have increased significantly.
Johnson doesn’t regret his decision to come to Pitt, though. He made long-lasting friendships with Ffrench, Jackson and wide receiver Aaron Mathews, “good dudes who deserve everything that came their way or is coming their way.” And, like Ffrench and Griffin-Stewart, he still landed a spot in the NFL.
“As long as I got a shot, it’s more about what I do with the opportunity,” Johnson said. “It isn’t where you start. It’s where you finish.”