NFL: 49ers sign 12 free agents, including Stanford’s Debniak
Former Stanford linebacker Alex Debniak and 2012 British Olympian Lawrence Okoye were among 12 undrafted free agents signed by the 49ers on Tuesday.
Debniak will attempt to make a position switch after collecting 56 tackles and five sacks in his college career. The 49ers listed Debniak as a fullback. Their starting fullback, Bruce Miller, was a defensive end at Central Florida who moved to offense after the 49ers selected him in the seventh round of the 2011 draft.
Meanwhile, Okoye, a defensive lineman, is switching sports. The British record holder in the discus who finished 12th at the 2012 Olympics, Okoye is a former junior rugby star who has never played football.
Another intriguing rookie is Minnesota’s MarQueis Gray, who played quarterback and wide receiver in college. The 49ers list Gray, who is 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, as a running back. At Minnesota, Gray threw for 2,053 yards, rushed for 1,731 yards and had 766 receiving yards.
The rest of the freeagent signings include Tennessee State center Sherman Carter, Boise State running back D.J. Harper, Utah State wide receiver Chuck Jacobs, Azusa Pacific offensive tackle Luke Marquardt, UCLA long snapper Kevin McDermott, Texas State cornerback Darryl Morris, Michigan guard Patrick Omameh, Wyoming nose tackle Mike Purcell and Tulsa cornerback Lowell Rose.
The 49ers also signed punter Anthony Santella to a one-year contract. Santella was in Carolina’s training camp as an undrafted free agent in 2011.
The free agents will join the team’s 11 draft picks for a three-day rookie minicamp, which begins Friday in Santa Clara. Briefly: The Jaguars signed free-agent cornerback Marcus Trufant. ... John Kasay, who ranks among the NFL all-time leaders in field goals and scoring, is retiring with Carolina after signing a one-day contract. Kasay’s 20th and final season was with New Orleans in 2011. … The Chiefs hired longtime Bears personnel man Chris Ballard to be their director of player personnel. … The Cowboys signed quarterback Aaron Corp, twice released by Buffalo after joining the Bills as an undrafted free agent last year.