1. Ex-Tech QB gets shot with 49ers

Former quarterback will work out as receiver, returner.

Former Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas will go to the 49ers’ minicamp this week on a tryout basis. The team will test him as a wide receiver and return specialist.

Former Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas will get his shot at the NFL.

One of the more dynamic players in Yellow Jackets history will go to the San Francisco 49ers’ rookie minicamp this week on a tryout basis. The deal was struck following the conclusion of the NFL draft Saturday. The 49ers will test him as a wide receiver and return specialist, according to his representation, ESQ Agency.

Coincidentally, Thomas’ favorite target is on the 49ers’ roster, former Tech wide receiver DeAndre Smelter. After he was drafted in 2015, Smelter missed the entire season recovering from a torn ACL suffered late in the 2014 season. He then was on the 49ers’ practice squad before he was signed to the active roster late in the 2016 season. Smelter gave Thomas some tutorials on wide receiver at Tech when he returned to Atlanta in the offseason.

A tryout is different than an undrafted free-agent deal. An undrafted free agent is signed to a contract and has a spot on the roster. A player on a tryout is auditioning, in this case at the 49ers’ rookie minicamp, for a contract and roster spot.

Thomas will have the odds against him, as he’ll be playing a new position. Thomas has played quarterback his whole career, going back to youth football. However, because of his size (5-foot9, 195 pounds), he worked out at wide receiver, cornerback and returner at Tech’s pro day in March.

Tech fans are familiar with his quickness, speed and playmaking ability.

“He’s just got tremendous playmaking skills,” coach Paul Johnson said last week. “He’s a gifted athlete. I think he has a lot of position flexibility and he’d just be an asset to any team.”

Davis chooses Jags over Falcons: After the draft, former Tech linebacker P.J. Davis had an opportunity Saturday to go to the Falcons’ rookie minicamp. But he went with what appears a better opportunity with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Falcons did not offer Davis a contract as an undrafted free agent. Rather, they wanted him to come to their rookie minicamp on a tryout basis, Davis said.

Also, the Falcons wanted him to work out as a fullback, a position that the team’s contingent, including coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff, had him try at Tech’s Pro Day.

The Jaguars were among teams offering him a contract as an undrafted free agent as a linebacker.

Davis said he appreciated the Falcons’ offer, “but a freeagent deal is better than an invite to minicamp.” Further, he said, he wants to play linebacker, where he led the Jackets in tackles for two of the past three years.

Gamble, Jets agree to deal: Former Tech defensive tackle Patrick Gamble agreed to an undrafted freeagent deal with the New York Jets. Gamble’s representation, OTG Sports Management, made the announcement on its Twitter account.

The Jets play a 3-4 defense, and will play Gamble at defensive end. Gamble’s agent, Chris Martin, said Gamble fielded other offers after the draft ended, but “I feel like the Jets, with his skillset and talent, the 5-technique (defensive end position) is a great opportunity.”

Martin said Gamble is “feeling great” after surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip. “If he had to play tomorrow, he’d be out there,” Martin said.

Gamble started 27 games for the Jackets, playing both defensive end and tackle. He led Tech in sacks last season with 7.5 and tackles for loss with 10.5. He was a captain and was credited with providing leadership that helped trigger Tech’s four-game winning streak to end the season. He played the season with a torn hip labrum, waiting until the end of the season to have surgery.

Kallon to join Steelers: Former Tech defensive tackle Francis Kallon agreed to an undrafted free-agent deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team announced Saturday night.

Kallon got into the Jackets’ starting lineup as a senior, starting six games and making 15 tackles. He undoubtedly impressed the Steelers with his agility for his size (6-foot-5 and 294 pounds), running the 40-yard dash in 4.9 seconds at Tech’s Pro Day. The fact that he has only been playing football since the spring of his junior year in high school at Central Gwinnett High, having moved from England, most likely also was intriguing.

The team brought him and Gamble for a visit before the draft, a significant demonstration of interest, as teams are permitted to bring only 30 prospects to their team headquarters.

Injury keeps Burden waiting: Former Tech center Freddie Burden will have to wait to get a chance to make an NFL roster.

Burden’s agent, Ryan Rubin, told the AJC by text message that about eight teams expressed interest in Burden, but they want to evaluate him in drills after he recovers from the broken ankle that he suffered in Tech’s bowl-game win over Kentucky on New Year’s Eve.

Because of the injury, Burden was unable to participate in any pre-draft all-star games or Tech’s pro day. An NFL team would be able to sign Burden at any point in the future as an undrafted free agent.

Burden told the AJC last week that he has been doing squats and running on an anti-gravity treadmill as he continues in his rehabilitation. He said his recovery is on track and that he hopes to be running in May.

Burden was a three-year starter for Tech at center and earned All-ACC honors last season.