NFL Draft: Legree, Getherall and Jones sign pro contracts
By MIKE CONNOLLY
Sports Writer
Last Saturday and Sunday, 31 NFL teams scoured college rosters looking for the players that would best fit their team. But as soon as the draft ended, the hundreds of undrafted players began searching for the team that best fit their skills and tried to sign as free agents. Three Notre Dame seniors found teams who needs matched their abilities.
Joey Getherall, Lance Legree and Jim Jones all signed free agent contracts shortly after the draft ended. Getherall signed with Pittsburgh, Legree signed with the New York Giants and Jones was picked up by the defending Superbowl Champion Baltimore Ravens.
Sometimes signing as a free agent can give a player a better chance of making a roster as compared to players drafted in the seventh and final round, according to a sports agent.
"You actually may be in a better potential situation as a undrafted free agent," said Joe Flanagan who helped Lance Legree and Jim Jones sign. "I would rather have a player be undrafted and hand pick a team if one of the teams you have to chose from is a good team than be pulled into a team that you have no practical chance of making the roster."
Flanagan said he evaluates every NFL team prior to the draft and makes a list of the best fits for each of his clients. As the draft progresses he reevaluates each team and changes the rankings. During the seventh round, he calls the teams that might be interested in his clients and remind them that his players are still available to be drafted or signed as free agents.
"Ideally you want to place your players on a team that did nothing but address their need at a position in the sixth or seventh round or did nothing," Flanagan said.
Getherall, who is not a Flanagan client, believes he found a good fit in Pittsburgh. The Steelers did not draft a receiver until the seventh round this year. The Steelers are also in the hunt for a punt returner and Getherall showed considerable skill at returning kicks for the Irish this year.
"I got picked up by a good team and I like my situation," Getherall said. "Hopefully everything goes well and this will be a good place for me."
Flanagan is pleased with Jones' and Legree's placement as well.
"In Lance's case and in Jim's case, it couldn't have worked out better," he said.
Baltimore was ranked very highly on Jones list and expressed interest in the Irish guard before the draft even ended.
"Baltimore needed a guard and they didn't draft one," Flanagan said. "Plus he is reunited with [former Irish offensive coordinator] Jim Colletto. There ended up being a lot of intangibles and practical advantages to Jim going to Baltimore."
Flanagan only rated the Giants the sixth best team for Legree but when New York lost defensive tackle Christian Peters to free agency, the Giants stock rose. Flanagan originally thought the Indianapolis Colts were one of the best fits for Legree, but the Colts signed Peters.
"That negated their need in our mind of an undrafted free agent defensive lineman," Flanagan said. "Frankly you are fighting an uphill battle for a roster spot when they have invested money in a free agent like that so it wasn't a good fit."
But the Colts' gain was the Giants loss and suddenly a spot in New York opened for Legree.
Legree signed a three-year contract with New York while Jones signed a one year deal. The length of Getherall's contract was not released.
Since undrafted free agent contracts — or any other NFL contract — are not guaranteed, the length of the deals are more a reflection of a team's personal preference rather than an indication or talent or potential for making a roster, according to Flanagan.
"They are just technical details regarding the proration of the signing bonus but the signing bonuses for undrafted free agents are so insignificant that it really isn't an issue," he said.
Flanagan and his partner Brad Leshnock run BTI Sports Venture.
They serve as agents for several different Notre Dame alumni including Joey Goodspeed, who is fighting for a roster spot with New Orleans, John Merandi and Tim Ridder, who both play for the Colts and the Bears' Brad Williams. They are also the agents for Irish senior Dan O'Leary who was drafted by the Bills in the sixth round.
Both Flanagan and Leshnock are Notre Dame graduates.
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, April 25, 2001
