MANHATTAN, Kan. – With the 2016 NFL season set to kick off this Thursday, 10 former Kansas State players made active rosters as teams were mandated to trim their rosters to 53 active players on Saturday.
The longest-tenured former Wildcats include cornerback Terence Newman, running back Darren Sproles and wide receiver Jordy Nelson.
Newman is entering his 14th NFL season as the former first-round draft pick is set to start his second campaign as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. Sproles, a Pro Bowler in 2015, is going into his 12th professional season, including his third with the Philadelphia Eagles. Nelson, who missed all of the 2015 campaign with an injury in the preseason, is set for his ninth season with the Green Bay Packers, the team that drafted him in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
Making active rosters for the first time in their respective careers are rookie fullback Glenn Gronkowski (Buffalo), first-year offensive lineman B.J. Finney (Pittsburgh) and rookie offensive lineman Cody Whitehair (Chicago), who was drafted in the second round this year.
Players who are on new teams in 2016 include Emmanuel Lamur, a fifth-year linebacker who spent the first four seasons of his career with Cincinnati before signing with the Vikings in the offseason. Linebacker Arthur Brown was waived by Baltimore on Saturday but quickly claimed by Jacksonville on Sunday.
Wide receiver Tyler Lockett, who earned a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie last season, is back for his second year with Seattle, while offensive lineman Cornelius Lucas begins his third NFL season with Detroit.
Other former Wildcats could be signed as NFL teams begin to announce their practice squads this week.
Kansas State and Bill Snyder Family Stadium host the Wildcat Kickoff music festival featuring Zach Brown Band and Train, on Saturday. The eighth annual K-State Family Reunion is on Saturday, Sept. 17, as the Wildcats host Florida Atlantic. The game, which kicks off at 1:30 p.m., will be aired by FSN.
There are less than 500 total tickets – including less than 325 contiguous seats – available for the FAU game, while ticket availability for the Missouri State on Sept. 24, is down to scattered singles and standing-room only. Tickets can be purchased through the K-State Athletic Ticket office online at www.k-statesports.com/tickets, by phone at 1-800-221-CATS or in person at the main ticket office inside Bramlage Coliseum.
Former Wildcats on NFL Rosters
Name Position Team
Arthur Brown LB Jacksonville
B.J. Finney OL Pittsburgh
Glenn Gronkowski FB Buffalo
Emmanuel Lamur LB Minnesota
Tyler Lockett WR Seattle
Cornelius Lucas OL Detroit
Jordy Nelson WR Green Bay
Terence Newman CB Minnesota
Darren Sproles RB Philadelphia
Cody Whitehair OL Chicago