Temple University Athletics
Six Owls sign as rookie free agents.
Six Owls Added to NFL Rosters
5.12.14 | Football
Cody Booth | Levi Brown | Chris Coyer | Kamal Johnson | Paul Layton | Abdul Smith
When the dust settled following the 2014 National Football League Draft, six Temple Owls found their way onto NFL rosters. While these players didn't have a special moment to have their name called by the commissioner on television, they now have the same opportunity as those who did…get to minicamp and training camp and show the coaches that they belong in the NFL.
OL Cody Booth and DB Abdul Smith are now with the Chicago Bears; DL Levi Brown with the Baltimore Ravens; TE Chris Coyer with the Washington Redskins; DL Kamal Johnson with the Miami Dolphins; and P Paul Layton with the Green Bay Packers. All six, by the way, have already earned their undergraduate degree.
"It doesn't matter how you got there," said Temple head coach Matt Rhule. "What matters is that you take advantage of the opportunity once you are there. I've heard from a number of NFL head coaches who say that, 'When you get a player from Temple you know he's going be tough; he's going to be disciplined; he's going to take well to coaching.'
"We are very proud of the players we get to coach here at Temple. I am excited that Cody, Abdul, Levi, Chris, Kamal and Paul all get to fulfill their dreams of playing at the next level."
While Temple has had its share of drafted players recently such as DT Muhammad Wilkerson (NY Jets), LB Tahir Whitehead (Detroit) and RB Bernard Pierce (Baltimore), Oakland WR Rod Streater should serve as inspiration for the six now heading into the pro ranks. Like them, Streater was a rookie free agent in 2010 who took advantage of his opportunity to become a starting wide receiver for the Raiders.
Owl fans looking to keep up with the six players on their road to NFL stardom can follow them on twitter via the Temple Football social media page – TUDiamonds.com/twitter_directory.
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When the dust settled following the 2014 National Football League Draft, six Temple Owls found their way onto NFL rosters. While these players didn't have a special moment to have their name called by the commissioner on television, they now have the same opportunity as those who did…get to minicamp and training camp and show the coaches that they belong in the NFL.
OL Cody Booth and DB Abdul Smith are now with the Chicago Bears; DL Levi Brown with the Baltimore Ravens; TE Chris Coyer with the Washington Redskins; DL Kamal Johnson with the Miami Dolphins; and P Paul Layton with the Green Bay Packers. All six, by the way, have already earned their undergraduate degree.
"It doesn't matter how you got there," said Temple head coach Matt Rhule. "What matters is that you take advantage of the opportunity once you are there. I've heard from a number of NFL head coaches who say that, 'When you get a player from Temple you know he's going be tough; he's going to be disciplined; he's going to take well to coaching.'
"We are very proud of the players we get to coach here at Temple. I am excited that Cody, Abdul, Levi, Chris, Kamal and Paul all get to fulfill their dreams of playing at the next level."
While Temple has had its share of drafted players recently such as DT Muhammad Wilkerson (NY Jets), LB Tahir Whitehead (Detroit) and RB Bernard Pierce (Baltimore), Oakland WR Rod Streater should serve as inspiration for the six now heading into the pro ranks. Like them, Streater was a rookie free agent in 2010 who took advantage of his opportunity to become a starting wide receiver for the Raiders.
Owl fans looking to keep up with the six players on their road to NFL stardom can follow them on twitter via the Temple Football social media page – TUDiamonds.com/twitter_directory.
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