Temple University Athletics
More Temple Owls Join Ranks of NFL
4.29.16 | Football
PHILADELPHIA - After a weekend in which the Temple Owls had three players drafted into the NFL (DL Matt Ioannidis, LB Tyler Matakevich, and DB Tavon Young), the roster of former Owls in the NFL continues to grow. By the end of the weekend WR Robby Anderson (New York Jets), OL Kyle Friend (New York Jets) and WR Brandon Shippen (Miami Dolphins) had signed free agent contracts. Additionally, published reports have indicated that the following players have upcoming minicamp tryouts with their respective clubs: OL Shahbaz Ahmed (Atlanta Falcons), DL Hershey Walton (Seattle Seahawks), and DB Alex Wells (NY Jets).
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Anderson is among the best receivers to ever play at Temple. In 2015, he had 70 receptions for 939 yards – each the second best marks in school history (Zamir Cobb's 74 catches in 2003 and Gerald Lucear's 964 yards in 1979 top the TU lists). He also had a team-high six touchdown catches. Anderson rejoined the Owls in 2015 after missing the 2014 season. In 2013, his first as a receiver for the Owls, Anderson burst on the scene joining the team three weeks into the season. In the season's final five games he recorded 34 catches for 657 yards and nine touchdowns.
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"Robby is one of the most competitive players I know," said head coach Matt Rhule. "He's a real good kid who has learned a lot by going through some adversity. He has always been coachable and has a tremendous amount of athletic talent. If he continues to grind, he could have a very successful NFL career."
Friend was the first three-time captain in school history and one of the most respected players ever to wear the Cherry and White. A starter since his freshman year, he was a staple at the center position despite having three position coaches and two head coaches in his four seasons. Friend was recognized for his on field play – first-team All-Amercian Athletic Conference, Rimington and Rotary Lombardi Award Watch Lists – as well as his academic achievements – perennial All-Academic, Athletic Director's Honor Roll. An iron-man who had a streak of 41 straight starts broken with a knee injury, he returned to play in The American Conference Championship game and Boca Raton Bowl.
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"Kyle is one of the toughest and most intelligent student-athletes I've ever been around," said Rhule. "He is a natural born leader who will never be outworked and will certainly make the most of his opportunity."
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Shippen is a tough wide receiver who made the successful conversion from defensive back as a junior. His speed and versatility make him an ideal special teams player at the NFL level. The Norristown, Pa., native continued to improve as a receiver leading all pass catchers with four catches for 70m yards in the Boca Raton Bowl. He finished the season with 20 receptions for 288 yards and one touchdown and added nine special teams tackles.
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"Brandon has some tremendous attributes that translate well into the NFL," said Rhule. "He's fast, he's tough. He has ball skills on both sides of the line of scrimmage and he's always willing to do whatever it takes to win."
NFL teams are permitted to invite players to their rookie camps for limited tryouts before offering them a contract. Thus far, Ahmed, Walton and Wells, have been offered that opportunity. Last season RB Kenneth Harper had had a similar workout with the New York Giants and earned a contract entitling him to participate in training camp before being one of the team's final roster cuts.
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Ahmed, Walton and Wells could join the following list of former Owls currently active in the NFL:
Baltimore Ravens – Young
Chicago Bears – Martin Wallace
Denver Broncos – Brandon McManus
Detroit Lions – Tahir Whitehead
Jacksonville – Bernard Pierce
Kansas City – Rod Streater
Miami Dolphins – Shippen
New England - Terrance Knighton
New York Jets – Anderson, Friend, Jaiquan Jarrett, Muhammad Wilkerson
Pittsburgh Steelers – Matakevich
Washington Redskins – Cody Booth, Ioannidis, Kamal Johnson
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Draft Notes:
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Anderson is among the best receivers to ever play at Temple. In 2015, he had 70 receptions for 939 yards – each the second best marks in school history (Zamir Cobb's 74 catches in 2003 and Gerald Lucear's 964 yards in 1979 top the TU lists). He also had a team-high six touchdown catches. Anderson rejoined the Owls in 2015 after missing the 2014 season. In 2013, his first as a receiver for the Owls, Anderson burst on the scene joining the team three weeks into the season. In the season's final five games he recorded 34 catches for 657 yards and nine touchdowns.
Â
"Robby is one of the most competitive players I know," said head coach Matt Rhule. "He's a real good kid who has learned a lot by going through some adversity. He has always been coachable and has a tremendous amount of athletic talent. If he continues to grind, he could have a very successful NFL career."
Friend was the first three-time captain in school history and one of the most respected players ever to wear the Cherry and White. A starter since his freshman year, he was a staple at the center position despite having three position coaches and two head coaches in his four seasons. Friend was recognized for his on field play – first-team All-Amercian Athletic Conference, Rimington and Rotary Lombardi Award Watch Lists – as well as his academic achievements – perennial All-Academic, Athletic Director's Honor Roll. An iron-man who had a streak of 41 straight starts broken with a knee injury, he returned to play in The American Conference Championship game and Boca Raton Bowl.
Â
"Kyle is one of the toughest and most intelligent student-athletes I've ever been around," said Rhule. "He is a natural born leader who will never be outworked and will certainly make the most of his opportunity."
Â
Shippen is a tough wide receiver who made the successful conversion from defensive back as a junior. His speed and versatility make him an ideal special teams player at the NFL level. The Norristown, Pa., native continued to improve as a receiver leading all pass catchers with four catches for 70m yards in the Boca Raton Bowl. He finished the season with 20 receptions for 288 yards and one touchdown and added nine special teams tackles.
Â
"Brandon has some tremendous attributes that translate well into the NFL," said Rhule. "He's fast, he's tough. He has ball skills on both sides of the line of scrimmage and he's always willing to do whatever it takes to win."
NFL teams are permitted to invite players to their rookie camps for limited tryouts before offering them a contract. Thus far, Ahmed, Walton and Wells, have been offered that opportunity. Last season RB Kenneth Harper had had a similar workout with the New York Giants and earned a contract entitling him to participate in training camp before being one of the team's final roster cuts.
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Ahmed, Walton and Wells could join the following list of former Owls currently active in the NFL:
Baltimore Ravens – Young
Chicago Bears – Martin Wallace
Denver Broncos – Brandon McManus
Detroit Lions – Tahir Whitehead
Jacksonville – Bernard Pierce
Kansas City – Rod Streater
Miami Dolphins – Shippen
New England - Terrance Knighton
New York Jets – Anderson, Friend, Jaiquan Jarrett, Muhammad Wilkerson
Pittsburgh Steelers – Matakevich
Washington Redskins – Cody Booth, Ioannidis, Kamal Johnson
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| Name | Pos | Team | Bio | Headshot | Action Shot |
| Shahbaz Ahmed | OL | Atlanta | bio | headshot | action shot |
| Robby Anderson | WR | NY Jets | bio | headshot | action shot |
| Kyle Friend | OL | NY Jets | bio | headshot | action shot |
| Brandon Shippen | WR | Miami | bio | headshot | action shot |
| Hershey Walton | DL | Seattle | bio | headshot | action shot |
| Alex Wells | DB | NY Jets | bio | headshot | action shot |
Draft Notes:
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- Temple had a school-best three players drafted in the same year for the sixth time. That also happened in 1946, 1975, 1980, 1987, and 2012. However, this marked the first time all three players made their mark on the same side of the ball.
- Young, Ioannidis, and Matakevich were the first Owls drafted since Bernard Pierce, Evan Rodriguez and Tahir Whitehead in 2012.
- There are now 16 Owls among 11 different NFL rosters. The highest concentration is with the New York Jets (4 players) who also employ a former Owl, Todd Bowles, as head coach.
- The American Athletic Conference placed ten players in the 2016 NFL Draft le by Division Champion's Temple and Houston with three each. Cincinnati (2), Memphis (1), and Navy (1) complete the list.
- Paxton Lynch (Memphis/Denver Broncos), Christian Hackenberg (Penn State/NY Jets) and Keenan Reynolds (Navy/Baltimore Ravens) were among those quarterbacks drafted over the weekend. With the addition of Teddy Bridgewater (Louisville/Minnesota Vikings) and Blake Bortles (UCF/Jacksonville Jaguars) who were drafted in 2014 that marks six games in the past three seasons that Temple hosted an NFL caliber QB at Lincoln Financial Field.
- This past season the Owls faced Lynch and Hackenberg and won both contests.
Players Mentioned
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