Nine SaberCats available for expansion draft
Published on September 13, 2005 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Detroit Drive News Release
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Sept. 13, 2005) - Nine San Jose SaberCats, including five players from the club's active roster, are among the 95 available players the Utah Blaze will choose from when the AFL conducts the 2006 Expansion Draft for its newest team on Monday September 26.
Lineman SAM HERNANDEZ, a 13-year veteran and the league's career leader in quarterback sacks, is the most notable SaberCat on the list. WR/DB RYAN FERNANDEZ, DS ERIN DAMOND and OL/DL CHUCK REED all played for San Jose last season, while WR/LB YARDON BRANTLEY was on the roster but did not see game action. ADAM HERZING, KEALA KEANAAINA, DARRIN KENNEY and JORDAN YOUNGER were the others left unprotected.
Utah may choose a player from any current team who is designated as being "unprotected." Each team protected 16 players whose rights they control. All other players whose rights they control are deemed "unprotected" and, hence, eligible to be selected by the Blaze. Once a player is selected from an existing team, that team will be allowed to pull back one player.
"We have been looking forward to this day," said Blaze head coach and general manager DANNY WHITE. "The talent in the AFL has improved dramatically from my first years in the league where now teams are deep enough that they can't protect everyone. On top of that, the free-agent market is loaded with players that have solid arena experience."
Other notable players exposed to the draft include former Rookie of the Year Adrian McPherson of the Nashville Kats and former Lineman of the Year Carlos Fowler of the Los Angeles Avengers.
The draft, which is conducted via telephone conference, begins at 10 a.m. (PT) on September 26 and consists of a maximum of 20 rounds. A maximum of five minutes per selection is allowed in each round. If the time limit expires, the pick is forfeited. Trades between the expansion team and other clubs may be made at any time prior to and during the draft.
San Jose SaberCats eligible for Expansion Draft
POS NAME HT WT COLLEGE WR/LB Yardon Brantley 6.00 195 Duquesne
WR/DB Erin Damond 6.00 190 Southern
WR/DB Ryan Fernandez 5.11 180 Stanford
OL/DL Sam Hernandez 6.03 250 Sonoma State
WR/LB Adam Herzing 6.03 205 Cal Poly- San Luis Obispo
FB/LB Keala Keanaaina 6.03 264 California
OL/DL Darrin Kenney 6.04 277 Lycoming
OL/DL Chuck Reed 6.02 305 UNLV
WR/DB Jordan Younger 5.10 190 Connecticut
For a complete team-by-team list of draft eligible players visit www.arenafootball.com or www.aflmedia.com.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from September 13, 2005
- Nine SaberCats available for expansion draft - San Jose SaberCats
- Nine SaberCats available for expansion draft - Detroit Drive
- Nine SaberCats available for expansion draft - Detroit Drive
- AFL teams pride themselves on defensive specialists - San Jose SaberCats
- Kats leave eight unprotected for expansion draft - Nashville Kats
- Soul fill out coaching staff with ex AFL vets - Philadelphia Soul
- Utah Blaze to select from 95 talented players in 2006 expansion draft - Utah Blaze
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