University of Richmond Athletics
Three Former Spiders Sign NFL Free Agent Deals
04/30/2017 | Football
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. – Dating back over 70 years, the University of Richmond football program has tradition of former Spiders reaching the NFL.
That tradition continued on Saturday with three former student-athletes that helped lead the Spiders to a third straight FCS playoff appearance signing free agent deals with NFL organizations.
David Jones (Patriots), Brian Brown (Cowboys) and Winston Craig (Eagles) all landed opportunities at the next level.
Jones, a St. Petersburg, Fla. native was a 2015 All-American, but had his senior season with the Spiders cut short with a forearm injury that limited him to six games this past fall.
He set a new single-season program record in 2015 with nine interceptions on the year, including a single-game record of four in a home win against Albany. Jones finished his career with 195 tackles in 41 games played.
Brown, a RVA native, is the greatest receiver to ever put on a Spider uniform. He is just the third CAA receiver ever to have three 1,000-plus yard seasons and finished as the program's all-time leader in every statistical category.
He finished with 4,203 yards (12th all-time in FCS history), 23 touchdowns and 247 receptions. He was a three-time All-CAA honoree and two-time All-American.
Craig had a huge senior year and anchored the Spider defensive line for three years. He finished his career making 43 consecutive starts. He finished as a two-time All-CAA honoree and a 2016 All-American.
This past fall, Craig racked up 59 tackles, 11 for a loss, including 7.5 sacks, which ranked second in the league.
