One NFL-related drought continues for the Lincoln Blue Tigers, but they're hoping another one could come to an end soon.
The school was hoping to end its streak of not having a player selected in the NFL draft since 1974 this season, but that wasn't to be when defensive lineman Davon Walls didn't hear his name called in the event that ran Thursday though Saturday.
But Walls did get some good news Sunday when he signed a free-agent contract with the New York Jets.
That could help Lincoln end another dry spell of not having a Blue Tiger play at the game's highest level since 1987.
Walls told syracuse.com he was pleased to get a chance to continue his playing career.
"Nobody has seen that they missed out on me, but it's alright," he said. "But they'll understand when I get on the field with their team. It's cool right now. I'm still blessed. Happy to be alive."
Walls, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., followed a winding road to the NFL, playing at five colleges in five years.
He started out at Fresno City (Calif.) Community College, playing both basketball and football, then went to Hinds Community College in Raymond, Miss., but didn't play a game. Walls then moved to Coahoma Community College in Clarksdale, Miss., before gaining attention from bigger schools, eventually landing at Syracuse.
He played in just three games for the Orange in 2012 was dismissed from the team following a 2013 criminal incident.
Walls later admitted in court breaking into a fellow student's apartment and stealing an Xbox, video games, a TV and other items. He eventually completed probation, which resulted in the charges dropping to misdemeanor trespassing.
That's when he landed at Lincoln, where he had an impressive 2014 campaign in his lone season with the Blue Tigers. The 6-foot-6, 295-pounder racked up 43 tackles, with 17.5 of them for loss, including 10 sacks. He also forced a fumble, blocked a kick and had one pass breakup.
Walls started the season with a bang, putting up big numbers against Langston in the Missouri Classic at Arrowhead Stadium. In that contest, Walls racked up nine tackles, including 4.5 for loss, and had a pair of sacks.
His numbers didn't match that the rest of the season, but that was due in large part to playing with an injured hand sustained in the second game of the season.
Walls told syracuse.com he's not worried about the work to be done to stick with the Jets or any other NFL team.
"Some of the guys picked in front of me? Man, please," he said. "If I was still at Syracuse doing what I did at Lincoln, I probably would have been first round. It is what it is."
The last Lincoln player to be selected in the NFL draft was John McDaniel, picked by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1974, and he played in the league until 1980.
The last Blue Tiger to play in an NFL game was John Scardina, who played three games with the Minnesota Vikings in 1987 as undrafted free agent.