The Raiders have filled the wide receiver spot in camp vacated by Louis Murphy. They filled it with undrafted free agent Dre Muhammad out of Indiana University according to various sources. The 5'10", 180 pound wide receiver ran a 4.5 40 yard dash at his pro day. But it wasn't good enough to get any notice from NFL teams. That is until he received the call he'd been waiting for last Thursday.
While all other teams have started their camps already, it looked at is Muhammad would not find himself in an NFL training camp. But he never stopped working for the possibility that call could come.
Dre Muhammad never stopped believing that he'd play professional football and never stopped training for the occasion. On Saturday, his perseverance paid off. He tried out for the Raiders on Saturday and they promptly signed him to the training camp roster.
"I just kept training," Muhammad said. "Kept working and it paid off."
Muhammad has always had to work for what he has gotten. He transferred from Purdue and walked on to the Indiana football team in 2008. There, he didn't receive an actual scholarship until prior to last season. He started six games as a senior, catching 26 passes for 238 yards.
Ironically, the only team who contacted Muhammad after his Pro Day in March was Reggie McKenzie's former team, the Green Bay Packers. But they never signed him and with the Raiders coming up to training camp with three spots open on the roster, Muhammad got one of those spots.
"I'm just going to do what I've been doing even when I was in college," Muhammad said. "Working hard. Out-working everybody. Showing my willingness to learn when I get the opportunity. Special teams will be huge for me. I'm going to be taking advantage of every opportunity. Being in the film room more than I've ever been. This is a job and the playbook is bigger than the dictionary."
That playbook will be a tough nut for a guy coming into the fold so late. It will make for an uphill battle for him but he should be used to that by now.
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