Multiple Kansas State football players sign with NFL teams after going undrafted
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Three Kansas State alums found NFL opportunities after going undrafted in 2026.
- Uso Seumalo signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted defensive tackle.
- Jerand Bradley signed a free-agent deal with the Los Angeles Chargers.
A pair of Kansas State football players were selected in the 2026 NFL Draft over the weekend, but they aren’t the only former Wildcats who have moved on to the professional ranks.
Shortly after Sam Hecht and VJ Payne were picked in the late rounds on Saturday, three more K-State alums found homes in the NFL after going undrafted.
Uso Seumalo, a 6-foot-3 and 340-pound defensive tackle who made 53 tackles during his time with the Wildcats, signed with the Seattle Seahawks as a free agent.
He will look to bolster Seattle’s defensive front with his size the same way he did in the Big 12.
Jerand Bradley, a 6-foot-5 and 223-pound wide receiver, also inked a free-agent deal with the Los Angeles Chargers. Bradley spent time at Boston College and Texas Tech before landing with K-State as a senior. But he made the most out his time with the Wildcats by catching 13 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns.
That was enough for him to get a look from the Chargers.
Gunner Maldonado has accepted an invitation to rookie mini-camp with both the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Giants, according to his agency.
Maldonado is a 5-foot-11 and 193-pound defensive back who made 34 tackles and grabbed one interception last season. He began his college football career at Arizona before he transferred to K-State.
The Carolina Panthers selected Hecht in the fifth round of the draft. The powerful center was K-State’s first selection of the 2026 draft. The New York Jets picked Payne, a speedy defensive back, in the seventh round.