Former Wildcat Nick Fitzgerald signs with NFL's Tampa Bay
Nick Fitzgerald at Mississippi State.
Nick Fitzgerald, who went from a star Wildcat at Richmond Hill High School to become the SEC's all-time rushing leader among quarterbacks at Mississippi State, has signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The signing came at the completion of the NFL draft Saturday, and although Fitzgerald was not selected during the draft, it didn't stop the Bucs from inking a free-agent deal with the 6-5, 226-pounder.
Fitzgerald announced the signing on Twitter, saying, "Tampa Bay! Couldn't be more excited to have this opportunity!"
It's unclear what position Fitzgerald will play. According to the Mississippi State University website, he was asked to work out at other positions at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis as well as MSU's Pro Day. Tampa Bay has three quarterbacks on roster: starter Jameis Winston, Blaine Gabbert and six-year veteran Ryan Griffin.
Fitzgerald was given a grade of 4.95 at the Combine, which translates to "should be in an NFL training camp" on NFL.com. He clocked a 40-yard dash of 4.64 seconds, a vertical jump of 29.5 inches and a 115-inch broad jump.
According to the site Fanduel: "There are certainly question marks surrounding Fitzgerald's validity as a NFL-caliber quarterback. Scouts worry about his ability to look downfield as he goes through his progressions and have cited his inconsistent accuracy in college as a concern."
This being said, the site added, "Fitzgerald is an excellent athlete with the prototypical frame for an NFL quarterback."
The following accolades were attributed to Fitzgerald on the Mississippi State web site:
2019 NFL Combine Participant
2018 SEC Offensive Player of the Week (vs. Auburn, vs. Texas A&M)
2018 Davey O'Brien Great 8 QB List (vs. Auburn)
2018 Team Captain
2018 SEC Academic Honor Roll
2017 Maxwell Award Semifinalist
2017 Davey O'Brien Award Semifinalist
2017 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Finalist
2017 Maxwell Award National Player of the Week (vs. LSU)
2017 Davey O'Brien Award QB of the Week (vs. LSU)
2017 Manning Award Star of the Week (vs. LSU)
2017 SEC Offensive Player of the Week (vs. LSU, at Texas A&M)
2016 St. Petersburg Bowl MVP
2016 Third-Team All-SEC (Phil Steele)
2016 SEC Offensive Player of the Week (vs. Texas A&M, at Ole Miss)
2016 Davey O'Brien Great 8 QB List (vs. Texas A&M, at Ole Miss)
2016 Manning Award Star of the Week (vs. Texas A&M, at Ole Miss)