Latest news with #JulianAshby
CBS News
30-04-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Patriots release long snapper Joe Cardona, the longest-tenured member of the team
The Patriots released long snapper Joe Cardona on Tuesday, as new head coach Mike Vrabel continues to move on from the previous regimes in New England. The 33-year-old Cardona was the longest-tenured member of the team, having spent his entire 10-year NFL career with the Patriots. Cardona was coming off one of his best seasons in 2024, when he tied his career-high with four tackles and also forced a fumble over 16 games. He was also a team captain for the first time of his career. Bill Belichick drafted Cardona in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft out the Navy. During his rookie season, he split time between the Patriots and working at the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, Rhode Island. A lieutenant in the Navy, Cardona was named the USAA 2023 Salute to Service Award winner, which recognizes the exceptional efforts by a member of the NFL to honor and support the military community. Cardona played in 160 of a possible 164 regular-season games for New England, plus another 13 playoff games, and won two Super Bowls during his time with the Patriots. He was the only player remaining on the roster from New England's last Super Bowl championship in 2018. A handful of other players who own Super Bowl rings have also left the team. Jonathan Jones and Deatrich Wise both signed with the Washington Commanders in free agency, while David Andrews (who was also a captain in 2024) was released. New England's longest-tenured player is now Kyle Dugger, who was drafted by the team in 2020. Patriots draft long snapper Julian Ashby It seemed like Cardona's time in New England would be coming during the 2025 NFL Draft, when the Patriots drafted Vanderbilt long snapper Julian Ashby with pick No. 251 in the seventh round. There was reportedly going to be a bidding war for Ashby on the undrafted free-agent market, so the Patriots drafted him to secure his services.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How many Vanderbilt players have signed as NFL undrafted free agents? A full list
With the NFL draft over, Vanderbilt football has several players who could sign undrafted deals with teams. Vanderbilt had its first player drafted since 2021 when long snapper Julian Ashby went in the seventh round to the Patriots. Commodores who could sign undrafted free agent deals include De'Rickey Wright, CJ Taylor, Steven Losoya, Steven Hubbard and Jesse Mirco. Advertisement Undrafted players are free to negotiate and sign with any team of their choosing. Vanderbilt has seen a few undrafted players have success of late. Jaylen Mahoney, Matt Hayball and Anfernee Orji all appeared in the NFL in 2024 after signing as undrafted free agents. Former Commodores Trent Sherfield and Tre Herndon, who signed as undrafted free agents in 2018, both were still playing in the NFL in 2024. Here's who has signed undrafted deals from Vanderbilt: FUTURE NFL PROSPECTS Five players who could become NFL draft picks for Clark Lea, Vanderbilt football in 2026 Vanderbilt football players who have signed as undrafted free agents in NFL Draft 2025 C Steven Losoya Losoya signed with the Carolina Panthers, according to an Instagram post from his agency, One West Sports. He started all 13 games in 2024, split across center and guard, after transferring from Mississippi State. WR Quincy Skinner Skinner is signing with the Atlanta Falcons, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. As a senior in 2024, Skinner had 29 catches for 367 yards and three touchdowns. In his four-year career he had 66 catches for 809 yards and eight touchdowns. Advertisement This story will be updated. Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@ or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt undrafted free agents tracker: UDFAs who signed after 2025 NFL Draft
USA Today
26-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Patriots draft competition for longest-tenured player with No. 251 pick
Patriots draft competition for longest-tenured player with No. 251 pick The New England Patriots went heavy on special teams late in the draft. After selecting kicker Andres Borregales, the Patriots also drafted long-snapper Julian Ashby with pick No. 251 in the 2025 NFL draft. Ashby joining the roster puts him in direct competition with the longest-tenured Patriot, Joe Cardona. The Patriots are leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to improve at every phase of the game, including special teams. Stay tuned to Patriots Wire as more information becomes available on this pick. Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
USA Today
29-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 NFL draft: Tennessee Titans add 6 more prospects to their Local Pro Day
2025 NFL draft: Tennessee Titans add 6 more prospects to their Local Pro Day More #Titans Local Day invites, sources confirmed to me. • Tennessee DT Elijah Simmons • Vanderbilt OL Steven Losoya • Vanderbilt LS Julian Ashby Simmons is a massive NT. Was at the NFL Combine. Rotational run stopper. Ashby is among the top long snappers in the class. Has… — Justin M (@JustinM_NFL) March 28, 2025 The Tennessee Titans have been busy lining up prospects for their local pro day. Hours after reports surfaced that they had invited Vanderbilt center Xavier Castillo, more names surfaced on social media. So far, it has been reported that at least six other draft-eligible prospects will be joining Castillo at the event. Those prospects are Tennessee DT Elijah Simmons, Vanderbilt OL Steven Losoya, Vanderbilt LS Julian Ashby, Vanderbilt LB De'Rickey Wright, Austin Peay DB Dorian Davis and Austin Peay DB Jesse Johnson III. This will be my second reported meeting with Jesse Johnson. The Titans attended the Austin Peay pro day and met with the versatile cornerback prospect who is the nephew of former NFL cornerback Antonio Cromartie and related to Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Johnson is an aggressive cornerback with tremendous length and coverage ability both outside and in the slot. He has the potential to contribute on special teams and in sub-packages early in his career, although he will need some seasoning to add some weight (6-foot-1, 175 pounds) and catch up to the jump in competition. A mid-to-late round prospect, he has shown himself to be a diligent worker and has the potential to eventually become a starting NFL cornerback. DB Dorian Davis, Austin Peay The same can probably be said for his teammate at Austin Peay, Dorian Davis. Like Johnson, he boasts some NFL bloodlines to the table, being the cousin of both former New England Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes and Super Bowl-winning wide receiver Sidney Rice. Davis brings a combination of athleticism, football IQ and aggressiveness to the secondary and has experience at multiple positions on the back end of the defense, logging over 100 snaps at free safety, boundary corner and slot corner in 2024. He is currently projected to be an undrafted free agent in this class. LB De'Rickey Wright, Vanderbilt Wright is an intriguing prospect with the athleticism to succeed in the NFL once he can find a position. At 6-foot-4, 229 pounds, he was a hybrid safety/linebacker for the Commodores who projects more to a linebacker in the NFL. Wright is coming off one of his best seasons and graded out as the top defender for Vanderbilt's improved defense in 2024. He was an East-West Shrine Bowl invite, but was unable to work out or play in the game due to a torn tendon, although he was in attendance to meet with teams to discuss his improved play and the injury. While his injury could impact his eventual landing spot, Wright can sneak into the late rounds of the 2025 NFL draft as a developmental prospect. LS Julian Ashby, Vanderbilt The Titans already have a solid long snapper in Morgan Cox, but looking for potential depth is always a smart move. Ashby is one of the top long snappers in this class. A non-combine invite, he has already had six private workouts with teams during the pre-draft process. Ashby is an academic all-American who will likely be a priority undrafted free agent and head to training camp with a chance to join an NFL franchise. OL Steven Losoya, Vanderbilt A Nashville native, Losoya transferred to Vanderbilt from Mississippi State and helped solidify the offensive line. A versatile lineman with experience at every position across the line, he brings a wealth of experience to the table with 48 career starts in his college career. Coming in at 6-foot-3, 324 pounds, he projects as an interior prospect as he goes through the pre-draft process. His combination of consistency and versatility, coupled with power and short-area agility, gives him a shot to be a valuable depth piece early in his career. NFL teams love positional flexibility and that could help Losoya slide into Day 3 of the NFL draft. DT Elijah Simmons, Tennessee Simmons is a traditional two-down run-stuffing nose tackle who turned heads by showing surprising athleticism during the NFL Scouting Combine. Coming in at 6-foot-1, 334 pounds, he brings a lot of experience to the table, playing 55 games for Tennessee over his career. During that time as a rotational piece for their deep defensive line, he recorded just 59 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three batted passes and 0.5 sacks. Tennessee already has T'Vondre Sweat to anchor the middle of the defense, but a player such as Simmons could be a valuable rotational addition.
