Bison go undrafted
Dahl, Frick and Steffes all sign with teams as free agents
Former NDSU safety Craig Dahl went undrafted at last weekend’s NFL draft, after many outlets reported that Dahl would be a late-round pick.
Shortly after the draft, though, Dahl and NDSU teammates Kyle Steffes and Justin Frick all signed free agent contracts.
All three will attend the mini-camps this month and try to make the roster.
Dahl signed with the New York Giants.
Steffes, a running back, signed with the New York Jets.
Frick, a defensive lineman, inked a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 6-foot-1, 216-pound Dahl drew some interest after an impressive NFL combine performance.
NDSU didn’t have any of its players drafted this year.
Before the draft, NFL.com wrote, “Dahl had a complete workout at the Combine, running his two 40s in 4.57 and 4.61. He also recorded a 35-inch vertical jump, 10-foot-2 long jump, 4.28 short shuttle, 6.69 three-cone drill and 17 bench presses … He is a competitive, smart player. He was a good tackler at the Division I-AA level, but will he be able to keep up with the fast NFL players he will need to cover? He will be a very good special teams player.”
Dahl was the leader on defense for NDSU’s 2006 team that finished 10-1 and won the Great West Football Conference title.
The Bison defense ranked eighth in the country in scoring defense, allowing 13.4 points per game. It also ranked ninth in total defense at 253.64 ypg.
Last fall, when Dahl played most of the season with a cast on his broken right hand, he was third on the team in tackles with 62.
During the season, he became the school’s all-time leader in solo tackles with 134.
In an interview with Minnesota Public Radio, Dahl said that he received some NFL attention after his junior year, but “it didn’t start to hit home that this was all going to be taking place until later in my senior year.”