OHIO Football
Muncy dives into the NFL
By Michael Weisman, Senior Sports Writer
May 1, 2007 | 10:52 p.m.
Seniors Matt Muncy and T.J. Wright watched seven rounds of the NFL Draft pass, only to not see their names called. Round by round, players were taken off the draft board, and the disappointment mounted. Then, after the draft came to a close, Muncy got his chance with the Cincinnati Bengals, while Wright is rumored to have also signed with the Bengals.
Matt Muncy
Muncy, the linebacker and team captain from last year’s Mid-American Conference East division champion team received a call from the Cincinnati Bengals as the seventh round ended Sunday. Although he didn’t get drafted, the Bengals signed him as a free agent to a two-year contract on Sunday night.
“I’m happy I’m getting an opportunity,” Muncy said.
Muncy said he didn’t receive much of a signing bonus, but if he makes the team he will earn the rookie minimum of $275,000 in his first year.
Cincinnati wasn’t the only team offering Muncy a job. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Detroit Lions, and Indianapolis Colts also contacted Muncy about a free agent deal, but Muncy decided on the Bengals.
“I was looking for the best shot and I felt like Cincinnati was the best opportunity,” he said.
Muncy, a native of Miamisburg, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton, has been a longtime Bengals fan and said that made signing with them even more special.
Muncy finished his career starting 38 consecutive games for the Bobcats dating back to his freshman year. He was named first team All-MAC his junior and senior seasons and was second on the team with 87 tackles in his final year as a Bobcat. He also had a fumble recovery for a touchdown in his final home game in Athens.
The newly acquired Bengal reports to rookie training camp Thursday and will stay until Sunday. After rookie camp he will not report back to the Bengals until he graduates from Ohio on June 9.
T.J. Wright
Wright, the Bobcats' top cornerback in 2007, is rumored to have also signed with the Bengals.
Wright, a native from Beaumont, Texas, couldn’t confirm that he had been signed by the Bengals without speaking to “other people,” but Muncy said he was pretty confident his teammate at Ohio would remain his teammate in Cincinnati.
Wright started 35 games during his Bobcat career and was first team All-MAC in his senior campaign, while leading the Bobcats to the GMAC Bowl. He was third on the team with 59 tackles and tops the team with four interceptions in his final year with Ohio.
Ohio defensive backs coach Dave Brown said Wright had a great career with the Bobcats and felt he had a good chance of getting an opportunity in the pros.
“I think he’ll make the most of his opportunity,” Brown said. Wright had been working out in Texas prior to the NFL draft.
Fellow Bobcat cornerback Dion Byrum, now with the Carolina Panthers, was in a similar situation to Wright last year. Byrum went undrafted as well, but was signed by the Chicago Bears as a free agent in 2006, was released then was picked up by the Panthers.
Brown saw similarities between the two, saying once they get into a competition, they will be able to compete. He said some teams see Wright as small (5 feet 11 inches), even compared to Byrum, but didn’t see that being a huge problem.
“(Wright) may be small in stature, but he has a big heart,” Brown said. “He’s really competitive and plays big.”