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Pensacola native John Halman picked up by Washington Redskins
Catholic High graduate, 26, takes unlikely path to a shot at the NFL



A Pensacola resident is immersed in one of the most improbable stories of this year's NFL Draft.
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John Halman, a 2001 Catholic High graduate, was picked up by the Washington Redskins as a wide receiver following the completion of the NFL Draft on Sunday night.

After his football career for the Crusaders ended in 2001, Halman was taking classes sparingly at Pensacola Junior College and working as a lifeguard on Pensacola Beach. He eventually joined PJC's flag football team, playing with the squad as recently as 2005.

While trying out for a Canadian League Football team in Mobile, Ala. at age 22 - older than most prototypical NFL rookies - the 6-3, 215-pound Halman caught the eye of the coaching staff at Concordia College, an NAIA school in Selma, Ala. He played there in 2006 and 2007 before breaking out with a monster season in 2008.

As a junior last fall, he grabbed 43 catches for just over 1,000 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. The stellar year combined with his age - now 26 - caused Halman to declare for the NFL draft.

During the last few months, Halman caught the eye of the Washington Redskins, who brought him in for a private workout.

He obviously impressed.

By Sunday night, he was one of 13 rookies to sign a free agent contract with the Redskins. He will report to the team's training facility on Thursday.

Jaison Williams to Washington
Posted by Bob Rickert April 28, 2009 08:18AM

So six Ducks were drafted and three signed as free agents. After Mark Lewis went to Miami and JJ went to Houston, the latest is Jaison Williams to the Redskins. In Washington loaded up at the WR spot he'll have to make it as a tight end. His size would allow that at 6' 4', and over 235lbs. He'll have to add some weight and improve his blocking a little. He's a better than average blocker as a receiver but tight end is a different thing.

Watching him line up at tight end though, he might be devastating if he can at least use his size to slow the pass rusher and then slip off the line. With the right execution, he's a matchup nightmare for linebackers. Time will tell. Best of luck to him.

this makes me feel as though the front office did their homework at least

BurgundyandGoldfaith wrote:this makes me feel as though the front office did their homework at least

yeah, the NAIA is an interesting division to be selecting from, maybe he will be a diamond in the rough...

What is the rookie minimum? How much do these guys get paid while they're at training camp? Just curious.

On Jaisson Williams conversion to TE:

This tells me that the front office is regretting the "best available" pick of Fred Davis of USC last year. I had a couple of other people in mind with our 2nd pick in the 2nd round last year, including Chad Henne QB Michigan.

What's up with Davis? This guy is a super disappointment if we're talking about converting JW to a TE. And what about ey? Just think this is horse pucky. Stick with ey and get some serviceable backups. Too much ado about a position that we have a Pro Bowler at already.