NFL Draft

NFL scouts need to travel to VMI this year to see their QB and RB

Alex Ramsey is one of the players at VMI that is special to watch. Remember his name come the 2021 NFL Draft, but he will be leaving as he put his name in the transfer portal.

I love small school football and I love recruiting players that no one is talking about. This year there is a quarterback from Virginia Military Institute that has every tool and needs to be on NFL teams radars. He is not the only one though, their running back is talented as well. I know it is VMI, who knows about VMI? I am telling you these kids are talented, let’s look at some history.

The first VMI graduate picked in the draft was Joe Muha in 1943, the second overall pick. Muha was a linebacker and fullback drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles.

The last quarterback drafted from VMI was back in 1961 when Howard Dyer was drafted. It is crazy because that same year their running back Don Kern was also drafted. Could history repeat itself? Could VMI have two draft picks again in 2021, in which their quarterback and running back both hear their name?

Update: We learned after writing this piece that Alex Ramsey has entered the transfer portal. That is a huge loss for VMI, but we still want to give him props.

Let’s talk about the players because right now no one else is.

Because quarterbacks get the most love we are going to talk about their running back first. Let’s meet Alex Ramsey. He is a 6000, 225 pound running back from Salem, Virginia that straight up crushed the FCS last year.

In 2016, Ramsey did not see any game action for the Keydets. He redshirted, but in 2017 he was able to show off a little bit of his talent. He played in 11 games and was able to gain 121 yards on 34 carries. Down the stretch he really began to shine, which caught the eyes of his coaches.

In 2018, Ramsey was able to taste the blood when he produced the highest rushing game of the season for the Keydets when he had 133 yards on 23 carries. He finished second on the team with 317 yards on just 65 carries. But it was not until last year when Alex took the main spot at running back, and boy he was not going to pass the torch to no one.

Ramsey rushed for 1326 yards and scored 22 touchdowns on 266 carries. He also added 323 yards receiving on 50 receptions. Ramsey scored six touchdowns against Samford and also hit the 200 yard mark when he ran for 207 against Wofford a very tough defense.

Ramsey has everything you want from a running back, he can come out the backfield and catch a ball, he has good moves, and he is quick. I am a huge fan of Ramsey and his quarterback. So now that I have exposed you to one of the best running backs in the FCS, I want to show you some film.

Let’s talk about this QB now! Reece Udinski is a gunslinger and one of my favorite prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Reece was special in high school where he was an All-Area Player of the Year for North Penn in North Wales, Pennsylvania. He is a 6040, 224 pound quarterback that can make every NFL throw and sits in the pocket like a statue fearless.

Reece Udinski reminds me of Ben Roethlisberger, he is a big arm talent that is not afraid of staying in the pocket to throw the ball around.

In 2017, Reece played in eight games and completed 54.3 percent of his passes hitting 51 of 94 for 432 yards. He came back his Sophomore year and began working for the Keydets. Udinski started all 11 games extending his streak at this time to 12 and straight up rewrote the VMI passing record book by throwing for 3,082 yards. He is the first quarterback to throw for 3,000 yards. He finished his Sophomore season with 302 completions with 20 touchdown passes. This was the beginning of something special.

The North Wales product continued to shine last year. He broke his previous totals by throwing for 3,276 yards and added another 20 touchdowns. He added 12 more games as the starter bringing his total up to 24 games started going into his senior season.

I do not know if 1961 will repeat itself for VMI, but I would not be shocked if one of the players hears his name called in the 2021 NFL Draft. The last player to be drafted from VMI was Mark Stock a wide receiver in 1989 who went in the sixth round to the Pittsburgh Steelers. I think VMI has some talent, and I am glad I was able to showcase them both before the start of their senior season. Remember these Keydets, they are special!

Damond Talbot

NFL Draft Diamonds was created to assist the underdogs playing the sport. We call them diamonds in the rough. My name is Damond Talbot, I have worked extremely hard to help hundreds of small school players over the past several years, and will continue my mission. We have several contributors on this site, and if they contribute their name and contact will be in the piece above. You can email me at nfldraftdiamonds@gmail.com

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