The National Football League’s (NFL) deadline for each team’s initial 53-man roster decisions passed this Sunday with five former Red Wolves making the final cut.

Over in the American Football Conference (AFC) East division, kicker Blake Grupe reunited with linebacker Demario Davis on the New York Jets while tight end Seydou Traore found a spot in the pod with the Miami Dolphins. 

Davis played at Arkansas State from 2008-2011, racking up a total of 229 tackles, seven sacks, four forced fumbles, and two defensive touchdowns over his collegiate career. After being picked 77th overall by the Jets in the 2012 NFL draft, his professional journey took him to the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints. Following stints with those two teams, he found himself back with his original team in the Big Apple.  

After his reunion with his former team, another familiar face joined Davis in New York: Grupe. Following a perfect stint with the Indianapolis Colts where he went 11 for 11 on field goals, the all-time A-State kicking leader lost his starting role and was cut from the team. However, his value still shined to other teams in the league and ended up getting signed the following day by the Jets.

Davis and Grupe first played together on the New Orleans Saints back in 2023 after the team added the kicker as an undrafted free agent. During their time in the Big Easy, the two bonded over their ties to Jonesboro.

“For a few years, me and (Davis) were the only two Arkansas State Red Wolves in the league, so that was cool. We’ve had a few chats about what went on when he was there, some stories, and how they did things. And we’re always talking about the games and how they did that Saturday,” Grupe said. 

While those two found themselves moving towards the northeastern parts of the United States, Seydou Traore’s journey took him down south to the beaches of Miami as their rivals. 

Traore started his collegiate career at A-State back in 2021 and played his first two seasons at Centennial Bank Stadium. He racked up 752 yards with four touchdowns on 62 receptions during his time in Jonesboro. 

Following an first-team All-Sun Belt selection in 2022, Traore decided to take his talents to the transfer portal. A short single semester stay at the University of Colorado led him to travel to the Southeastern Conference and join the Mississippi State Bulldogs, where he would finish his collegiate career.

Traore took the next step of his football journey by entering both the NFL and Canadian Football League (CFL) drafts, being selected in the fifth and second round respectively. Having two opportunities to play professionally, he chose to stay in the states and joined the Dolphins. 

While not having statistical success in the preseason, only catching one reception for three yards, Traore earned his spot on the final roster for the upcoming season. 

Moving to the AFC North division, the Cincinnati Bengals picked up a former Red Wolf to round out their depth on the offensive line: center Jacob Bayer. 

Bayer attended A-State from 2023-2024 and became one of the best centers in the nation during his time at the university. He accumulated All-Sun Belt team selections during each of his seasons playing for the Red Wolves and was a finalist for the Rimington Trophy in 2024, an award given to the best center in college football.

Following an outstanding career at A-State, Bayer ended up going to the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2025. However, he ended up being cut shortly after. His current stop in Cincinnati began a few months after his departure from Buffalo when he was signed to the Bengals’ practice squad.

Strong performances during Bayer’s preseason appearances earned him a roster spot on the Bengals, becoming a solid backup for the team’s offense.

Across the conferences in the National Football Conference (NFC), another special teams legend from A-State found his role on a roster: kicker Dominic Zvada.

During his two years at A-State from 2022-2023, Zvada climbed his way up the record books for single season field goals. In both years, he made 17 field goals, tying for 7th most made in a season. He earned a spot on the first-team All-Sun Belt and was a Freshman All-American in 2022. 

Following his second year, Zvada chose to transfer to the University of Michigan and finished his collegiate career there. He went undrafted and signed with the New York Giants in 2026, where he won the starting job with his training camp and preseason performances. 

While not counting towards a roster spot this year, two other Red Wolves made their way to Las Vegas on the Raiders. Wide receiver Corey Rucker Jr. and defensive end Keyron Crawford were put onto the injured reserve (IR) list earlier this offseason. They are considered team members, however, both will be out for the 2026-27 season.

Rucker is the reigning receiving king of A-State, holding the records for most career receiving yards and touchdowns while topping the single-game receiving yards list. He played all but one year of his collegiate career in Jonesboro from 2020 to 2025 with a pit stop at the University of South Carolina in 2022. 

After teams passed on him in the NFL draft, Rucker signed with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent, marking his first step in his professional career.

As for the defensive rookie, Crawford played two seasons for A-State in 2022 and 2023. He totaled up 58 tackles and six and a half sacks during his time in Jonesboro before transferring to Auburn University to finish out the second half of his collegiate career.

Going to the Raiders with the 67th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Crawford saw action in three preseason games, racking up four tackles and a sack. However, he went down with an injury in the third game, being put on IR right before the year began.

The professional Red Wolves begin their year on September 9 as the NFL regular season kicks off. 

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