Founded in 2012, the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl is an all-star game for NFL draft-eligible college football players. The game will take place Saturday at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California. As such, the National team will face the American team. On Friday, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ own Arthur Maulet addressed the Collegiate Bowl invitees.
An undrafted free agent in 2017, Maulet bounced around the NFL before finding himself in the black and gold for two seasons now. During his pre-draft process, Maulet played in the NFLPA bowl, representing the Memphis Tigers.
Maulet played for the American team in the 2017 NFLPA Bowl, finishing with three tackles in a losing effort against the national team. Maulet is among the most accomplished NFLPA alumni, as he received a spotlight from their website after his Week 2 performance against the New England Patriots and again in Week 3.
It seems like Maulet is passing down wisdom from a NFL player, one who has climbed the ladder from an undrafted player to sticking in the league and finding a home, valuable advice that will serve the group well.
Other notable NFLPA alumni include Dallas Cowboys’ rookie pass rusher Sam Williams (who was the highest drafted NFLPA alumni at 56th overall), Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ receiver Russell Gage, and Denver Broncos’ receiver Kendall Hinton. However, Maulet is currently the only alumni on the Steelers. The NFLPA Bowl dabbles in several rule changes. That is, the second and fourth quarters begin with the team that kicked off the respective half starting with a first-and-ten at their 25-yard-line, and teams trailing by 20 or more points retain possession of the ball after scoring.
This year’s NFLPA Collegiate Bowl will be coached by familiar names. The first is former NFL head coach Jeff Fisher, who will coach the American team. Fisher coached for the Tennessee Titans/ Houston Oilers while they were in the AFC Central with the Steelers, as he faced them twice a year from 1995 until 2001 during his head coaching stint. The other head coach is former All-Pro NFL running back and current Michigan Panthers head coach Eddie George, who played for Fisher from 1996-2003. Other notable coaches that have coached the Collegiate Bowl include former Cincinnati Bengals’ head coach Marvin Lewis, and former Cleveland Browns’ head coach Hue Jackson, among others.
