Two Temple football players sign as undrafted free agents; Villanova’s Isas Waxter joins Seahawks

Although no city college football players heard their names called in the NFL draft last weekend, four players from Temple and Villanova will get the opportunity to impress NFL teams over the next few months.

For Temple, two players signed as undrafted free agents: Edge rusher Diwun Black is heading to the Baltimore Ravens, and kicker Maddux Trujillo is joining the Indianapolis Colts.

Black, who started his college career at Florida, finished with 52 tackles, 6½ sacks, and four forced fumbles in 19 games on North Broad. The edge rusher joins two other former Temple players with Baltimore: wide receiver Keith Kirkwood and linebacker William Kwenkeu.

Trujillo, who joined the Owls for his senior season after three seasons at Austin Peay, set a Temple and Lincoln Financial Field record with a 64-yard field goal against Utah State last season. He made 16 of 22 field-goal attempts and earned an invitation to kick at the NFL scouting combine.

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The Flowery Branch, Ga., native could compete for a starting spot in Indianapolis. The only other kicker on the roster is Spencer Shrader, who played just one game with the Colts last season. He has made all five of his field-goal attempts across four games with three teams.

One other Temple player is getting a shot in the NFL. Wide receiver Dante Wright received an invitation to the Kansas City Chiefs’ rookie camp. Wright finished his Owls career with 100 catches, 1,299 yards, and 10 touchdowns.

Heading into the draft, Villanova defensive back Isas Waxter was expected to break the Wildcats’ three-year drought in having a player selected. Buffalo Bills cornerback Christian Benford was the last Villanova player to be drafted, in 2022. Waxter played alongside him at Villanova for three seasons.

Waxter did not hear his named called, but he signed an undrafted free-agent deal with the Seattle Seahawks. The 6-foot-1, 209-pound defensive back played in 46 games over five seasons with the Wildcats, with 108 tackles, three interceptions, and 19 passes defended.

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He got an invitation to the combine, where he ran a 4.56-second 40-yard dash and leaped a 35-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot, 4-inch broad jump. During the combine, Waxter said teams asked him about playing multiple positions in the secondary.

“I’ve been speaking [to teams] about corner, a little bit at safety, just because of my stature, my frame, bigger body, and stuff like that,” Waxter said Feb. 27. “I’m willing to play anything. I just want to play football.”