Hlas: C.R.’s Matt Huffer powers way onto NFL roster

It's not hard to think of former high school and college football players who were practically household names in your area, but never got a foot in the NFL's door.

Then there are the ones who, without any publicity machine or powerhouse program behind them, quietly kept pushing until they found themselves on an NFL roster.

One such fellow is named Matt Huffer. If the name doesn't ring a bell, it's no surprise. He wasn't a Hawkeye. He wasn't a four-star recruit. He was just a guy who was an all-state offensive lineman at Cedar Rapids Washington, got a full-ride scholarship at the University of South Dakota when no FBS or FCS program in his own state was particularly interested in him, and got an invitation to try out for the Atlanta Falcons last week.

The Falcons had already signed 10 college players who went undrafted earlier this month. They invited 22 more to Flowery Branch, Ga., to join their rookies for a weekend minicamp. It was a tryout camp for the unsigned players, who included Huffer.

'Honestly,” Huffer said, 'they told everyone beforehand that the first thing they were looking for was grit and toughness. That's my background. I'm that type of guy.

'I made myself try to stand out above everyone else. I did what they told me and I took it to the next level.”

The Falcons' coaching staff agreed. Huffer was one of just three of the 22 invitees to be invited to join the team's roster and spend this summer in Atlanta.

It wasn't as if Huffer had any film of glorious team triumphs to share with curious NFL scouts this off-season. His South Dakota Coyotes were 2-10 in 2014. Huffer started every game the last three seasons, but his team was 7-28 in that time.

Included was a 62-13 loss at Oregon last September, but Huffer feels good about that game. His team rushed for 168 yards against the national powerhouse.

'I think that was the best game of my career,” he said. 'I made the least amount of mistakes, and against that level of competition.”

He battled Oregon defensive end/outside linebacker Christian French on occasion. Besides being the Ducks' leader in quarterback sacks, French also is from Cedar Rapids, and will probably be in an NFL camp in 2016.

'I pancaked him one time,” Huffer said. 'He wasn't very happy about that.”

Huffer will now anchor in Atlanta, participating in team meetings this month, organized team activities in June, and then camp in July. He is signed to a 3-year contract, but the reality is that nothing is guaranteed financially or professionally. He'll again be a long shot to take the next step. Undrafted free agents have to be a lot better than good to convince coaches to bump them above a veteran or a draft pick.

Said Huffer: 'I have to leave the impression with the coaches that I'm that player.

'I have to seize the moment. I'll enjoy what I have, but I'll keep working toward that higher goal.”