Three college football players with West Michigan roots have been given their shot to play at the game's highest level.

Draft Or Not, These Guys Are NFL Bound

Only one of the three, Bernard Raimann, was chosen in this past weekend's NFL Draft. Raimann, who played his college ball at Central Michigan University, only learned to play football five years ago, while an exchange student at Delton Kellogg High School, north east of Kalamazoo.

Raimann was chosen by the Indianapolis Colts in Saturday's third round of the draft. Indy was severely lacking in pass protection last season, so Raimann, an offensive tackle for the Chippewas, may get a chance to start right away. there was some talk Raimann could go in the first round, as CMU left tackles have a history of overachieving in the NFL (Joe Staley and Eric Fisher in particular).

The 6-7, 315 pound Raimann started his career at CMU as a tight end, before moving down the line after his freshman season. He is originally from Steinbrunn, Austria.

NFL Combine
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Line mate at CMU, Luke Goedeke, was drafted in the second round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he'll be asked to protect Tom Brady next season. Goedeke is from Whitelaw, WI.

Pimpleton Signs As An Undrafted Free Agent With The Lions

After not being drafted through seven rounds, wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton from CMU signed with the Detroit Lions Sunday. Pimpleton, thought to be undersized for the NFL at 5-8, 175 pounds, the Muskegon native excited Chippewa fans with electric punt returns and acrobatic catches after transferring there from Virginia Tech.

It's thought that Pimpleton best chance to catch on with the Lions may be on special teams, so look for Kalil to see action as a punt and kickoff return man in the pre-season.

courtesy CMU Athletics
courtesy CMU Athletics
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Pimpleton earned All-Conference honors in the MAC all three years at Central. His biggest game came in the teams' big rivalry game with Western Michigan, when Pimpleton scored three touchdowns in the final five minutes to rally the Chips to a 42-30 win for the Victory Cannon.

Catholic Central's Mike Brown Headed To Minnesota

Former Cougar standout Brown was an All-Academic MAC selection while playing  defense at Miami of Ohio, he signed as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings Saturday. The 6-2 220 pound safety played all four years at Miami, where this past season, he had 66 tackles for the Red Hawks.

Brown played wide receiver and safety at CC under coach Todd Koister, where he was team captain his senior year, when the Cougars won the Division 4 State Title. Brown scored the only Cougar touchdown in that game, a 10-7 win over Detroit Country Day.

Western Michigan University wide receiver Skyy Moore was also drafted, by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round. Skyy is originally from Pennsylvania.

The Detroit Lions Throughout The Years With Collector Items

Love 'em, or hate 'em, they're still the good old Detroit Lions. Take a look back in time with some collector's items from over the years and see how the Detroit Lions have evolved over the years.

 

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