Three Bears invited to 2017 NFL combine

Official Release from Baylor Athletics

WACO, Texas - Three Baylor football players have been invited to work out for coaches and front office personnel at the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine Feb. 28-March 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the NFL announced Wednesday.

The three Bears are wide receiver KD Cannon, center Kyle Fuller and quarterback Seth Russell. The players' invitations give Baylor multiple players attending the combine for a ninth consecutive season.

The combine is a chance for executives, coaches, player personnel staff and medical personnel from all 32 NFL teams to evaluate the nation's top collegiate football players eligible for the upcoming draft. The six-day job interview involves a series of tests, drills and meetings with more than 600 NFL personnel.

The group of three invitees includes two seniors and one junior, which helped Baylor to 28 wins over the last three years with one Big 12 championship and three bowl appearances, including two bowl wins. The three offensive players helped the Bears lead the nation in total offense and scoring in 2014 and 2015, while ranking sixth in total offense last season.

Cannon played three seasons at Baylor, before declaring for the draft after his junior season in 2016. He racked up 3,113 yards receiving on 195 catches with 27 touchdowns during his time in Waco, ranking No. 3 in school history in all three of those categories. Cannon was named All-Big 12 in all three seasons, including first-team honors from the coaches in 2014 and 2016, along with Freshman All-American honors in his first season. He ended his career by exploding for career highs of 226 yards and 14 receptions and was named Cactus Bowl Offensive MVP. That game helped the Mount Pleasant, Texas native notch single-season career highs of 1,215 yards and 87 receptions. He also caught a pass in all 38 career games played and was one of just two Bears all-time to tally two 1,000-yard seasons as a receiver, joining former teammate Corey Coleman, who was 2016 NFL first round pick and the first wide receiver drafted.

Fuller started all 39 games at center over the last three years. He was a three-time All-Big 12 honoree, earning first-team honors in 2016 and honorable mention recognition for Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year. The Wylie, Texas, native was a key cog in paving the way for BU’s rushing attack that led the Big 12 in each of the last two seasons, while helping the Bears rank fourth or better in sacks allowed in the Big 12 over the past three years. In 2016, he led the offensive line with an 88.9 percent coaches grade and 68 knockdowns. Fuller participated in the Senior Bowl on Jan. 27.

Russell will take part in the Combine after working his way back from an ankle surgery that caused him to miss the final four games of his senior season. The ankle injury, which occurred in BU’s game at Oklahoma on Nov. 12, came just over a year after the Garland, Texas product suffered a neck injury on Oct. 24, 2015. Russell had surgery for that injury as well, missing the remainder of the 2015 season. He returned to action in 2016 and had thrown for 2,126 yards and 20 touchdowns, while completing 54.7 percent of his passes (152-of-278) with eight interceptions. The senior also racked up 506 rushing yards on 94 carries with eight scores. As a starter at Baylor, Russell owned a 14-3 record, throwing 54 TD passes and only 14 interceptions in those games. For his career, the veteran signal caller finished his career second in school history in passing efficiency (159.36). He is also third in the BU record books with 60 career TD passes and seventh in passing yards (5,461). Russell holds the school record for yards per play in total offense with an average of 8.324.

Fans can follow events at the NFL Combine live on the NFL Network as well as on NFL.com.