Undrafted Florida Gators center signs home with Detroit Lions
The NFL draft weekend didn’t conclude the way he thought it would but former Florida Gators center Kingsley Eguakun found a franchise to put pen to paper with after going undrafted.
According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Eguakun signed with the Detroit Lions on Sunday, earning a contract with a $225,000 base salary and $20,000 signing bonus. He’ll still have to compete for a spot on the final 53-man roster before the start of the regular season.
Once a full-time starter, Eguakun suffered a quarrel of injuries during Florida’s 2023 campaign which killed his draft stock going into April. However, the injuries never affected his confidence and he felt that he showed enough during the Reese’s Senior Bowl back in March.
“Because of how the season went for me and I had a great week at the Senior Bowl, it did a lot for me,” Eguakun said. “I think it reminded teams who I am and showed them what I’m able to do against guys I’m going to be competing with.”
All you need is an opportunity. @Keguakun has signed with the @lions! #GoGators | #GatorMade pic.twitter.com/K2b3R33sbj
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) April 29, 2024
The now-NFL rookie will utilize a fresh start in Detroit, coming off a swan-song season that saw him take starts even though his body was never fully healthy. Prior to the injury-riddled campaign, the Jacksonville, Florida, native made 38 straight appearances for the Gators, including 26 starts dating from 2020-2022.
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