Three games into the NFL season, the New England Patriots have cut former Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Marcus Forston. He saw action in one game.
Forston was a free agent pick-up after April’s NFL Draft and was one of five early departees, which also included running back Lamar Miller, wide receiver Tommy Streeter, defensive lineman Olivier Vernon and offensive lineman Brandon Washington.
Forston was suspended for the 2011 season opener against Maryland, played against Ohio State, Kansas State and Bethune-Cookman, but went down with a season-ending knee injury. Despite only playing three games of his junior season, Forston still declared for the 2012 NFL Draft.
Of the departed Canes, none are setting the world on fire. Miller, the fourth-round pick of the Miami Dolphins, has played in two games and has carried nineteen times for 113 yards and a touchdown. It was also reported in the Palm Beach Post this week that Miller “still doesn’t know the playbook well” and is “raw as a pass blocker”.
Streeter, Baltimore’s sixth-round pick, is yet to see the field this season.
Vernon, Miami’s third-round selection, has seen action in two games. He had one tackle in the season opening loss to Houston and five in Sunday’s recent overtime loss to the New York Jets.
Washington was a sixth-round pick for Philadelphia, but was cut at the end of August.
For those keeping score on the recruiting front, Forston was a five-star prospect, while Miller, Streeter, Washington and Forston were all four-star talent – as was safety Ray-Ray Armstrong, dismissed from the team entering the 2012 season and ruled ineligible by the NCAA weeks back, when attempting to transfer to Faulkner University.
Also eligible for last year’s NFL Draft, but undrafted was four-star wideout Aldarius Johnson, who the Canes parted ways with prior to 2011.
All the departed Canes either came from the 2008 or 2009 classes.
Lots of on-paper talent that never materialized and a handful of real-life casualties for head coach Al Golden to use as cautionary tales for today’s Canes and those who sign on for tomorrow.