How undrafted Kansas State lineman Scott Frantz is dealing with unlikely NFL future
Under normal circumstances, Scott Frantz would probably be on his way to a big city for NFL rookie camp right now. Even after going unpicked in last week’s draft and not getting offered a free-agent contract by any of the league’s 32 teams shortly after, under normal circumstances the former Kansas State left tackle would still be getting his shot at professional football.
But these aren’t normal circumstances.
“These are unprecedented times,” Frantz said in a phone interview. “My agent isn’t sure if there are going to be rookie mini-camps or not. If there aren’t, my chances obviously dwindle a ton. If there is, we will go from there. As of right now, it looks like there is not going to be any sort of that stuff, and I am moving on with my life.”
Though he hasn’t closed the door on pro football, Frantz is realistic about his future.
When he’s not exercising or working on his blocking craft, he is updating his resume in hopes of beginning a teaching career. Frantz is aiming for a job teaching special education in Austin, Texas. Once there, he would also like to find a way to mentor young offensive linemen as an assistant coach at the high school level. He wants to keep a little football in his life.
He has a plan. And the Lawrence native is genuinely excited about it. This is what Frantz has always wanted to do after his football career ended.
But it’s surprising his playing days may have ended so abruptly.
Some viewed Frantz as K-State’s best NFL prospect after he started 51 straight games for the Wildcats and also earned second-team All-Big 12 honors as a senior. He more than held his own as a freshman against Myles Garrett at the Texas Bowl and helped pave the way for some productive offenses as he matured. It seemed like he had a chance to become the first openly gay player to take the field in a regular-season NFL game.
But then a series of unfortunate events occurred.
He was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine and he was not asked to participate in either of the major college all-star games.
Then he tweaked his hamstring before K-State’s pro day and ran the 40-yard dash in 5.73 seconds with a packed room of scouts watching. To put that in perspective, the slowest 40 time from any player at the combine was 5.6 seconds. After that, the coronavirus pandemic made it impossible for Frantz to redeem himself with interested teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, who asked for a private workout with him.
Then NFL teams signed fewer undrafted rookies to free-agent deals than usual and didn’t invite any unclaimed players to mini-camps.
For the first time since 1993, K-State didn’t produce a single draft pick. Only five former players landed free-agent deals. Other K-State draft hopefuls currently without a NFL home include punter Devin Anctil and linebacker DaQuan Patton. Like Frantz, both would have likely earned an invite to a rookie camp somewhere. Now they have no choice but to wait, or make other career plans.
Anctil has posted punting videos on social media all week to remind teams he is available.
“The coronavirus definitely had a huge impact,” Frantz said. “It looks like there aren’t going to be rookie mini-camps. That is where a lot of guys get their shots. Teams are picking up fewer free agents than in years before. My agent said a lot of teams are going more with veteran guys, because they think it is going to be difficult for rookies straight out of college to show up in July and make the team. That’s the road a lot of teams are taking, and that is something I battled throughout this process.”
Conspiracy theorists will suggest that NFL teams ignored Frantz because of his sexuality.
Others will point to his underwhelming pro day and his small wing span (32 inches) as valid reasons that he faced an uphill battle as a pro prospect, even though he was one of the most accomplished college offensive linemen available.
Frantz declined to go into specifics about anything that might have hurt his draft chances, including his sexuality, but he doesn’t feel cheated. He doesn’t believe in bad luck.
“I’m just disappointed,” Frantz said. “I wasn’t angry or sad when the draft ended. I was just disappointed. I’m a competitor. That is who I am. Obviously, I want to be the best and I want to get drafted. When things don’t happen the way you want it is disappointing. But I wasn’t mad. I can live with whatever happens, because I knew I gave it my best.”
Frantz’s agent, Brett Tessler, said a handful of NFL teams have remained in contact with him about Frantz and that it’s possible Frantz could still land a deal.
If that happens, Frantz will be ready. If not, he has other plans for the future.
“It’s really exciting,” Frantz said. “Teaching is what I have a passion for. I had a great career at Kansas State. Football has meant so much for me. It has got to end sometime. It didn’t end the way I wanted it to, but all you can do is do your best and let the chips fall where they may.”
This story was originally published April 30, 2020 at 4:54 PM with the headline "How undrafted Kansas State lineman Scott Frantz is dealing with unlikely NFL future."