Among ex-UM players cut the past two days in the NFL: Lance Leggett and Derrick Morse (Cleveland), Darnell Jenkins (Houston), Glenn Sharpe (Atlanta), Andrew Bain (Giants), Tanard Davis (St. Louis) and Teraz McCray (Buffalo). The 49ers earlier cut Kyle Wright.


(miamiherald.com)

The San Francisco 49ers waived Kyle Wright. Wright had been injured with knee problems the past week and did not participate in the final preseason game. He had his knee drained and was held out of practice, which is most probably what sealed his fate.

If you saw Kyle Wright not practicing, he’s got a knee bothering him. He’s got some knee swelling, but other than that he should be alright.




(49ers.com)

Rookie QB Kyle Wright got his first extensive repetitions of training camp when he ran the scout-team offense. That is, Wright was giving his best JaMarcus Russell impersonation.



(sacbee.com)

Standing on the practice field in a San Francisco 49ers football uniform at Redwood Middle School Monday, Kyle Wright must have felt like his life had come full circle.

From St. Helena to Napa to Danville to Miami to Minneapolis to Santa Clara and now back to the Napa Valley, Wright looked around after a joint practice with the Oakland Raiders during training camp and noticed a lot of familiar surroundings.

“It’s good to be out here,” he said. “It’s been a humbling experience. It’s surreal.”

“I practiced with the Napa Saints right out there on those fields, from when I was about 9 until I was 13,” Wright said, looking north. “I played middle school basketball in this Redwood gym here. That’s where we were getting taped.”

Wright, a rookie from the University of Miami, is one of four quarterbacks on the Niners roster. The team had two practices against the Raiders yesterday before returning to their facility in Santa Clara.

“I’m just happy to be in a new situation and have a new opportunity and just kind of turn the page from that,” he said.

The 49ers claimed Wright, a former Napa resident, off waivers from the Minnesota Vikings last month. Wright, who played a year of junior varsity football at Vintage High School before transferring to Monte Vista-Danville, was signed by Minnesota as an undrafted free agent in April following the NFL Draft. He was waived by the Vikings on July 2.

He played four years of college football at Miami and finished his final season by passing for 1,747 yards with 12 touchdowns and rushing for 66 yards and three touchdowns for the Hurricanes.

Wright was Miami’s starting quarterback for much of the past three seasons. In 10 games in 2007, he completed 141 of 241 passes.

Wright threw 38 touchdown passes with 31 interceptions in 33 games at Miami. He played for the Hurricanes from 2004 to 2007.

“The last couple of years at Miami were tough,” he said. “That’s kind of the product of not winning games.”

In 2005, his first season as a starter, Wright tied a school record by throwing five touchdown passes in a 47-17 victory against Wake Forest. He led the ACC in touchdown passes (18), was second in pass efficiency to Virginia Tech’s Marcus Vick, and was the only Honorable Mention All-ACC selection at quarterback.

He was selected as the quarterback on the Preseason All-ACC team and finished second in balloting for the ACC Preseason Player of the Year in 2006. Wright was also named to the Maxwell Award watchlist and was projected as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate.

Wright was widely regarded as the nation’s top high school quarterback for the 2002-2003 season, during which he was named the Gatorade National High School Football Player of the Year and SuperPrep National Player of the Year, as well as being ranked the fifth best overall player in the nation by Scout recruiting magazine. He played in the 2003 U.S. Army All-American Bowl game.

Additionally, Wright was ranked as the best pro-style quarterback in the class of 2003 by rivals.com.

He is playing behind Shaun Hill, Alex Smith and J.T. O’Sullivan, the three candidates to be the 49ers’ starting quarterback. He is also working with offensive  coordinator Mike Martz and quarterbacks coach Ted Tollner.

“When my agent called me and told me I was going to San Francisco, I was really happy,” said Wright, who grew up a Niners fan. “It was a cool deal. I’m just trying to take my opportunities one step at a time. I’m learning a lot from coach Tollner and coach Martz.

“It’s hard coming in late in the game like I did. I’ve really only been in the offense for about a week. Coach (Mike) Nolan’s slogan this year is ‘one step at a time.’ And that’s how I’m approaching it.

“Coach Martz demands a lot. He and coach Tollner are great teachers and I’m just trying to absorb all that.”

Wright said he hasn’t been getting many reps because he joined the team late.

“Honestly, it’s nice to be in a situation where I can sit back and learn — that’s pretty much what I anticipate this year,” he said.

Wright attended St. Helena Catholic School from the third grade through sixth grade and played in the St. Helena Little League program. His father, Ken, works for the city of Napa.

“I used to go up to the Vets Home, as my dad was a baseball coach. I was a bat-boy up there, summer after summer.”

(napavalleyregister.com)

Quarterback Kyle Wright of the San Francisco 49ers has been assigned #3.





(49ers.com)

The San Francisco 49ers claimed and were awarded rookie QB Kyle Wright off waivers from the Minnesota Vikings. The 49ers also waived first-year QB Drew Olson in order to make room for Wright on the roster.

Olson was signed to the 49ers practice squad in late November and then activated to the 53-man roster for the season-finale at Cleveland due to the injuries at the quarterback position. Olson served as the backup quarterback in the Browns game but did not see any action.

Wright (6-3, 220) was signed by Minnesota as a rookie free agent in April following the draft. He was waived by the Vikings on July 2, 2008. Wright finished his final season at Miami by passing for 1,747 yards with 12 touchdowns and rushing for 66 yards and three touchdowns.

Wright attended Danville Monte Visita High School, making him eligible to participate in the 49ers Local Pro Day that was held a week prior to the NFL Draft.

Following that workout, Wright said, "Being a lifelong fan of the 49ers growing up watching Joe Montana and Steve Young, it doesn’t get any better than to walk through the locker room and see their pictures on the wall."

Side Note: RB Frank Gore, a fellow Hurricane, specifically attended the Pro Day workout to support  "his guy Wright." 

(49ers.com)

The Vikings released QB Kyle Wright today, leaving their roster at the league-mandated 80 player training camp limit. The team still has yet to sign any of their 5 draft choices, in order to do that, 5 more players must be cut before camp (un-signed draft choices don't count against the limit).

Wright, who attended the University of Miami and was a top prospect coming out of high schoool, signed with the team following April's draft.

The team now has 4 QB's on the roster: Tarvaris Jackson, Gus Frerotte, John-David Booty, and Brooks Bollinger.

(capitalj23.blogspot.com)

Kyle Wright's phone finally started to ring on the second day of the NFL draft last month. Nonetheless, the quarterback from the University of Miami had his concerns.

Entering the process, Wright's expectation was that he would be a late-round selection. But now he saw quarterbacks projected to go ahead of him falling. This couldn't be good.

"I was getting calls in the fifth, sixth and seventh round," Wright said. "But when I saw those guys like John David [Booty] that weren't going like everybody else expected, I knew that was going to drop me a little from where I was expected to go."

And that was enough to drop Wright out of the draft.

Instead, he signed as a free agent with the Vikings. Wright did so knowing his new team already has four quarterbacks, including Southern California's Booty, a fifth-round draft pick who will battle Brooks Bollinger for the No. 3 job. Tarvaris Jackson is the starter and veteran Gus Frerotte will be the primary backup.

This left Wright without much margin for error as he put on a Vikings uniform for the first time last weekend for a three-day rookie minicamp. Wright's goal is simple.

"Just to come in and make the team in some form or fashion ... either [that or] being on the practice squad," he said. "They've approached me and asked if I could hold [on field-goal attempts]. I said I'd never done it but I'd be willing to learn. Really, just being a part of this organization in any way possible."

The pressure Wright will face is nothing new. The nation's most highly recruited quarterback coming out of Monte Vista High in Danville, Calif., in 2003, he was the Hurricanes' starter for much of the past three seasons and handled his share of difficulties and disappointments.

This included a nearly annual turnover at offense coordinator, as well as a head coaching change. New Hurricanes coach Randy Shannon decided to start Kirby Freeman over Wright last season, but he reclaimed the job after Freeman struggled early on. In 10 games in 2007, Wright completed 141 of 241 passes for 1,747 yards with 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Knee and ankle injuries forced him to miss one game last season -- Wright missed the final four games of 2006 because of a broken thumb -- and slowed him at other times.

The fact Wright had to adjust to the different schemes put in by Miami's various coordinators could have slowed him. But Wright doesn't see it that way.

"I think that's an advantage that I have," Wright said. "It seemed like in every offense I was learning something new. This offseason is no different. I'm just excited to come to a new place and get a fresh start and have fun with the opportunity."

One reason Wright jumped at the chance to sign with the Vikings was because of his relationship with quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers. A candidate to become Miami's offensive coordinator in December 2006, Rogers was an assistant at Virginia Tech when Wright arrived in college, so the two faced each other as conference rivals. Wright and Rogers hit it off at the NFL Scouting Combine last February in Indianapolis and stayed in touch thereafter.

Vikings coach Brad Childress also was impressed by the 6-4, 220-pound Wright at the combine, especially after getting a long look at him during drills. Wright was one of the quarterbacks designated to throw passes to every group, meaning Childress, Rogers and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell had plenty of time to study his mechanics.

As for Wright's future with the Vikings, Childress said: "His role will define itself. He's played big-time football so he's been in some of those arenas. He's got a nice throwing motion and we'll see if we can get him some snaps in a few preseason games."

(startribune.com)

Coming out of Monte Vista High School in Danville, Calif., Kyle Wright was the nation's most recruited quarterback.

Yet he wasn't chosen in last weekend's NFL draft.

So what went wrong at the University of Miami (Fla.)?

"There were a lot of variables," Wright said. "I think that's kind of the million-dollar question. We had four different offensive coordinators in four years and two head coaches, which is never easy for a team to build off from season to season. So that made it hard.

"I'm glad to have that in the rearview mirror and turn the page, and have something new."

Wright isn't sure how many teams wanted to sign him to a free-agent contract after the draft because he quickly decided to join the Vikings. He already had developed a rapport with quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers, and he was impressed with head coach Brad Childress. It didn't hurt that Rogers, Childress and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell all have backgrounds working with quarterbacks.

"I think it's better to go where you're wanted," Wright said. "They called me after their last pick and said, 'If things don't work out, we want you really bad.' "

At 6 feet 4 and 225 pounds, Wright has intrigued teams because of his athleticism and sound mechanics.

"You know, I just liked the way he picked up the ball and threw it," Childress said. "If you were watching him back in the infancy of his career, he's tall in stature. He's got a nice throwing motion. There's not a lot of flaws in that."

Wright is encouraged by other quarterbacks who took non-traditional routes to stardom.

"You look at Tony Romo," Wright said, mentioning the Dallas Cowboys quarterback who went undrafted. "You look across the depth chart at the NFL teams, and not only starters but the backup guys are all guys that were taken late or as free agents."

Wright has realistic expectations. The Vikings have starter Tarvaris Jackson, veteran backups Gus Frerotte and Brooks Bollinger, and they spent a fifth-round pick on John David Booty of Southern California.

"Just trying to make the team in any way possible," Wright said of his goal. "It's a great opportunity and a privilege to be a part of this organization."

(twincities.com)

Kyle Wright signed with the Minnesota Vikings as a free agent, and Lance Leggett signed with the Cleveland Browns as a free agent. Teraz McCray signed with the Buffalo Bills, Darnell Jenkins signed with the Houston Texans and Andrew Bain signed with the NY Giants.

CORAL GABLES - Will former UM quarterback Kyle Wright get drafted this weekend?

“Definitely,” said Wright on Wednesday by telephone from his home in Northern California.

Wright bases his optimistic outlook on “a ton of great feedback” from NFL teams following strong performances at the NFL combine in Indianapolis in early February and at UM’s Pro Day later that month.

“I’m definitely expecting to get drafted,” Wright repeated. “I’ve moved up the list of quarterbacks and the demand for quarterbacks in the NFL, especially this year, is high. Everyone is looking for someone. Not necessarily a No. 1 guy. Everybody seems to need a No. 2 or No. 3 guy that they want to develop into hopefully a starting quarterback a few years down the road. What happens is going to happen, but I’m excited about whatever opportunity I get. I’m looking forward to it.”

Coming out of high school five years ago as the nation’s top prospect, the question surrounding Wright wasn’t if he would be drafted, only how high.

But an up-and-down college career that culminated in a senior season in which Wright threw more interceptions (14) than touchdown passes (12) caused most observers to write off any chance at a pro career.

Solid showings in Indianapolis and UM’s Pro Day could change that, although Wright’s name has been absent from some of the more reputable seven-round mock drafts out there, including those published this week by ESPN.com and The Sporting News.

Wright, who worked out for the San Francisco 49ers last week, is certainly striving to make sure he’s ready for an opportunity. Leading up to the NFL combine, Wright was regularly putting in eight-hour workouts that began in the morning in Oakland and finished across the bay in San Mateo.

Those workouts included sessions with quarterback guru Tommy Martinez, who also prepared Tom Brady and JaMarcus Russell for the NFL draft.

“He’s big on fundamentals and mechanics,” Wright said. “I think a lot of quarterback coaches can tell you when you do something wrong….but don’t know how to teach you to correct it. Tom will critique me and coach me, but he’ll tell me why he’s doing it, and that’s something I never really had.”

(palmbeachpost.com)