Sometimes the long shots make it

May 28, 2008 12:00 PM

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The Bills bring in more players for tryouts than any team in the league, and it's not close. That's why it's easy to shrug off reports of obscure players looking forward to workouts in Orchard Park.

This one caught my eye. Derek Volmering, a linebacker from Saginaw Valley State, knows the Bills won't brush him off just because he comes from a Division II program. In 2006, another Saginaw Valley State linebacker, John DiGiorgio, made the team as an undrafted free agent. DiGiorgio started 14 games last season. The Bills credited him with 137 tackles, second-most on the team.

Saginaw Valley State plays in the Division II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Fifteen current NFL players attended GLIAC colleges. Eagles guard Todd Herremans and Jaguars defensive end Paul Spicer are the most prominent ones. Both went to Saginaw Valley State.

Bills, Derek Volmering, John DiGiorgio

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