INDIANAPOLIS – Preseason is in full swing for the National Football League and affiliated Great Midwest Athletic Conference institutions with direct or indirect ties are represented across the league.
 
The depth charts for all 32 franchises will eventually be trimmed down to the 53-man roster on Saturday, September 2, and for some, the chance to shine and impress the front office is now.
 
Hillsdale College currently has two players in the league with veteran offensive lineman Jared Veldheer on the Arizona Cardinals and wideout Andre Holmes with the Buffalo Bills.
 
Veldheer is a lynchpin for the Cardinals’ staunch ground game and pass protection. The war in the trenches that typically personifies a tackle, guard, or center, is difficult to quantify with no statistics, but the former third-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft has impressed in every phase of his career.  
 
The seven-year pro from Grand Rapids is ready for his eighth season. He began his career with the Oakland Raiders has started 88 of the 93 games appeared in. Veldheer has an intimidating frame at 6-8 and 321 pounds.  
 
Holmes, was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Minnesota Vikings in 2011. At Hillsdale, Holmes put up monster numbers from 2007 to 2010 with 181 catches for nearly 2,500 yards and scored 17 touchdowns.
 
The 6-4 speedster is part of the receiving corps for the Bills this season after spending in the last four years in Oakland.
 
Holmes has amassed 1,462 yards receiving in 65 games since 2011 to go with 12 touchdowns. He also played for the Dallas Cowboys in 2011 and 2012.
 
The Chicago Bears feature Findlay alum Harold Jones-Quartey in their secondary at the strong safety position. The Columbus native is getting ready for his third season in the NFL after latching on as undrafted free agent back in 2015 with Arizona.
 
Jones-Quartey has 103 tackles and a pair of interceptions (including one off of Tampa Bay’s Jameis Winston) in his career to date.
 
Making early waves in camp is Kentucky Wesleyan’s Keelan Cole, the lone true Great Midwest student-athlete in the league’s brief two-year history on an NFL roster. Cole was the 2016 G-MAC Offensive and Special Teams Player of the Year.
 
His route running, catching prowess and big-play ability, has been on display and caught the attention of the media as he tries to make the 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent.

Cole was deadly in the return game for KWC and is proving to be a true diamond in the rough that the Jaguars have unearthed from the Division II ranks. His senior year with the Panthers produced over 1,400 yards receiving with 15 touchdowns in just 11 games.
 
Ohio Dominican’s Dez Stewart is now with the Detroit Lions after previously being signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers going into this season. Stewart entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2016 and has been with the Washington Redskins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers, in that span.
 
Lake Erie’s Anthony Kukwa was signed by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent as a long snapper. He was waived in early July and is awaiting his next shot with another team.
 
Kukwa played tight end with the Storm after transferring from Ball State. The versatile 6-3 native of Perry, Ohio, has a unique set skills for a tight end/H-back and long snapper.