UNM football: DT Devin Brandt-Epps signs with Bills as undrafted free agent

Apr. 28—For months, it was “radio silence.” Devin Brandt-Epps was training five to six days a week in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, pouring tons of money, time and thought into an NFL dream that had to go somewhere, if only for the amount of sheer effort put into it.

And no teams — much less coaches — reached out.

“All the guys I’m training with, they’re talking about, ‘oh yeah, I talked to these coaches, I talked to these coaches,'” the former New Mexico defensive tackle said Monday. “It’s just nerve-wracking. It’s a mental battle at some point, too.”

That trend broke “two, three weeks” before last weekend’s NFL Draft. Brandt-Epps hired an agent and the Buffalo Bills were the first to reach out after setting up a call a week ahead of the draft. Then Bills assistant general manager Brian Gaine reached back out to his representation a few days before.

The writing, it seemed, was on the wall.

“We kind of knew we were in a good place with Buffalo,” Brandt-Epps said.

Sunday, it was on a professional contract.

Brandt-Epps signed with the Bills as an undrafted free agent over the weekend, joining a class of 11 players to ink with the team at the conclusion of the NFL Draft on Saturday.

After spending one year with UNM, the 6-foot-3, 203-pound Muskogee, Oklahoma native is one of only two Lobos from last season’s roster to get picked up (much less drafted) by a team this spring.

Even as other teams reached out before the draft, Brandt-Epps (29 total tackles last season) said he felt there was something different about talking to the Bills. A few other organizations dropped in for only a quick call or two, a process that reminded him of his high school recruitment out of Hilldale (Oklahoma) High School.

Buffalo? Different story. In a Zoom call ahead of the draft, coaches told the former Old Dominion transfer they liked his versatility and speed off the ball, pulling tape of his games against Arizona (one tackle), Auburn (three tackles) and Washington State (three tackles) in particular.

“They were just kinda saying that they like what they see, and they want to unlock that next 3%,” he said.

But even if he felt like he was in a good spot, Brandt-Epps was realistic entering the draft. A rookie mini-camp invitation from any team would be more than enough, he said, much less signing as a free agent or getting selected in one of the late rounds.

Brandt-Epps did his due diligence, though.

As the sixth round started Saturday afternoon, he sat down in the living room to watch the remaining picks with his mother, holding his breath whenever a team in need of a defensive tackle went on the clock.

“We were talking with Buffalo pre-draft about how they wanted me, and I was just kind of trying to see, like, maybe it’s lined up in a way where I’m gonna be able to get picked up for the last round,” he said.

Buffalo took UConn tackle Chase Lundt and Maryland wide receiver Kaden Prather in the seventh round. Brandt-Epps would have to wait — but not too long. Reports of his signing came out in the hours after the draft concluded.

And where there was once radio silence, Brandt-Epps found himself immersed in deafening support.

“I’m the first one to sign with an NFL team from my (high) school,” Brandt-Epps said. “Like I couldn’t even keep track with all the congratulations and the texts messages and the calls I was getting after it was announced. It’s just such a special feeling to know I kind of made it for my high school.”

Invited

Former UNM cornerback Cam Watts has been invited to the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs’ rookie mini-camps, the program announced Monday.

After making 12 solo tackles last season, the 5-10, 190-pound Watts ran an eye-popping 4.31-second 40-yard-dash at UNM’s pro day last month. He has since been running track for the Lobos, notching a personal best 10.08 in the 100-meters Friday at the Don Kirby Twilight Meet.

Transfer news

After carrying only three specialists this spring, it was never much of a question UNM would add a few more for depth purposes.

One came this weekend.

Montana transfer kicker Grant Glasgow committed to the Lobos via a post on social media Sunday, representing UNM’s third addition from the portal this spring.

“Super excited to get to work!” he wrote on X.

The 6-1, 194-pound redshirt sophomore handled kickoffs for the Grizzlies last season, averaging 61.3 yards per kick with one missed field goal attempt.

He converted 19 of 20 PAT attempts and 8 of 14 field goal attempts, including a career-best 49-yard make against Butler.

Glasgow redshirted his first season at Kansas before transferring to Montana, and has two years of eligibility remaining.

He joins linebacker Brett Karhu (Memphis) and defensive back Caleb Coleman (Texas State) in a transfer class expected to grow in the coming weeks.

Final count

With the transfer portal closing over the weekend, here’s the list of Lobos to enter their names throughout the spring transfer window: — LB Lucas Lucero — DL Tavien Ford — TE Keayen Nead — QB Emery Floyd — OL Matthew Toilolo — RB Takeshi Faupula — WR Terrell Davis — OL Nico Rivera — WR Mateo Contreras — S Skylar Cook — DL Jawaun Singletary — S Matthew Lashley — DL Vincent Santos — CB Devin Costello — LB Niko Bohler — WR Ryan Cook — S KJ Yarbrough

UNM football: DT Devin Brandt-Epps signs with Bills as undrafted free agent

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