Since its inaugural season in 2000, af2 has served as a valuable proving ground for players and coaches to develop their skills before moving up to the AFL. There were 148 former af2 players on AFL rosters during opening weekend in 2007.

 

The AFL’s free-agent signing period began on October 29. Since that date, 55 players who competed in af2 in 2007 have signed free-agent contracts with AFL teams.

 

Two notable signings have been af2 Offensive Player of the Year QB RYAN VENA and ADT Defensive Player of the Year DB LEVY BROWN. Both players were signed by the New York Dragons, whose head coach WEYLAN HARDING spent 2001 as the defensive backs coach for the af2’s Rochester Brigade.

 

“The experience gained in af2 is invaluable,” said Harding. “You don’t have any other leagues that get players ready for our particular game. To see that they perform well in af2 is important to us to project how they will do here at this level.”

 

Following is a list of notable offseason signings of af2 players to AFL rosters for 2008: