Two Robeson County Athletes Land NFL Free-Agent Deals After Draft

Fresh off the NFL Draft, two local stars struck deals as free agents. The Los Angeles Rams picked up Jordan Waters, while Chandler Brayboy will join the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Though passed over in the 257-pick draft, both North Carolina standouts secured pro deals minutes after. Waters, from Fairmont High, and Brayboy, from Purnell Swett, mark the county's first NFL signings since 2021.

At 6-foot and 220 pounds, Waters bulldozed his way to success at North Carolina State, rushing for 470 yards with four touch downs. His earlier stint at Duke proved even more impressive — 1,690 yards on the ground and 23 trips to the end zone put him at No. 4 for rushing touchdowns in Blue Devils history.

“It was a fun day, just sitting around; the phone kept ringing from other people, so I'm getting mad, thinking it's the teams,” Waters said to The Robesonian. “So a lot of phone calls, but I had my family there. I was so nervous, but once I got the call and we figured everything out, I was good from there.”

Brayboy lit up the field at Elon. The swift-footed receiver blazed past defenders for 979 yards and eight touch downs in his final year. His special-teams magic showed, too, with two kick returns for touchdowns. His total college stats were 2,660 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns.

“It was a blessing; even though you didn't hear your name called (in the draft), it was just a great opportunity to experience that with your family and to have some type of slim chance of getting drafted, which was cool,” Brayboy said to The Robesonian.

With the Rams thin at running back, Waters might find his opening. For Brayboy, Jacksonville's roster setup could mean chances on special teams first, then as a backup pass-catcher.