Jackson Free Press

It was a perfect day on Saturday, March 14, at Smith-Wills Stadium. The weather—not too hot, not too cold—was the kind you want if you wanted to look fast and run fast for scouts.

Around 20 players from around the state and out of state were at the Jackson Combine, including the University of Southern Mississippi, Jackson State University and Grambling State University. The players wanted to impress scouts at the event with the workout to help their future professional football chances.

One player at the combine already knows how fickle the football fates can be in the NFL. Former Ole Miss wide receiver Ja-Mes Logan was an undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots last fall. He made it to the final round of cuts before the team released him. Logan was one of the few players trying to make the roster, along with Vicksburg native Victor Butler.

"I made the final cut," he says. "It was between me and Butler. Life is real different for him right now. ... It was all about what (New England) needed. They didn't really need another receiver, but they needed more defensive backs. It was a good experience but a bad situation."

Instead, Butler made the game-winning interception in the Super Bowl to seal a Patriots victory, while Logan had workouts with Tennessee and a couple of CFL teams after New England cut him from the team.

Even stranger might be what happened after the draft to Logan.

"It was really weird on draft day," he says. "Jacksonville called but they didn't call my phone. They called my mom's phone. She didn't recognize the number so she didn't answer. When I called back, they were already full." Jacksonville had signed all the undrafted free agents they wanted at wide receiver, Logan says.

Logan came to Ole Miss in 2009 out of Westfield High School in Houston. He played in 12 games his freshman season and started five, while finishing third on the team with 387 receiving yards and 29 receptions with two touchdowns.

In his sophomore season, he finished third on the team with 27 receptions and 274 receiving yards while playing in 12 games and starting four games. In his junior season, Logan finished second in catches with 43 and third in receiving yards with 490. He played 12 games with four starts.

Logan finished his senior season with 11 starts. He played in 12 games but missed the bowl game due to being academically ineligible. He finished third on the team with 583 receiving yards, 44 catches and three touchdowns. He finished his Ole Miss career tied for 7th in school history for career receptions with 136 and 12th in receiving yards with 1,734.

After the season, Logan was selected to play in the 2014 East-West Shrine Game, where he caught three passes for 23 yards. He graduated from Ole Miss in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.

At the combine, Logan was one of the standout players. His 40-yard dash was one of fastest of the day at an official 4.6 seconds. His three-cone drill time, which was at an official 6.39 seconds, showed his quick change of direction. He also showed great lateral movement with an official 3.93 shuttle drill.

Now, the hard part of Logan is getting teams interested in him again.

"Right now I'm just trying to get back out there and get my name back out there," Logan says. "I will play anywhere right now. It really doesn't matter to me."

The teams' roster needs don't matter to Logan. "I don't look at that. I just want a shot," he says. "I know I will make the roster with any receiver group. I'm just expecting any call."

Logan doesn't want to wait on the perfect fit between player and team. "When you're in a situation like this, any opportunity will work," he says. "Special teams, practice squad, anything to get on a roster."

Getting his name back into football circles has been slow going with just a couple of CFL teams showing interest at the moment. However, they just wanted workouts from him. That is one of the reasons Logan was at the Jackson Combine: to work on drills for scouts.

"I'm in the best condition right now," Logan says. "I've done more running and lifting weights."

While waiting on that fateful phone call, Logan has been working out and catching footballs with former Ole Miss and current New York Giants star Eli Manning. He says working with Manning helps because he can give him tips on what he needs to do to make it as an NFL receiver.

"The hardest thing, is waiting for that phone to ring and when it does ring you wonder if this is the call," Logan says.