photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas receiver Levi Wentz (left) and Jalon Daniels share a chat during Kansas Football's pro day on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at the Anderson Football Complex in Lawrence.

After a pair of Jayhawks were selected in the later rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft, plenty more hoped to sign deals as undrafted free agents in the hours and days that followed.

A handful of former Kansas players inked deals with teams in the wake of the draft: quarterback Jalon Daniels, defensive tackle Tommy Dunn Jr., kicker Laith Marjan, wide receiver Levi Wentz and defensive tackle D.J. Withers. All five signings were announced on the official KU football social media accounts.

Daniels is headed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a contract that according to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero includes a $247,000 base salary guarantee and $25,000 signing bonus. The six-year Jayhawk from Lawndale, California, had appeared in several mock drafts, but no team took a chance on him in the 257 selections available; however, he’ll get a chance in Tampa after a solid final season at KU in which he threw for 2,531 yards with 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions and also ran for 404 yards and four touchdowns.

KU announced Dunn’s move to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday morning. The Garland, Texas, native will get the chance to start his professional career quite close to home. He played in 48 career games for the Jayhawks as a consistent contributor on the defensive line and a frequent starter his final two seasons. During the 2025 campaign, he recorded 26 tackles, three for loss, and blocked an extra point in KU’s loss to Missouri.

Marjan is joining the Pittsburgh Steelers. He provided some of KU’s best special-teams play in recent memory after transferring in from South Alabama and at one point set a record for consecutive made field goals by a Jayhawk. He finished the year, after a slight dip in late-season performance, 14-for-17 on field goals and 40-for-40 on extra points, with a season-long field goal of 55 yards. He received a Hula Bowl invitation and took part in the NFL Combine Specialist Showcase.

Wentz, a physical 6-foot-2 wideout, didn’t play football until his senior year of high school and then played defense at Old Dominion before moving to wide receiver at Albany and then KU. In his lone year as a Jayhawk, he served as one of a variety of targets for Daniels and caught 16 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns. He is joining the Seattle Seahawks, who drafted his fellow wideout Emmanuel Henderson Jr. in the sixth round and also have former Jayhawks Logan Brown and Bryce Cabeldue.

Withers will join his longtime teammate Dunn in Dallas after they spent years lining up together on the interior defensive line. Originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, he spent five years with the Jayhawks and played extensively in the final three. In 2025, he started all 12 games and finished the year with 16 tackles, including 4.5 for loss.

Kobe Baynes received minicamp invitations from the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans. After beginning his career at Louisville, Baynes earned greater playing time over the course of his KU tenure and started at right guard in 2024 and 2025. He earned an All-Big 12 honorable mention following the 2025 season.

Cornerback D.J. Graham II will take part in the New York Giants’ minicamp. Graham spent one season at KU after playing at Oklahoma and Utah State and tallied 24 tackles with three pass breakups.

Running back Leshon Williams received a minicamp invitation from his hometown Chicago Bears on Monday. A former Iowa transfer, Williams split time in the Jayhawks’ backfield during the 2025 season and carried the ball 97 times for 560 yards and seven touchdowns.

Notable Jayhawks who took part in various stages of the pre-draft process and whose destinations remain unknown as of Monday night included Bryson Canty, Kenean Caldwell, Devin Dye, Jalen Dye, Doug Emilien, Justice Finkley, Bryce Foster, Nolan Gorczyca, Boden Groen, DeShawn Hanika, Daniel Hishaw Jr., Bangally Kamara and Finn Lappin.