Eagles UDFA Nic Purcell's has had a weird road to the NFL

Typically, undrafted free agents go under-the-radar during the offseason workouts and sometimes even training camp. However, a member of the Eagles undrafted free agent group has made some news because of his unique story. Yahoo Sports football writer, Les Carpenter, tells the fantastically bizarre tale of Eagles rookie offensive lineman Nic Purcell, in what has to be considered the most in-depth article on a long-shot in quite sometime (Jeremy Maclin doesn't even get this type of press).

Purcell was signed by the Eagles this offseason after going undrafted in this year's selection process. A native of New Zealand, Purcell played two years at Golden West Community College in California, after deciding he wanted to go to college. He and his wife moved to the United States for that single purpose. In the middle of his second season at Golden West, he was offered a scholarship by (guess who!) the University of Oregon. Unfortunately, the NCAA ruled that Purcell was no longer eligible to compete, because he played two games in, as Carpenter puts it, a "loosely organized weekend football club" about four years ago. The 25-year old with just two years of community college experience thought he would never play football again.

Luckily for Purcell, Chip Kelly is now the football boss of the Eagles and he signed him to a deal in his first offseason as the team's coach. Purcell is playing offensive tackle. His story is an interesting expose on how truly messed up the NCAA is at this point and time. I strongly suggest you check out Carpenter's piece, for both Purcell's story and the ridiculous restrictions the NCAA puts on student-athletes.