Nov. 16, 2017
SAN DIEGO -
Ten weeks into the NFL season, San Diego State's alumni are still making their marks in the league.
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San Diego State has 11 former players on rosters throughout the league, with two on practice squads and four on injured reserve.
New York Giants linebacker Calvin Munson made six tackles, four solo and two assisted, in a 21-31 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Throughout his rookie season with the Giants, he has started a pair of games, making 27 tackles (17 solo, 10 assisted) with a sack and a forced fumble in eight contests. Munson, who started all 41 games at outside linebacker from 2014-16 for SDSU, finished his collegiate career ranked sixth in tackles (301) and ninth in sacks (18.0). He was a three-time all-Mountain West pick, including a first-team selection each of his final two seasons. Munson signed with the Giants as an undrafted free agent following the 2017 NFL Draft.
Nat Berhe, safety for the New York Giants, lined up for one play on defense and 15 plays on special teams against the San Francisco 49ers. In his fourth season with the New York Giants, he has recorded one solo tackle and assisted on three others in nine games played. For his career, he has made 38 tackles, a forced fumble and fumble recovery. Berhe was a three-year starter from 2010-13 and was the first Aztec safety in the MW era (since 1999) to earn all-conference honors in three consecutive seasons.
Wide Receiver Brice Butler of the Dallas Cowboys caught a 30-yard pass on his only target against the Atlanta Falcons, lining up for 22 plays on the offense and one play on special teams. The fifth-year pro is averaging 24.3 yards per reception with 10 catches through 10 games, and five of his plays are for 30 yards or more. In his lone season with San Diego State in 2012 following a three-year career at USC, Butler played in all 13 games with eight starts, recording 24 catches for 347 yards and four touchdowns. He was a seventh-round pick of the Oakland Raiders in the 2013 NFL Draft.
In the Atlanta Falcons' game against the Cowboys, free safety Damontae Kazee participated in 13 plays on special teams. He has played in all nine games during his rookie season with one start, recording 11 tackles (six solo, five assisted) with two forced fumbles. A cornerback in college, Kazee was selected by the Falcons in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Kazee finished his final year with 65 tackles (45 solo), seven interceptions for 156 yards, eight pass breakups, three tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry en route to being named the MW Defensive Player of the Year for a second straight season. Kazee, a three-time all-MW selection over his career (first team in 2015-16, second team in 2014), finished with a school-record 17 interceptions, 30 pass breakups (sixth at SDSU) and 214 interception yards (seventh at SDSU).
Tight end Gavin Escobar and the Baltimore Ravens had a bye week in week 10. A fifth-year pro, he has played in 63 games with 11.1 receiving yards per game and eight total touchdowns. Escobar started 23 games during his 39-game career with the Aztecs. He grabbed 122 passes for 1,646 and 17 touchdowns en route to All-American and All-Mountain West accolades each of his three seasons on the Mesa. He became just the 26th player in school history to register 100 receptions during a career.
Arizona Cardinals starting long snapper Aaron Brewer, Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Nico Siragusa, Dallas Cowboys defensive back Leon McFadden and Philadelphia Eagles running back Donnel Pumphrey are on their teams' respective injured lists.
Offensive linemen Daniel Brunskill (Atlanta Falcons) and defensive end Alex Barrett (Detroit Lions) are on their teams' respective practice squads.