Image courtesy of AFCA/NCAA

You can make the argument that FCS football has never been in a better spot than it is now.

More eyes have been on the product and more and more FCS players are having a legitimate impact once they get to NFL training camps, some even making a mark on Sundays early in their career.

The NFL has taken notice.

Now, the league is giving select FCS players the opportunity to shine before the real pre-NFL Draft season begins with Pro Days and the NFL Combine.

On January 4th & 5th down in Nashville, the inaugural NFL-FCS Showcase. 50 FCS prospects will have interviews with NFL teams and then go through regular NFL Combine-like workouts. Monday night (January 5), they’ll watch Montana State and Illinois State battle for the FCS national title.

The event was put together by the NCAA, American Football Coaches Association and the NFL.

Rhode Island linebacker AJ Pena and Bryant defensive lineman Michael Otty are two of six CAA athletes to get one of the invites.

“Having coached at the FCS level, I’ve seen firsthand the caliber of players that exist across that division,” Craig Bohl, AFCA executive director, said in a press release. “The AFCA is honored to partner with the NCAA and NFL Football Operations to help put on the FCS Showcase. This collaboration is about ensuring every talented player has a chance to be evaluated on the biggest stage.”

Otty was a grad student this past season and started in all 12 games. He was named to All-CAA First-Team, which made three straight years earning end-of-year honors. Otty finished with 41 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles and a blocked kick, which won the game against Albany on November 8. Otty also led the CAA in TFLs with 17, wrapping up his career with 38.5 TFLs, ranking fifth all-time in DI program history. This was his second season having 40+ tackles and he had five games of multiple TFLs, including a career-high four versus Maine.

Pena went and dipped his toes in the FBS waters with Memphis before returning to the Rams for one more season in 2025. Pena has earned every accolade a defensive player can earn and has already been on the NFL radars for quite a while now. He closed out URI’s second straight CAA title season with 72 total tackles (40 solo), 11 sacks and a forced fumble. Pena would add a ferocious, aggressive, fast linebacker to any NFL LB room mediately if he ends up getting drafted or signs somewhere as a UDFA.

As the FCS continues to grow and get more exposure, schools like Bryant and URI will continue getting opportunities like this to showcase the school and the region, showing that talent is plentiful here in New England.