A big bodied, bonecrushing, player who originally started his college career at Auburn as a fullback Kamryn Pettway got his time to shine for the Tigers in 2016 when he ran 209 times for 1224 yards and 7 TDs. After seeing action in only 5 games in 2017 and tallying 76 carries for 305 yards and 6 TDs, Kamryn declared for the 2018 NFL Draft. He would not be selected but later signed with the Minnesota Vikings. After not making the squad, Kamryn signed with the Columbus Lions of the National Indoor Football League.
Card: Topps AAF Now 2019, Panini Prism 2015, Crown Royale 2015, Sage 2015, Score 2015, Topps XFL 2019, Acquired: IP 2019, SA Commanders Team Signing Dick’s Sporting Goods at The Rim. Ebay, 2020 TTM 2020, C/o Home Sent: 7/13 Received: 7/24 (11 days) Failure: TTM 2019, C/o The Minnesota Vikings
An all-star at Fresno State, Derron was named first team All WAC three times while playing for the Bulldogs. He pulled down 7 interceptions and 4 sacks in 2013, and 7 pass breakups and 80 tackles in 2014. Derron’s 15 career interceptions tied him for 5th on the school charts. A perfect storm emerged however with a hernia injury, (that caused Derron to miss the Senior Bowl and the combine,) and a bad pro day, which caused his draft day stock to drop. Scouts however, loved his ability to keep his eyes focused on the ball and the action in front of him, as well as his man cover skills.
Derron was selected in the 6th round in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. He’d spend the next two seasons there, eventually landing on their practice squad in 2017, where he was signed off the Bengals by the Cleveland Browns. Over that period he got some game time experience posting 16 total tackles, a fumble recovery, and a pass deflection. Cut by the Browns in 2018, Derron kept in football shape, prepping for his next shot.
In late 2018, Derron got his next shot- An invitation to play for the new Alliance of American Football. He’d be traded by the Fleet to the San Antonio Commanders in December for Damontre Moore. The Commanders were already steeped in defensive secondary talent, and looking to add depth at safety alongside guys like Orion Stewart and Kurtis Drummond. Derron would also be coached in the secondary by longtime NFL veteran and ballhawk Bill Bradley.
“He’s quiet in the DB room, but he’s the one guy that the guys look to. He’s kind of the calming factor in a very raucous bunch of defensive backs on our team.”
– Commanders GM Daryl Johnston
Derron made a lot of noise near the end of camp, and actually didn’t even start until Week 3 of the 2019 AAF season against the Iron. From there on however, he was lights out.
Derron in Week 4 earned AAF Defensive Player of the Week Honors, when he single-handedly demolished the Arizona Hotshots. He’d pick off a John Wolford pass and race 66 yards the other direction for a TD to open up the scoring. Then later in the game, he’d pick off Wolford again as the Hotshots tried to claw their way back into the contest. The following week against the Legends, he stepped in front of an errant Aaron Murray pass late in the game, and took that pass 87 yards to paydirt.
On the season Derron finished with 22 solo stops, 11 combined tackles, 8 pass deflections, and 3 interceptions for 153 yards and 2 TDs. Although the league ceased operations after 8 contests, Smith was posthumously named the AAF Defensive Player of the Year by Pro Football Focus for his outstanding play.
“On 309 snaps in coverage, Smith led the league at any position on defense with his 93.2 coverage grade as he intercepted three passes and broke up another five. He stuck his head in on 37 total tackles and missed just three while his eight defensive stops were a top-10 figure among safeties. His prowess in the secondary for the Commanders make him a legitimate candidate to potentially land a spot in the NFL this next season.”
-Pro Football Focus (on naming Smith the AAF Defender of the Year)
Derron was snatched up by the XFL later that year, after spending training camp with the Minnesota Vikings. He’d be the first defender taken off the board by his former GM Daryl Johnston, who was now working with the Dallas Renegades.
In 5 games with Dallas, Derron had 15 tackles, and an interception before the XFL 2020 folded due to COVID concerns.
I had a giant stack of cards of Derron I wanted to get signed and with his amazing game against the Hotshots and Legends, he zoomed near the top of my favorite Commanders defensive players. I got most of these autographs in person at an event at The Rim, before Week 7. Annoyingly the Topps AAF Now card arrived the next week in the mail so I had the stress of firing out this $10.00 card out into the wind and hoping it came back.
So you’re probably wondering, “How’d you track down Derron?” Easy. I cross referenced his bio to Twitter and found where he was at attached to his profile. From there I used Advanced Background Checks- and he popped right up.
Derron replied in about 10 days, signing both his XFL and AAF Now cards and wrote me a nice note, thanking me for being a fan. I was pumped.
Card: Topps Now 2019 Acquired: IP 2019, SA Commanders Team Signing Dick’s Sporting Goods at The Rim. Future Considerations 2019. TTM 2019, C/o Home. Sent: 5/28 Received: 12/30 ( 216 days)
Shaan Washington played linebacker for the Texas A&M Aggies from 2013-2016 seeing action as early as a true Freshman. His tackles increased every year with him finishing with 104 combined tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 6 pass deflections, and 2 forced fumbles. Shaan’s 59 assisted tackles led the SEC.
He’d be signed by the Minnesota Vikings in 2017, and spent time on and off the roster of the team through 2018, and saw no playing time.
In 2019, Shaan signed with the fledgling Alliance of American Football, and be territorially allocated to the San Antonio Commanders. and quickly established himself as a key starter in San Antonio’s aggressive defense.
Shaan’s big moment came on the AAF’s opening night against the San Diego Fleet. With the Fleet driving into SA territory, San Diego QB Mike Bercovici took the snap, but didn’t check down Washington, who came across Bercovici’s blindside and blasted him. The hit was so hard, not only did Mike fumble the ball, his helmet went flying across the field. The play made Shaan the poster boy for the AAF and became the master highlight for the brief history of the league. He finished the 8 game season with 20 total tackles, 3 sacks, a forced fumble, and a pass deflection.
Although Shaan was invited to the XFL Summer Showcase in St. Louis- inexplicably he’d not be selected in the XFL Draft.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
