STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Football alums Damien Caffrey, Eric Black, and Delante Hellams Jr. have secured professional opportunities in the NFL following the 2023 Draft. Caffrey signed a free agent contract with the Chicago Bears, while Black was invited to mini-camp by the New York Giants, and Hellams Jr. earned a mini-camp invite from the Washington Commanders.
 
Since 2017, Stony Brook has sent 19 student-athletes to NFL training camps. In total, 22 Seawolves have earned opportunities in the NFL, one of the highest totals in all of the FCS.
 
Caffrey appeared in all 11 games in 2022 for the Seawolves. The tight end caught seven passes for 78 yards and was a key cog blocking for Stony Brook's ground game. Caffrey caught his first two passes as a Seawolf in the season opener against Rhode Island on September 1. The Long Island native hauled in his longest catch of the season which went for 35 yards against Maine on October 22.
 
Black, a defensive end, appeared in 10 games in his lone season on Long Island and recorded 19 tackles (11 solo, eight assists), seven TFLs, and five sacks. Black led the team in sacks and was second on the team in TFLs. The defensive end was tied for 10^th in the CAA in sacks in 2022. Black finished the season with four sacks over the Seawolves' final three games, which included a two-sack outing against Morgan State on November 5.
 
Following the 2022 season, both Caffrey and Black were tabbed to the prestigious National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society. In addition, the duo was named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team in the fall.
 
Hellams Jr. was named one of the Seawolves' team captains prior to the 2022 season. The wide receiver played in 10 games and caught 16 passes for 189 yards and one touchdown this past season. Over the course of his career at Stony Brook, he hauled in 75 passes for 1,098 yards, and three touchdowns.
 
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