Brandon Aubrey may have never played in MLS after he was selected in the 2017 draft, but six years later, he completed an improbable journey to the NFL by debuting as a kicker with the Dallas Cowboys.
Toronto FC selected Aubrey 21st overall in the first round of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft. Aubrey had a standout college career as a defender at Notre Dame, but was unable to break through with TFC — at the time a MLS powerhouse.
Aubrey played for Toronto FC’s reserve team for a season before he was released. After one season with Bethlehem Steel FC of the USL, Aubrey left the sport in 2018.
It appeared Aubrey’s journey in pro sports had ended, as he went to work as a software engineer.
But Aubrey decided to give American football a go, hiring a kicking coach and working out through the pandemic to see if his kicking ability could translate from a round ball to an egg-shaped one.
As it turns out, it could — and then some.
Aubrey was drafted by the Birmingham Stallions of the USFL, where he put together a standout season in 2022. A preseason shot with the Cowboys followed, and Aubrey, now 28, ended up beating out his competition to become one of the most unlikely NFL rookies in recent memory.
“This is my third time being a rookie technically,” Aubrey told reporters ahead of his NFL debut. “An MLS rookie, a USFL rookie, and a rookie here. So I’ve been through it. I know what it feels like to be a rookie, but I wouldn’t say I feel like a rookie here. I’ve been treated well and with a very veteran unit and bringing me along at a lot quicker pace than I have in most places.
“The only time I had a different approach was in MLS, and that didn’t work out too well too well for me. For me, I was a little bit scared or nervous there. I didn’t really feel like I belonged. So that’s something I learned from and didn’t want to repeat.”
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