cowboyjoe
04-01-2010, 09:35 PM
Mesquite grad Batten looks to make an impact in NFL
http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/2010/04/01/20100401gr-batten0402.html
by Samantha Lloyd - Apr. 1, 2010 02:46 PM
The Arizona Republic .
It has been a long road of training, meetings and workouts for 2006 Mesquite High School graduate Danny Batten, but he is hopeful it will prove worthwhile in the NFL draft this month.
Batten, who played defensive end at Mesquite, moved to linebacker at South Dakota State University, and learned to play the inside and outside positions, making him versatile.
"Teams are trying to fill 53-man rosters with the most versatility they can so they aren't burning one guy for one position," Batten said. "If they can get two positions out of one guy that would be ideal, so I think I kind of fill that void for them."
Batten, who has been training at Athlete's Performance in Phoenix, is set to graduate from South Dakota State after starting all four years and was named the 2009 Missouri Valley Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
The 6-foot-2, 246-pound Batten finished third in the balloting for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is awarded to the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision. Batten finished the season with 85 tackles, 10 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss in his final year.
"I always played with something to prove," Batten said. "That's the attitude you have to take on the field to be competitive against these guys."
Though coming from a smaller school, Batten said his dominance on the field helped to distinguish him, as well as his participation in the Texas vs. The Nation All-Star Game, which Texas, Batten's team, won 36-17.
"It was a good experience," Batten said. "After that game I got a lot more attention from scouts and the position coaches."
Batten said being able to play against players from large Division I schools, such as Louisiana State and Arizona State, allowed him to show his full capabilities.
"I showed I could play at any level," Batten said.
At the start of 2010, Batten trained at the Athletes Performance in Florida six days a week, two times each day. Then, with no combine invite, he was able to train for an extra month, doing individual training as well as several pro days, including one in Phoenix.
Now, in the post-combine training, Batten is doing four workouts a week and two days of regeneration.
"My whole motto is I'll never be outworked," Batten said. "Hard work does pay off."
Many teams have shown interest in Batten, and he said he would be happy playing for any of them.
"Everything happens for a reason," Batten said. "Things don't always happen the way you want them to happen, but in the end you can still reach your goals."
http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/2010/04/01/20100401gr-batten0402.html
by Samantha Lloyd - Apr. 1, 2010 02:46 PM
The Arizona Republic .
It has been a long road of training, meetings and workouts for 2006 Mesquite High School graduate Danny Batten, but he is hopeful it will prove worthwhile in the NFL draft this month.
Batten, who played defensive end at Mesquite, moved to linebacker at South Dakota State University, and learned to play the inside and outside positions, making him versatile.
"Teams are trying to fill 53-man rosters with the most versatility they can so they aren't burning one guy for one position," Batten said. "If they can get two positions out of one guy that would be ideal, so I think I kind of fill that void for them."
Batten, who has been training at Athlete's Performance in Phoenix, is set to graduate from South Dakota State after starting all four years and was named the 2009 Missouri Valley Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
The 6-foot-2, 246-pound Batten finished third in the balloting for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is awarded to the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision. Batten finished the season with 85 tackles, 10 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss in his final year.
"I always played with something to prove," Batten said. "That's the attitude you have to take on the field to be competitive against these guys."
Though coming from a smaller school, Batten said his dominance on the field helped to distinguish him, as well as his participation in the Texas vs. The Nation All-Star Game, which Texas, Batten's team, won 36-17.
"It was a good experience," Batten said. "After that game I got a lot more attention from scouts and the position coaches."
Batten said being able to play against players from large Division I schools, such as Louisiana State and Arizona State, allowed him to show his full capabilities.
"I showed I could play at any level," Batten said.
At the start of 2010, Batten trained at the Athletes Performance in Florida six days a week, two times each day. Then, with no combine invite, he was able to train for an extra month, doing individual training as well as several pro days, including one in Phoenix.
Now, in the post-combine training, Batten is doing four workouts a week and two days of regeneration.
"My whole motto is I'll never be outworked," Batten said. "Hard work does pay off."
Many teams have shown interest in Batten, and he said he would be happy playing for any of them.
"Everything happens for a reason," Batten said. "Things don't always happen the way you want them to happen, but in the end you can still reach your goals."