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Combine is not for everybody
[SIZE=-1]07:46 PM CST on Sunday, February 28, 2010
[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1] [/SIZE]
Column by RICK GOSSELIN / The Dallas Morning News | rgosselin@***BANNED-URL***
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedcontent/dws/img/standing/sports_mugs/gosselin.jpg
Rick Gosselin Archive | Blog | Bio | E-mail
Jim Cordle has attended the Ohio State pro days since he was a junior in high school seven years ago. He has watched as 49 Buckeyes closed the deal on their NFL draft selections, including 13 in the first round.
So Cordle knows the importance of pro day to an Ohio State football player – and the pro day coming up in Columbus on March 12 will mean everything to him.
That's because Cordle was not deemed worthy of an invitation to the NFL scouting combine this weekend in Indianapolis. There were 331 of the best draft-eligible players invited, including 47 offensive linemen.
But not Cordle. He should have been – by any measure.
Cordle started for three seasons on the offensive line for Ohio State teams that ranked in the top 10 all three years. He started at four positions – right and left tackle in 2009, guard in 2008 and center in 2007. So he showed the NFL his versatility.
When Cordle suffered a broken right wrist as a sophomore in 2007, he had it placed in a cast and snapped the football the next six games with his left hand. So he showed the NFL his athleticism, plus an ability to play with pain.
A center by trade, Cordle moved to guard and then tackle because of injuries and team needs. The Ohio State coaches knew he had the mental capacity to grasp the nuances of his new positions. After all, Cordle was a four-time academic All-Big Ten selection.
His omission from the NFL combine list was a disappointment but adds to the intensity of his pro day.
"You definitely have something to prove," Cordle said. "You want to show that you deserved to be at the combine because they invite the best guys, and you do feel kind of left out."
Cordle (6-4, 297) was invited to play in the East-West Shrine college all-star game and spent that week at center.
"If I had stayed at center, I'd probably be ranked higher than I am now," Cordle said. "I moved to left tackle and played well there, but that was definitely out of position for me.
"I'm not a tackle but I can play there in an emergency. All the moving around will pay off for me in the long run, though. ... So my versatility adds value for me."
The NFL didn't invite University of Houston offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer to the combine in 2009. He wound up being drafted in the second round by the New England Patriots with the 58th overall selection.
So the NFL does make mistakes. Cordle doesn't plan to make any March 12 in Columbus.
"It would have been nice to go to the combine," Cordle said, "but the Ohio State pro day is so big. I've been attending it since I was in high school. There are always at least 10 head coaches, plus all the scouts and GMs. I'll definitely have a chance to get drafted, even if I wasn't invited to the combine."
Freddie Barnes shares Cordle's belief. He is Bowling Green's all-time leading receiver and a Biletnikoff Award finalist in 2009. But he wasn't invited to the
combine, either.
Dez Bryant of Oklahoma State is arguably the best receiver in this draft. He started for three years for the Cowboys and caught 147 career passes. Barnes caught 155 passes last year alone to lead the NCAA.
Barnes also was a bit puzzled by his absence from Indianapolis this weekend.
"It drives me to work even harder," Barnes said. "Obviously some people out there don't believe in my abilities. That adds to my motivation."
Barnes' pro day at Bowling Green will be March 16. That will be his day to show the NFL he deserves the chance to play on Sundays.
"That'll be very important," Barnes said. "It's the next step that will get me closer to my dream. I've been playing football since I was 8. Ever since then I've wanted to get to this point. I've been chasing this dream for so long, and now it's finally here for me."
THE ALL-NONE COMBINE TEAM
A list of 11 players not invited to the 2010 NFL scouting combine but whose college productivity merited invites:
Thomas Austin, G, Clemson: Three-year starter and team captain with 112 knockdown blocks in 2009. Also is a former state high school wrestling champion.
Freddie Barnes, WR, Bowling Green: Caught 39 more passes than anyone else in the NCAA last season, including 22 in one game against Kent State.
Jim Cordle, C, Ohio State: Started 16 games at center, nine at guard and eight at tackle in his college career.
Van Eskridge, S, East Carolina: Three-year starter, two-time All-Conference USA who made 365 tackles and intercepted 11 career passes.
Jeff Fitzgerald, DE, Kansas State: Started 25 games in his first two seasons at Virginia, then transferred to Kansas State where he led the Wildcats in both tackles for loss (10) and sacks (7) in his final season.
Deji Karim, HB, Southern Illinois: Pat Paschall of North Dakota State led the FCS in rushing – but he wasn't the offensive MVP of his conference. Karim took that honor by averaging 7.1 yards per carry and scoring 18 touchdowns in his 1,694 yards. Paschall, however, was invited to the combine.
Chris Marinelli, OT, Stanford: Started 41 career games. Was an All-Pac 10 selection in 2009 in a blocking front that allowed the fewest sacks in the conference and propelled Toby Gerhart to a school- record 1,871 rushing yards and the Doak Walker Award.
Joe Pawelek, MLB, Baylor: Four-year starter and four-time academic All- American, plus two-time All-Big 12 selection. Started 46 career games and had 422 tackles, nine interceptions and broke up 27 other passes.
Brad Phillips, S, Northwestern: Three-year starter and three-time academic All-Big Ten, plus All-Big Ten on the field in '09. Forced five fumbles in 2009. Also forced a Shonn Greene fumble and intercepted Chase Daniel.
Rafael Priest, CB, TCU: When will the NFL recognize that some of the best defense in the country is being played at TCU? Priest started 51 career games and intercepted five passes and broke up 36.
Joe Webb, QB, Ala.-Birmingham: Webb was Vince Young and Tim Tebow without the spotlight at UAB. He passed for 5,771 yards and 37 TDs in his two years as a starter and finished as the school's all-time leading rusher with 2,774 yards and 24 TDs.
[SIZE=-1]07:46 PM CST on Sunday, February 28, 2010
[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1] [/SIZE]
Column by RICK GOSSELIN / The Dallas Morning News | rgosselin@***BANNED-URL***
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedcontent/dws/img/standing/sports_mugs/gosselin.jpg
Rick Gosselin Archive | Blog | Bio | E-mail
Jim Cordle has attended the Ohio State pro days since he was a junior in high school seven years ago. He has watched as 49 Buckeyes closed the deal on their NFL draft selections, including 13 in the first round.
So Cordle knows the importance of pro day to an Ohio State football player – and the pro day coming up in Columbus on March 12 will mean everything to him.
That's because Cordle was not deemed worthy of an invitation to the NFL scouting combine this weekend in Indianapolis. There were 331 of the best draft-eligible players invited, including 47 offensive linemen.
But not Cordle. He should have been – by any measure.
Cordle started for three seasons on the offensive line for Ohio State teams that ranked in the top 10 all three years. He started at four positions – right and left tackle in 2009, guard in 2008 and center in 2007. So he showed the NFL his versatility.
When Cordle suffered a broken right wrist as a sophomore in 2007, he had it placed in a cast and snapped the football the next six games with his left hand. So he showed the NFL his athleticism, plus an ability to play with pain.
A center by trade, Cordle moved to guard and then tackle because of injuries and team needs. The Ohio State coaches knew he had the mental capacity to grasp the nuances of his new positions. After all, Cordle was a four-time academic All-Big Ten selection.
His omission from the NFL combine list was a disappointment but adds to the intensity of his pro day.
"You definitely have something to prove," Cordle said. "You want to show that you deserved to be at the combine because they invite the best guys, and you do feel kind of left out."
Cordle (6-4, 297) was invited to play in the East-West Shrine college all-star game and spent that week at center.
"If I had stayed at center, I'd probably be ranked higher than I am now," Cordle said. "I moved to left tackle and played well there, but that was definitely out of position for me.
"I'm not a tackle but I can play there in an emergency. All the moving around will pay off for me in the long run, though. ... So my versatility adds value for me."
The NFL didn't invite University of Houston offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer to the combine in 2009. He wound up being drafted in the second round by the New England Patriots with the 58th overall selection.
So the NFL does make mistakes. Cordle doesn't plan to make any March 12 in Columbus.
"It would have been nice to go to the combine," Cordle said, "but the Ohio State pro day is so big. I've been attending it since I was in high school. There are always at least 10 head coaches, plus all the scouts and GMs. I'll definitely have a chance to get drafted, even if I wasn't invited to the combine."
Freddie Barnes shares Cordle's belief. He is Bowling Green's all-time leading receiver and a Biletnikoff Award finalist in 2009. But he wasn't invited to the
combine, either.
Dez Bryant of Oklahoma State is arguably the best receiver in this draft. He started for three years for the Cowboys and caught 147 career passes. Barnes caught 155 passes last year alone to lead the NCAA.
Barnes also was a bit puzzled by his absence from Indianapolis this weekend.
"It drives me to work even harder," Barnes said. "Obviously some people out there don't believe in my abilities. That adds to my motivation."
Barnes' pro day at Bowling Green will be March 16. That will be his day to show the NFL he deserves the chance to play on Sundays.
"That'll be very important," Barnes said. "It's the next step that will get me closer to my dream. I've been playing football since I was 8. Ever since then I've wanted to get to this point. I've been chasing this dream for so long, and now it's finally here for me."
THE ALL-NONE COMBINE TEAM
A list of 11 players not invited to the 2010 NFL scouting combine but whose college productivity merited invites:
Thomas Austin, G, Clemson: Three-year starter and team captain with 112 knockdown blocks in 2009. Also is a former state high school wrestling champion.
Freddie Barnes, WR, Bowling Green: Caught 39 more passes than anyone else in the NCAA last season, including 22 in one game against Kent State.
Jim Cordle, C, Ohio State: Started 16 games at center, nine at guard and eight at tackle in his college career.
Van Eskridge, S, East Carolina: Three-year starter, two-time All-Conference USA who made 365 tackles and intercepted 11 career passes.
Jeff Fitzgerald, DE, Kansas State: Started 25 games in his first two seasons at Virginia, then transferred to Kansas State where he led the Wildcats in both tackles for loss (10) and sacks (7) in his final season.
Deji Karim, HB, Southern Illinois: Pat Paschall of North Dakota State led the FCS in rushing – but he wasn't the offensive MVP of his conference. Karim took that honor by averaging 7.1 yards per carry and scoring 18 touchdowns in his 1,694 yards. Paschall, however, was invited to the combine.
Chris Marinelli, OT, Stanford: Started 41 career games. Was an All-Pac 10 selection in 2009 in a blocking front that allowed the fewest sacks in the conference and propelled Toby Gerhart to a school- record 1,871 rushing yards and the Doak Walker Award.
Joe Pawelek, MLB, Baylor: Four-year starter and four-time academic All- American, plus two-time All-Big 12 selection. Started 46 career games and had 422 tackles, nine interceptions and broke up 27 other passes.
Brad Phillips, S, Northwestern: Three-year starter and three-time academic All-Big Ten, plus All-Big Ten on the field in '09. Forced five fumbles in 2009. Also forced a Shonn Greene fumble and intercepted Chase Daniel.
Rafael Priest, CB, TCU: When will the NFL recognize that some of the best defense in the country is being played at TCU? Priest started 51 career games and intercepted five passes and broke up 36.
Joe Webb, QB, Ala.-Birmingham: Webb was Vince Young and Tim Tebow without the spotlight at UAB. He passed for 5,771 yards and 37 TDs in his two years as a starter and finished as the school's all-time leading rusher with 2,774 yards and 24 TDs.
