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COLUMBUS - Mike Kudla is a workout freak.
The former Ohio State player very well could be the strongest prospect in the upcoming NFL draft.
At the league's annual scouting combine in Indianapolis in February, the 6-2, 265-pound Kudla tied the record for most repetitions in the bench press, hoisting 225 pounds 45 times.
Kudla's personal best is 52 reps. He has benched as much as 610 pounds, and he's squatted 625.
When Kudla was in junior high school, he'd gather 200-pound rocks from a nearby pile and bring them back in a wheelbarrow to help decorate his family's yard.
As a sophomore at Highland High School in Medina, Ohio, he would often disappear in his basement and work out for hours. There was always music blaring in the background.
Once Kudla outgrew that makeshift workout facility, he would go to the weight room at school or to a nearby gym to continue his intense training.
His workouts are legendary; his work ethic impeccable.
No one came close to matching Kudla's strength in the Buckeyes' weight room the last few years.
"I've always been gifted in weightlifting," Kudla said.
Kudla's strength and quickness - he has been clocked from between 4.5 and 4.6 in the 40-yard dash - have boosted his stock in the draft, which will be conducted April 29-30.
He was projected as a mid-round pick before the combine, but he has steadily been moving up and could go as high as the second round.
Several NFL teams have had Kudla in for private workouts in the last week, including the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets, and he will meet with more in the next two weeks.
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel has put in a plug for Kudla with Cleveland Browns coach Romeo Crennel. And the Browns met with Kudla during the combine.
"He seemed like a class A-type of kid," general manger Phil Savage said. "You can tell he's kind of a power-packed body type. I think the question for us is where does he fit in a 3-4 defense? You don't know if he's an outside 'backer, an end, an inside 'backer or a pass rusher."
Kudla said it would be a dream to get drafted by the Browns, but he's not holding his breath.
"I'm from Cleveland so I followed them," he said. "Yeah, it'd be neat to play for them, but really, to play in the NFL is a great honor. So anywhere you could play and throw on a professional uniform is the dream."
Kudla saw considerable playing time as a freshman on OSU's national championship team in 2002. It was no small feat, considering the Buckeyes' defensive line featured four future NFL players.
Near the end of that season, he was diagnosed with a mild case of mononucleosis. He missed most of the practices leading up to the Fiesta Bowl, but played in the double-overtime win over Miami.
But shortly after returning to Columbus, Kudla's condition worsened.
He fell ill with a bizarre ailment known as Stevens-Johnson Syndrome.
He developed painful sores in his throat, blood seeped from his eyes, ears and nose, and portions of his skin just fell off, and a priest was called in to administer last rites.
Kudla made a miraculous recovery.
But he dropped a lot of weight - 52 pounds in all - and he lost a lot of his muscle and strength.
Kudla showed flashes of big-play ability as a sophomore and junior, but injuries kept holding him back.
Last summer, prior to the start of his senior season, he revamped his offseason workout program. He added flexibility and speed training.
It helped him stay healthy.
Kudla proved to be a real force at defensive end for the Buckeyes.
Despite frequently getting double-teamed, he had 11 1/2 tackles for losses, 9 1/2 sacks and a career-high 41 tackles and was named first-team All-Big Ten.
He also had a monster game in the Fiesta Bowl win over Notre Dame in January, finishing with seven tackles and three sacks.
Since staring death in the face, Kudla is much more appreciative of the little things in his everyday life.
"It's a long road from where I've been to now," he said. "I know I have a lot to be thankful for. You just appreciate little stuff, like talking to your parents and something like that."
NFL teams would be hard-pressed to find a prospect more rock-solid than Kudla.
And many players could draw strength from his courageous comeback.
Ron Musselman is a Blade sports columnist.
>> Email him at mussel@theblade.com.
>> Read more Ron Musselman columns
The former Ohio State player very well could be the strongest prospect in the upcoming NFL draft.
At the league's annual scouting combine in Indianapolis in February, the 6-2, 265-pound Kudla tied the record for most repetitions in the bench press, hoisting 225 pounds 45 times.
Kudla's personal best is 52 reps. He has benched as much as 610 pounds, and he's squatted 625.
When Kudla was in junior high school, he'd gather 200-pound rocks from a nearby pile and bring them back in a wheelbarrow to help decorate his family's yard.
As a sophomore at Highland High School in Medina, Ohio, he would often disappear in his basement and work out for hours. There was always music blaring in the background.
Once Kudla outgrew that makeshift workout facility, he would go to the weight room at school or to a nearby gym to continue his intense training.
His workouts are legendary; his work ethic impeccable.
No one came close to matching Kudla's strength in the Buckeyes' weight room the last few years.
"I've always been gifted in weightlifting," Kudla said.
Kudla's strength and quickness - he has been clocked from between 4.5 and 4.6 in the 40-yard dash - have boosted his stock in the draft, which will be conducted April 29-30.
He was projected as a mid-round pick before the combine, but he has steadily been moving up and could go as high as the second round.
Several NFL teams have had Kudla in for private workouts in the last week, including the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets, and he will meet with more in the next two weeks.
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel has put in a plug for Kudla with Cleveland Browns coach Romeo Crennel. And the Browns met with Kudla during the combine.
"He seemed like a class A-type of kid," general manger Phil Savage said. "You can tell he's kind of a power-packed body type. I think the question for us is where does he fit in a 3-4 defense? You don't know if he's an outside 'backer, an end, an inside 'backer or a pass rusher."
Kudla said it would be a dream to get drafted by the Browns, but he's not holding his breath.
"I'm from Cleveland so I followed them," he said. "Yeah, it'd be neat to play for them, but really, to play in the NFL is a great honor. So anywhere you could play and throw on a professional uniform is the dream."
Kudla saw considerable playing time as a freshman on OSU's national championship team in 2002. It was no small feat, considering the Buckeyes' defensive line featured four future NFL players.
Near the end of that season, he was diagnosed with a mild case of mononucleosis. He missed most of the practices leading up to the Fiesta Bowl, but played in the double-overtime win over Miami.
But shortly after returning to Columbus, Kudla's condition worsened.
He fell ill with a bizarre ailment known as Stevens-Johnson Syndrome.
He developed painful sores in his throat, blood seeped from his eyes, ears and nose, and portions of his skin just fell off, and a priest was called in to administer last rites.
Kudla made a miraculous recovery.
But he dropped a lot of weight - 52 pounds in all - and he lost a lot of his muscle and strength.
Kudla showed flashes of big-play ability as a sophomore and junior, but injuries kept holding him back.
Last summer, prior to the start of his senior season, he revamped his offseason workout program. He added flexibility and speed training.
It helped him stay healthy.
Kudla proved to be a real force at defensive end for the Buckeyes.
Despite frequently getting double-teamed, he had 11 1/2 tackles for losses, 9 1/2 sacks and a career-high 41 tackles and was named first-team All-Big Ten.
He also had a monster game in the Fiesta Bowl win over Notre Dame in January, finishing with seven tackles and three sacks.
Since staring death in the face, Kudla is much more appreciative of the little things in his everyday life.
"It's a long road from where I've been to now," he said. "I know I have a lot to be thankful for. You just appreciate little stuff, like talking to your parents and something like that."
NFL teams would be hard-pressed to find a prospect more rock-solid than Kudla.
And many players could draw strength from his courageous comeback.
Ron Musselman is a Blade sports columnist.
>> Email him at mussel@theblade.com.
>> Read more Ron Musselman columns