Combine class pays off for NFL hopefuls
For many college football players, the months following their final season can prove more stressful than the road to a bowl game appearance each fall. Reaching the dream of becoming a professional athlete has quickly shifted from one’s performance on the gridiron to a series of calculated drills.
Velocity coach Erik Kasabuske works with former University of Texas quarterback Colt McCoy in preparation for the NFL Combine.
The opportunity to showcase a player’s talent via game film has passed. For hundreds of marginal players, opening the eyes of NFL scouts and executives is left to their success at the NFL Combines, an annual event held at the end of February where athletes are evaluated both mentally and physically.
This is where Ken Vick and his staff of coaches from Velocity Sports Performance in Redondo Beach come in. For the past few years, Vick has overseen Velocity’s Combine Class where prospective draftees train twice a day, six days a week for nearly four months.
Joining Vick on this year’s staff were Erik Kasabuske, Nick O’Brien and Tony Hale who are supported by Physical Therapist Dr. Stacy Suyama, other ATCs, nutritionists, massage therapists and Sport Psychologist Dr. Michael Gervais.
Vick first worked with Chris Claiborne from USC preparing for the NFL Draft in 1999. “After the opening of Velocity we have held four years of draft preparation,” Vick said. “This has lead to nine 1st round picks, 39 drafted players and 50 players on NFL rosters.”
Every bit of improvement in speed, quickness, agility and strength could translate into hundreds of thousands of dollars as a higher draft pick.
Two weeks ago, 13 players from Velocity’s Combine Class were selected in the 1010 NFL Draft, matching the number in 2009. Another five players were signed as undrafted free agents.
The first of Vick’s trainees selected was Earl Thomas, a 5-foot-10, 208-pouind safety from the University of Texas who entered the draft after his sophomore season. Thomas, the 14th selection overall, became Pete Carroll’s second pick as new head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.
“Earl was a top pick, but needed to confirm his speed for teams at a bigger size,” Vick explained. “He put on 15 lbs of muscle and ran faster than many expected.”
The other first-round player selected from Velocity’s Combine Class was Sean Weatherspoon, a 6-foot-1, 240-pound linebacker from Missouri who was picked in the 19th spot by the Atlanta Falcons.
“Sean Weatherspoon is very impressive physically, but is still driven to get in there everyday and improve,” Vick said. “He is also going to be a great team leader on the field and in the locker room. Earl Thomas is relatively young at only 20, but showed the maturity and professionalism to do the things he wasn’t comfortable with but needed to do.”
Going in the second round to the Minnesota Vikings was Toby Gerhart, a workhorse running back from Stanford who was runner-up in the Heisman Trophy voting after setting the career Pac-10 rushing record.
“When it comes to improving a player’s draft stock is always interesting,” Vick said. “This year, the biggest standouts were probably Toby Gerhart and Earl Thomas. Running fast times at his size (6-foot-1, 235 pounds) was critical for Toby who was projected everywhere from the second to sixth rounds. Gerhart is driven to prove what he can do and we would literally have to kick him and Colt McCoy out of the weight room at the end of the day.”
The third round featured three players who trained at Velocity. The Cleveland Browns selected Texas quarterback Colt McCoy and Arizona State linebacker Shawn Lauvao. After his MVP performance in the Emerald Bowl, USC wide receiver Damian Williams opted to forgo his senior season and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans
Three Velocity-trained tight ends were picked in the fourth round when Dennis Pitta (BYU) went to the Baltimore Ravens, Garrett Graham (Wisconsin) was selected by the Houston Texans and Aaron Hernandez (Florida) was named by New England Patriots.
Center Matt Tennant (Boston College) was picked by the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints in the fifth round before the Denver Broncos selected Notre Dame guard Eric Olsen in the sixth.
After waiting anxiously until the seventh and final round, quarterbacks Zac Robinson (Oklahoma State) and Sean Canfield (Oregon State) were drafted by the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints, respectively.
Signing as undrafted free agents from Velocity’s Combine Class were Notre Dame safety Kyle McCarthy safety (Denver Broncos), Indiana tight end Troy Wagner (Cleveland Browns), USC guard Alex Parsons (Oakland Raiders), UCLA tight end Logan Paulsen (Washington Redskins) and Tulane wide receiver Jeremy Williams receiver (San Diego Chargers). ER