The 2007 NFL Draft is just over a month away and will be held April 28-29 in New York City. Normally I am not a big enough NFL fan to care much about the draft but when some local talent is in the mix, it’s always fun to tune in and see how things play out.
I first watched the draft back in 2004 when Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning was selected as the first overall choice. He is currently the starting quarterback for the New York Giants. Eli played his senior season here when I started my freshman year. Prior to coming to college, I could care less about football but its amazing how things can change so quickly. We attended the first home game and I was instantly hooked!
I happened to land in the football dorm my freshman year and made friends with a few of the incoming freshman players. One of the players, Edwin Gelin, got me into the practice facility and I got to meet Eli, chat with him for a few and get some autographs.
An overall nice guy, although I didn’t get to talk with him very long. Anyway, the 2003 season went well for Ole Miss, ending with a victorious trip to the Cotton Bowl. But the one thing that stands out the most in my mind is when I saw Patrick Willis make his first real tackle on the field (on special teams, Ole Miss kicked the ball off to Alabama (I think), Patrick absolutely drilled the return guy!). Patrick was a freshman and just happened to live next door to me in the dorms. I remember congratulating him back in the dorm after that game and I knew he was going to be something special.
Turns out, I was right lol. Patrick went on to claim the following honors in 2005 and 2006 (borrowed from Wikipedia):
“In 2005, as a junior, he was named a First Team All-America by CollegeFootballNews.com and the All-American Football Foundation. He also earned First Team All-SEC honors from Associated Press, SEC Coaches, CollegeFootballNews.com and Rivals.com. He was a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award and was rated as college football’s #2 overall player by CollegeFootballNews.com. He recorded 128 tackles (90 solo), in 10 games started.
In his senior season in 2006, he totaled 137 tackles (87 solo). Before the season, he received the Chucky Mullins Courage Award. He was named pre-season first team All-American by Athlon, Lindy’s, Nationalchamps.net, Rivals.com, Playboy, Blue Ribbon College Yearbook, Phil Steele, The Sporting News, and The Kickoff. For his efforts, he was awarded SEC Defensive Player of the Year, first team All-SEC, first team AP All-American, and the winner of the prestigious Dick Butkus Award, given to the most outstanding linebacker in college football for the year 2006.”
Pretty impressive to say the least! Patrick is one of the nicest people I have met here at school and I really hope he goes far in his NFL career because he deserves every bit of it. Many sites are projecting him to be in the top 15-20 overall picks which means I have another reason to watch the Draft! Anyway, here are a few videos I found online (the first one I recorded myself but I think someone “stole” lol) that showcase his awesome talents. Enjoy!
