NFL Draft looms for senior Rams
Though the 2003 season is said and done, many Colorado State
Rams football players are still looking and hoping to carry on
their football careers in the NFL.
The Rams have sent numerous players to the NFL via the NFL Draft
held each April, but many players have also made NFL rosters by
being signed as undrafted rookie free agents.
This year’s 7-6 Ram team might have had a disappointing season,
but numerous players, as many as three according to various Web
sites, have a chance to be drafted in April.
Quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt is the Ram with the best chance of
having his name called on draft day, but when it will be called is
still a big question to many. Van Pelt suffered an injury on his
right (throwing) hand in the Rams’ final game of the season in Las
Vegas and injured his left hand during the team’s 35-21 loss to
Boston College in the Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl. The
position he will play in the NFL is still also a question.
“That kid can definitely play quarterback at the next level,”
Boston College head coach Tom O’Brian said after the San Francisco
Bowl. “He is a gamer and he will be playing on Sundays.”
Quarterback is where he wants to play.
“I am still learning the position, and I learn more and more
about it every day,” Van Pelt said. “I am working out with a lot of
good trainers and hopefully someone will give me a chance to
play.”
Van Pelt has left school, even though he only needs 12 credit
hours to graduate, to focus on getting ready for the NFL.
“I am a athlete-student, not a student-athlete,” Van Pelt said.
“Playing football is my job right now.”
Van Pelt is rated as the 18th-best quarterback on
“http://www.football.com”>www.football.com
sites dedicated to analyzing potential draft picks.
The two other Rams that have been rumored to land in the NFL via
the draft are linebacker Drew Wood and cornerback Dexter Wynn.
Though Wynn does not have the typical defensive back size – he
only stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 170 pounds – scouts are impressed
with his kickoff and punt return abilities.
Wynn is currently rated as the 20th-best cornerback in the
draft, according to football.com.
As for Wood, a solid career with 189 tackles and 12 sacks has
impressed some scouts enough to rate him as high as the 11th-best
inside linebacker in the draft.
Other Rams that have a chance to be signed after the draft
concludes are: defensive tackle Brian Save, who performed well in
Saturday’s Hula Bowl, wide receiver Chris Pittman, center Mark
Dryer and linebacker Eric Pauly, who has only slipped out of the
draft because of a season-ending knee injury he suffered in the
Rams game against Utah earlier this season.
Former Rams players that now call the NFL home are:
Craft, Jason Jacksonville Jaguars CB
Haggans, Clark Pittsburgh Steelers LB
Howell, John Tampa Bay Buccaneers DB
Moran, Sean San Francisco 49ers DE
Nelson, Rhett Minnesota Vikings DB
Porter, Joey Pittsburgh Steelers OLB
Ross, Adrian Cincinnati Bengals OLB
Saipaia, Blaine Oakland Raiders C
Sapp, Cecil Denver Broncos RB
Smith, Brady Atlanta Falcons DE
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