Brotherhood And Competition Line Fish Field House On Pro Day
March 27, 2022 | Football, #ForBoston Files
BC started its month-long countdown on Friday leading up to its next NFL Draft chapter.
Every football player dreams about reaching the NFL. They close their eyes at every level and imagine running out of a tunnel on an NFL Sunday. They feel the energy generated by the crowds, the smoke, and the fireworks. They make plays capable of electrifying that crowd, and they help their teams make the playoffs and the Super Bowl. They see the confetti falling around them as they grab hats and shirts from an unidentified team staff member, and they never mind how smudged or dirty the Vince Lombardi Trophy gets before they kiss it through their tears.
Every kid grows up dreaming of that moment, but the harsh truth is that it's reserved for the select few who matriculate beyond college football. The journey is unforgiving with a process that's deliberately cold in its filtration of all but the most elite, and plenty of good football players with solid careers are left behind.Â
In college football, finding the way through that blockade requires the vision and passion of a coach and a system, but it ultimately boils down to the athlete's ability to impress scouts, coaches and general managers. On Friday, exactly one month before the NFL Draft kicks off in Las Vegas, Boston College held its annual Pro Day to prove that its football players are exactly the ones capable of fulfilling those dreams both for themselves and for their future teammates.
"[Getting drafted] will mean the world to me," offensive lineman Alec Lindstrom said, "but all it really means is that it's time to get working. That's the next step. Just because you get drafted doesn't mean you made it. I have goals and aspirations for myself. I want to go to a team, and I want to help them win. I want to win a job, then go on and help that team win the Super Bowl. That's why you're playing. It's going to be an amazing feeling if and when I get that call, but that just means it's time to work even harder."
Pro Day helps bridge the gap between the college student-athlete and the professional athlete each player hopes to become. The NFL Draft process is littered with these individual events and workouts, but only a school's Pro Day brings an entire crop of prospects together for evaluation by NFL scouts. They run the same drills as the NFL Combine, the most elite workout held annually in Indianapolis, while participating in additional, position-specific breakout sessions for the gathered scouts.
Friday showcased BC's entry into that field and reunited players who spent their football offseason preparing for those watchful eyes. Quarterback Dennis Grosel threw downfield passes to tight end Trae Barry, and defensive back Brandon Sebastian elevated to simulate the way he defended passes throughout his career. Brandon Barlow lined up as both a defensive lineman and a linebacker, and Travis Levy participated in pass catching drills akin to his running back lanes.
"I definitely feel like I was prepared for this moment," Sebastian said, "especially the past couple of years, here at BC, we trained for this every winter and spring. I had a ton of reps, especially when I was training, and I feel like everything went as smoothly as it should have. You're basically competing with yourself at that point, and I personally think I did pretty good."
The current iteration of the NFL Draft initially began as the common draft between the AFL and NFL in 1967. The two rivals agreed to merge in 1970, and the introduction of that common draft enabled the Green Bay Packers to select Bob Hyland with the ninth overall pick. Five years later, following a number of Eagles selected throughout the turn of the decade, Bill Thomas joined him as a first round pick when Dallas picked him 26th overall.
The mystique grew from there, and BC entered the last decade with picks in every except for 1978 and 2013. Dozens of players built a mystique, and the lineage stretched from quarterback Mike Kruczek to linebacker Pete Cronan to nose guard Fred Smerlas to defensive back Mike mayock and others. Steve DeOssie, Gerard Phelan, Doug Flutie, Steve Strachan, Mike Ruth, John Bosa, Steve Trapilo, Bill Romanowski, and Joe Wolf all dotted the 1980s, and the 1990s brought Mike Mamula, Pete Mitchell, Pete Kendall, Stalin Colinet, Damien Woody, Mike Cloud, Chris Hovan into the NFL.
The numbers swelled and filled NFL rosters, and trips to the Super Bowl became commonplace. Eagles hoisted the Lombardi Trophy and entrenched their reputations among the professional elite, and each year brought the kind of undervalued, underrated attention to those value picks that seemingly went unnoticed on an annual basis.
"I've learned a lot through my six years of college," Graham-Mobley said jokingly. "But I was able to get my bachelor's degree [from Temple] before getting my master's degree at BC. I couldn't be more grateful for that since I can kind of set things in place for after football if I need to. That's been a great opportunity.
"I know I was only here for one year," he continued, "but BC has a super rich history. I'm glad to say I got my master's degree from here. I can say that I have a degree from BC. There's the Boston culture, and the culture of a team that's loved by their fans is really nice. There's that camaraderie."
Friday was as much about celebrating that as it was about impressing scouts. The competition remained fierce, but players battling each other for NFL Draft positions supported one another as much as they wanted their own personal success. The cheers from the current roster positioned on one sideline echoed through Fish Field House, and the coaches mingling with their NFL counterparts shared laughs and conversations. The players encouraged one another, and as the day ended, they all walked off, knowing they had done enough and left everything on the field, together, in an attempt to fulfill that personal dream.
"You kind of know what you're getting into when you get ready for a Pro Day," Barry said, "so I felt prepared for everything. There weren't any nerves; it's just running and jumping. It's just playing ball, which is what we do. I feel like I could have achieved more, and I wish I could have done a little better on some stuff, but I'm satisfied, and now I'm just looking forward to the next big picture."
The 2022 NFL Draft will begin on Thursday, April 28 and continue through Saturday, April 30. Coverage will be carried by both ESPN and the NFL Network, with the first round taking place in prime time on the first night. Both the second and third round will occur on the second night of the draft with the fourth through seventh rounds on Saturday.
Every kid grows up dreaming of that moment, but the harsh truth is that it's reserved for the select few who matriculate beyond college football. The journey is unforgiving with a process that's deliberately cold in its filtration of all but the most elite, and plenty of good football players with solid careers are left behind.Â
In college football, finding the way through that blockade requires the vision and passion of a coach and a system, but it ultimately boils down to the athlete's ability to impress scouts, coaches and general managers. On Friday, exactly one month before the NFL Draft kicks off in Las Vegas, Boston College held its annual Pro Day to prove that its football players are exactly the ones capable of fulfilling those dreams both for themselves and for their future teammates.
"[Getting drafted] will mean the world to me," offensive lineman Alec Lindstrom said, "but all it really means is that it's time to get working. That's the next step. Just because you get drafted doesn't mean you made it. I have goals and aspirations for myself. I want to go to a team, and I want to help them win. I want to win a job, then go on and help that team win the Super Bowl. That's why you're playing. It's going to be an amazing feeling if and when I get that call, but that just means it's time to work even harder."
Pro Day helps bridge the gap between the college student-athlete and the professional athlete each player hopes to become. The NFL Draft process is littered with these individual events and workouts, but only a school's Pro Day brings an entire crop of prospects together for evaluation by NFL scouts. They run the same drills as the NFL Combine, the most elite workout held annually in Indianapolis, while participating in additional, position-specific breakout sessions for the gathered scouts.
Friday showcased BC's entry into that field and reunited players who spent their football offseason preparing for those watchful eyes. Quarterback Dennis Grosel threw downfield passes to tight end Trae Barry, and defensive back Brandon Sebastian elevated to simulate the way he defended passes throughout his career. Brandon Barlow lined up as both a defensive lineman and a linebacker, and Travis Levy participated in pass catching drills akin to his running back lanes.
"I definitely feel like I was prepared for this moment," Sebastian said, "especially the past couple of years, here at BC, we trained for this every winter and spring. I had a ton of reps, especially when I was training, and I feel like everything went as smoothly as it should have. You're basically competing with yourself at that point, and I personally think I did pretty good."
The current iteration of the NFL Draft initially began as the common draft between the AFL and NFL in 1967. The two rivals agreed to merge in 1970, and the introduction of that common draft enabled the Green Bay Packers to select Bob Hyland with the ninth overall pick. Five years later, following a number of Eagles selected throughout the turn of the decade, Bill Thomas joined him as a first round pick when Dallas picked him 26th overall.
The mystique grew from there, and BC entered the last decade with picks in every except for 1978 and 2013. Dozens of players built a mystique, and the lineage stretched from quarterback Mike Kruczek to linebacker Pete Cronan to nose guard Fred Smerlas to defensive back Mike mayock and others. Steve DeOssie, Gerard Phelan, Doug Flutie, Steve Strachan, Mike Ruth, John Bosa, Steve Trapilo, Bill Romanowski, and Joe Wolf all dotted the 1980s, and the 1990s brought Mike Mamula, Pete Mitchell, Pete Kendall, Stalin Colinet, Damien Woody, Mike Cloud, Chris Hovan into the NFL.
The numbers swelled and filled NFL rosters, and trips to the Super Bowl became commonplace. Eagles hoisted the Lombardi Trophy and entrenched their reputations among the professional elite, and each year brought the kind of undervalued, underrated attention to those value picks that seemingly went unnoticed on an annual basis.
"I've learned a lot through my six years of college," Graham-Mobley said jokingly. "But I was able to get my bachelor's degree [from Temple] before getting my master's degree at BC. I couldn't be more grateful for that since I can kind of set things in place for after football if I need to. That's been a great opportunity.
"I know I was only here for one year," he continued, "but BC has a super rich history. I'm glad to say I got my master's degree from here. I can say that I have a degree from BC. There's the Boston culture, and the culture of a team that's loved by their fans is really nice. There's that camaraderie."
Friday was as much about celebrating that as it was about impressing scouts. The competition remained fierce, but players battling each other for NFL Draft positions supported one another as much as they wanted their own personal success. The cheers from the current roster positioned on one sideline echoed through Fish Field House, and the coaches mingling with their NFL counterparts shared laughs and conversations. The players encouraged one another, and as the day ended, they all walked off, knowing they had done enough and left everything on the field, together, in an attempt to fulfill that personal dream.
"You kind of know what you're getting into when you get ready for a Pro Day," Barry said, "so I felt prepared for everything. There weren't any nerves; it's just running and jumping. It's just playing ball, which is what we do. I feel like I could have achieved more, and I wish I could have done a little better on some stuff, but I'm satisfied, and now I'm just looking forward to the next big picture."
The 2022 NFL Draft will begin on Thursday, April 28 and continue through Saturday, April 30. Coverage will be carried by both ESPN and the NFL Network, with the first round taking place in prime time on the first night. Both the second and third round will occur on the second night of the draft with the fourth through seventh rounds on Saturday.
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