Pack93z
You retired too? .... Not me. I'm in my prime
Not sold on him, but he was productive.... more camp competition?
http://www.southbendtribune.com/app...oSports01/705040402/-1/SPORTS/CAT=ProSports01
SOUTH BEND -- Other than contract haggles, a rite of summer for elite selections, the dust settles in the aftermath of the NFL Draft rather quickly.
After months of combines and pro days and conjecturing, within hours after the final pick is made, even undrafted players know where they'll end up in mini-camp in less than a week.
Former Notre Dame running back Darius Walker only wishes it could be that easy for him.
On Thursday, four days after the draft ended with all 32 teams taking a pass on his services, Walker remained a football player without a home. A deal with the Chicago Bears, once imminent, has stalled and Walker will not, as previously widely reported, be reporting to Lake Forest, Ill., to begin the long, arduous road to a roster spot with the NFC champs.
Instead, his football future is in as much flux as it was that day in January when Walker announced that he would be leaving Notre Dame after his junior season to give the NFL a shot.But, he stresses as he and agent Drew Rosenhaus try to find a free agent deal to his satisfaction, he embarks on this unpredictable journey with no regrets.
"Say I rushed for another thousand yards my senior year," Walker said on Thursday. "I would have still been the same build, the same strength, the same speed, all of my stuff would have been pretty much the same.
"So leaving for me was not really that tough of a decision, and then when you look at the draft, a good number of the players who were drafted are juniors coming out. So when I hear that, 'Maybe you should have waited,' or, 'Why in the world would a junior come out?' they're not saying that about any other junior ... (so) to me it's just kind of crazy and kind of shocking when people say, 'Hey, you should have waited.' "
Hundreds of players go undrafted every April by the NFL and sign as undrafted free agents. A handful even make NFL rosters and go on to productive careers.But Walker is a particularly interesting case not only because he left school with college eligibility remaining, but because he did so at Notre Dame, which is relatively rare.
Plus, he seemed quite sure of his pro credentials the afternoon he met with the press to officially make his declaration, perhaps even baffled that people would be as surprised as many seemed to be.
This past Saturday and Sunday, Walker watched all seven rounds of the NFL Draft at a relative's house in Las Vegas, his mood shifting from anticipatory to bewildered.
"It's tough because you're hearing names called," Walker said. "Sometimes you say, 'Wow, I played against that guy. Wow, he's already gone?' I think that's the most frustrating thing about this is you're hearing other people being called.
"After the first day I was completely shocked. I really believed that I would be picked and to be honest that was the talk that was out there, that I would go on the first day. When I didn't go the first day I found it very odd. I was shocked. Of course, I'm biased because I'd be picked No. 1 if it was up to me. So it's very difficult to see that first day, and then waking up that next morning and I'm like, 'OK, I'm sure it's going to happen pretty soon.'"Then when the fourth round was over, it was like, 'Oh, my God, what is going on?' "
Walker rushed for 3,249 yards at Notre Dame and finished as the school's fourth all-time career rusher. Had he returned for his senior season, he would have had a real shot at Autry Denson's Notre Dame record of 4,218 yards. He certainly would have passed up No. 3 Vagas Ferguson (3,472) in short order.
But Walker said that when he surveys his life even decades from now, this is one decision he's sure he won't regret.
"I've had my fair share of college ball," Walker said. "I played three solid years. ... So I definitely got a good deal of playing college ball and I succeeded in college ball."
Since the draft ended, said Walker's mother LaVerne, the family has been besieged by calls from well-wishers voicing their appreciation for his three years at Notre Dame."He has a lot of fans out there who have been devastated," she said.
Walker said that he believes ND coach Charlie Weis, though disappointed in his decision to exit early, supported him in discussions with NFL contacts. And he believes Rosenhaus, his agent, has been doing his best to represent his current interests.
But the support hasn't added up to any tangible results to this point. The deals cut for undrafted free agents varies -- the most desirable of the bunch are signed for a few thousand dollars, while others are asked to come in for essentially the price of a plane ticket in, if that.
Though Walker calls the NFL his "heart" and his "dream," he also said that fans shouldn't expect to see him toiling away in various arena leagues or NFL Europe chasing that dream throughout his 20s. If the NFL doesn't work out, he said he has other paths to explore.
"I definitely believe I can make it in something other than football," said Walker, who is still in school at ND and plans to complete his marketing degree. "Although football was something I always wanted to do, I've never put all my chips into football and there's definitely a lot of other things I can see myself doing."
http://www.southbendtribune.com/app...oSports01/705040402/-1/SPORTS/CAT=ProSports01
SOUTH BEND -- Other than contract haggles, a rite of summer for elite selections, the dust settles in the aftermath of the NFL Draft rather quickly.
After months of combines and pro days and conjecturing, within hours after the final pick is made, even undrafted players know where they'll end up in mini-camp in less than a week.
Former Notre Dame running back Darius Walker only wishes it could be that easy for him.
On Thursday, four days after the draft ended with all 32 teams taking a pass on his services, Walker remained a football player without a home. A deal with the Chicago Bears, once imminent, has stalled and Walker will not, as previously widely reported, be reporting to Lake Forest, Ill., to begin the long, arduous road to a roster spot with the NFC champs.
Instead, his football future is in as much flux as it was that day in January when Walker announced that he would be leaving Notre Dame after his junior season to give the NFL a shot.But, he stresses as he and agent Drew Rosenhaus try to find a free agent deal to his satisfaction, he embarks on this unpredictable journey with no regrets.
"Say I rushed for another thousand yards my senior year," Walker said on Thursday. "I would have still been the same build, the same strength, the same speed, all of my stuff would have been pretty much the same.
"So leaving for me was not really that tough of a decision, and then when you look at the draft, a good number of the players who were drafted are juniors coming out. So when I hear that, 'Maybe you should have waited,' or, 'Why in the world would a junior come out?' they're not saying that about any other junior ... (so) to me it's just kind of crazy and kind of shocking when people say, 'Hey, you should have waited.' "
Hundreds of players go undrafted every April by the NFL and sign as undrafted free agents. A handful even make NFL rosters and go on to productive careers.But Walker is a particularly interesting case not only because he left school with college eligibility remaining, but because he did so at Notre Dame, which is relatively rare.
Plus, he seemed quite sure of his pro credentials the afternoon he met with the press to officially make his declaration, perhaps even baffled that people would be as surprised as many seemed to be.
This past Saturday and Sunday, Walker watched all seven rounds of the NFL Draft at a relative's house in Las Vegas, his mood shifting from anticipatory to bewildered.
"It's tough because you're hearing names called," Walker said. "Sometimes you say, 'Wow, I played against that guy. Wow, he's already gone?' I think that's the most frustrating thing about this is you're hearing other people being called.
"After the first day I was completely shocked. I really believed that I would be picked and to be honest that was the talk that was out there, that I would go on the first day. When I didn't go the first day I found it very odd. I was shocked. Of course, I'm biased because I'd be picked No. 1 if it was up to me. So it's very difficult to see that first day, and then waking up that next morning and I'm like, 'OK, I'm sure it's going to happen pretty soon.'"Then when the fourth round was over, it was like, 'Oh, my God, what is going on?' "
Walker rushed for 3,249 yards at Notre Dame and finished as the school's fourth all-time career rusher. Had he returned for his senior season, he would have had a real shot at Autry Denson's Notre Dame record of 4,218 yards. He certainly would have passed up No. 3 Vagas Ferguson (3,472) in short order.
But Walker said that when he surveys his life even decades from now, this is one decision he's sure he won't regret.
"I've had my fair share of college ball," Walker said. "I played three solid years. ... So I definitely got a good deal of playing college ball and I succeeded in college ball."
Since the draft ended, said Walker's mother LaVerne, the family has been besieged by calls from well-wishers voicing their appreciation for his three years at Notre Dame."He has a lot of fans out there who have been devastated," she said.
Walker said that he believes ND coach Charlie Weis, though disappointed in his decision to exit early, supported him in discussions with NFL contacts. And he believes Rosenhaus, his agent, has been doing his best to represent his current interests.
But the support hasn't added up to any tangible results to this point. The deals cut for undrafted free agents varies -- the most desirable of the bunch are signed for a few thousand dollars, while others are asked to come in for essentially the price of a plane ticket in, if that.
Though Walker calls the NFL his "heart" and his "dream," he also said that fans shouldn't expect to see him toiling away in various arena leagues or NFL Europe chasing that dream throughout his 20s. If the NFL doesn't work out, he said he has other paths to explore.
"I definitely believe I can make it in something other than football," said Walker, who is still in school at ND and plans to complete his marketing degree. "Although football was something I always wanted to do, I've never put all my chips into football and there's definitely a lot of other things I can see myself doing."
