smlutz
Cheesehead
AJ Hawk apparently is doing a journal type thing for nfl.com, wasn't sure on the guidelines as far as posting things but here is the article and link.
Link: http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/9349207
Link: http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/9349207
(March 31, 2006) -- I'm back at school now and spring quarter started on Monday (March 27) so things have been very busy. I have one last class to take before graduating in June with my degree in criminology. Classes are four days a week so it's a full schedule. I also am interviewing with teams on the phone and in person. Between that and working out, my day actually gets pretty full. I don't want to make it sound like my schedule is any busier than any other college athletes though. Any college athlete goes through this; just instead of practice I do interviews and work out. Everybody is busy when you are in college; it's just a difference of activities.
Preparing for the NFL draft has been a full-time activity. First, there was the Scouting Combine, then Pro Day and now there are individual team workouts and interviews. Some are in person and some interviews are on the phone. It's fun thinking about playing in the NFL, but I don't want to get too ahead of myself. I know it's a cliché, but I'm just taking things one step at a time. I grew up a Bengals fan, but I'd honestly be happy to play anywhere. Playing at Ohio State makes playing in cold weather a non-factor and I really don't mind moving to any part of the country.
I started to think about the NFL some time around my junior year. That is probably when I first realized that I could end up being a player in the NFL and hoping it would happen. I went to high school and played college football with Mike Nugent, who was drafted by the Jets last year as their kicker. He's given me some good advice about how to manage everything and some of the other guys on OSU and I talk often about it, so hopefully we are staying grounded through the process. There are a lot of Ohio State players in the NFL, so I know a little about what to expect. But you really need to do these things yourself to figure it all out.
I'm planning on heading up to Notre Dame on April 22nd for their spring game. Brady Quinn and I are friends now and I want to go see the game. I was at Notre Dame once when my brother was being recruited there, but I don't remember it well. I'm looking forward to seeing the campus and the stadium up close.
I've always been a fan of the draft so I can't wait for April 29th. I'm going to be watching it with my family at home. This year's draft will be a great one. There are so many great players in it at all positions -- (Reggie) Bush and (Matt) Leinart and (Vince) Young and (D'Brickashaw) Ferguson. It's such a deep class that watching as a fan will be great, let alone as someone who could be drafted.
The next few weeks should be pretty exciting and I look forward to the excitement of graduating and moving on to the next stage of my life.
