Countdown to NFL Draft: Training for the Combine

Matt Toy from D1 Sports in Franklin http://www.d1sportstraining.com/ invited me back again this year to watch, meet, and interview the players who are in town training for the NFL Combine which starts next week in Indy.

I really enjoyed it last year and I followed the players through the combine on TV, the NFL draft, and their rookie season. Not all the players got drafted or made a team roster and that’s sorta sad. But for the ones that did it was fun to watch them play on TV or read about them in magazines or internet. Some became starters and played really well this past year. Others are trying to break into the starting line-up.

My favorite moment today was throwing passes to wide receivers Jarrett Dillard (that’s him catching my long pass!) and Lucas Taylor.

I also got to meet Gary Estwick, sports reporter for The Tennessean newspaper who covers the Titans. He told me about how he became a sports broadcaster and reporter and he gave me some great tips on interviewing players and for improving my blog. Everybody was super nice to me. D1 Sports has a blog and it now has a link to my blog which is really cool of them. Check out their blog at http://www.d1sportstraining.blogspot.com/

Over the next few days I'll post some photos and some of my interviews with the players.

Here's the whole list of players

2008-2009 D1 Combine Class:

Julian Arthur, TE – University of California
Will Davis, DE - University of Illinois
Casey Dick, QB - University of Arkansas
Jarrett Dillard, WR - Rice University
Xavier Fulton, OL - University of Illinois
Darius Hill, TE - Ball State University
Jeremiah Johnson, RB - University of Oregon
Jerome Johnson, LB - Nevada-Reno
Troy Kropog, OT - Tulane University
T.J. Lang, OT - Eastern Michigan University
Bret Lockett, S - UCLA
Kaluka Maiava, LB - University of Southern California
Ryan McDonald, C - University of Illinois
Brandon Pearce, OT - University of Memphis
Anthony Scirrotto, FS - Penn State University
Brannon Southerland, FB - University of Georgia
Ryan Stanchek, OG - University of West Virginia
Lucas Taylor, WR - University of Tennessee
Brandon Underwood, FS - University of Cincinnati
Ellix Wilson, LB - University of Tennessee
DeAndre Wright, CB - University of New Mexico