The NFL draft is two days
away, and University of Miami defensive end Calais
Campbell has visited one team. And frankly, that
visit includes an asterisk since all it entailed
was a crosstown drive to the Dolphins' training
complex.
"I've only made one visit, but I heard that can be a
good thing," Campbell said. "They don't have too many
questions about you."
Maybe it is a good thing. Or maybe it isn't. After
seeing his draft stock tumble in recent months,
Campbell doesn't know what to expect during Saturday's
first two rounds.
"It's kind of exciting and nerve-racking," he said.
"It's kind of mysterious, too, like you don't know
what's going to happen. All I can do is hope for the
best."
Little more than a year ago, Campbell could have been a
top-five pick. The Denver South graduate had just
finished his redshirt sophomore season with the
Hurricanes, during which he racked up 20 1/2 tackles
for losses and 10 1/2 sacks, earning him first-team
all-Atlantic Coast Conference honors. At 6-feet-8 and
282 pounds, he was widely considered the next big thing
at defensive end.
A year later, after a junior season that produced 12
1/2 tackles for losses and six sacks, Campbell is
hoping to go late in the first round.
"Could be the next Julius Peppers," reads one scouting
report, "or he could be the next Courtney Brown."
Philadelphia and Washington are looking at him during
the mid-to-late stages of the first round, but, in the
end, the questions surrounding him could push him to
the second round. If so, it would be good news and bad
for Campbell.
The bad news is it would cost him a lot of money. The
good news is that Campbell gets it. He realizes draft
day is the first day of the rest of your career, not
the be-all, end-all that ESPN tries to portray.
"Without a doubt, the GMs know I'm a first-round
talent," Campbell said. "I'm coachable, I'm a very hard
worker, and I want to be the best I can be. Most
coaches and GMs don't think I'll fall intothe second
round, but it could happen. Either way, I'm blessed to
be able to play in the NFL.
"If, by chance, I do drop into the second round, it
will just serve as motivation to prove I belonged in
the first round. My goal is to be one of the best
players who ever played no matter what round I go in."
If that sounds like a mature kid talking, it's because
Campbell is one. Unlike some other Miami players from
years past, he won't enter the NFL equipped with
baggage. Instead, he'll be packing a sociology degree
with a minor in advertising.
Background checks can cut two ways in the NFL. If a
player has off-field issues, it could hurt him on draft
day. Campbell is hoping, given his track record and his
degree, that teams will upgrade him.
"I was talking to D.J. Williams, just picking his
brain, and he was telling me NFL teams look at you
differently when you have a degree," he said. "They
know I'm pretty smart. I think that definitely helps
me, having my degree. It shows I'm a hard worker and I
like to take care of business."
Unfortunately, he didn't do that during his last season
at Miami. His first-team all-conference status
plummeted to honorable mention. He wasn't the same
monster player coming off the corner. At times, he
looked more ordinary than exceptional. It was enough to
land him in that gray area between the first and second
rounds.
Campbell doesn't make any excuses. Sure, part of it was
the general malaise the Hurricanes experienced. They
lost six of their final seven games and allowed 120
points in their last three. But it was more than that,
Campbell acknowledges. He could have played better but
didn't.
"I could have had better technique," he said. "I could
have had better steps, better hands. It's kind of crazy
how much technique affects you. When I played well, my
technique was good. When I didn't play well, it was
because I had bad technique.
"Even so, I felt I was pretty dominant. A lot of times,
I was a step away from a sack and the quarterback threw
it to the ground or to a receiver. But no matter how I
had played last season, I'm always looking to get
better."
The issues didn't end with his 2007 season. He had a
disappointing showing at the scouting combine,
including 16 bench press reps at 225 pounds, the fewest
of any defensive line prospect. And it was no fluke.
Campbell says he couldn't do more than eight in early
January, when he began training for the combine
workouts.
As for the questions about his strength, Campbell has a
standard answer: "I don't think the bench press is that
important. I'm definitely strong enough to play in the
NFL and be a dominant player."
Not measuring up
University of Miami defensive end Calais Campbell, a
former Denver South player, struggled at the NFL
combine, putting his draft status in question. A look
at some of Campbell's measurables compared to the
average for all the defensive ends who participated:
40-yard dash time
Campbell: 5.08 seconds Avg. for DEs:
4.89 seconds
Vertical jump:
Campbell: 29 1/2 inches Avg. for DEs: 29
5/8 inches
Bench press reps at 225 lbs:
Campbell: 16 reps Avg. for DEs: 25 reps
(denverpost.com)