Waiting game for Campbell

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)