BC Hosts Pro Day For NFL Hopefuls
BOSTON (CBS) - Boston College held their annual Pro Day at the Heights Wednesday afternoon, giving some draft day hopefuls a chance to show off what they can do in front of 17 NFL teams.
"Between the Senior Bowl and the (NFL) Combine, this is just another step in the process," offensive lineman Anthony Castonzo said. "It didn't seem like anything out of the ordinary."
Castonzo is projected to be a first round pick in next month's NFL Draft, despite not being offered a scholarship out of high school.
"It's something I take a lot of pride in. It's taken a lot of work, that's for sure," Castonzo said with a smile.
Anthony Castonzo Talks From BC Pro Day
Castonzo was one of the many players to receive some coaching from Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, who worked with the lineman.
"He was coaching us up, it was like a practice," Castonzo said. "It wasn't like he was running us through drills, he was coaching us. It was nice, I learned some stuff today."
With his dream of becoming an NFL player nearly true, all Castonzo has to do is wait until draft day.
"It's going to be the best day of my life," Castonzo said. "All I know is I'm going to have my family close to me, and we're going to have an absolute blast.
Along his side was teammate Mark Herzlich. The Eagles linebacker is a year removed from treatment for Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. He sat out the entire 2009 season, but returned in 2010 recording 65 tackles and four interceptions for BC.
"It has been a long road," Herzlich said. "I don't even think about it like that right now because It seems so far in my past even though I'm really only a year removed from treatment. I'm excited about where I am right now, only going to get better so that's a good thing."
Mark Herzlich Talks From BC Pro Day
Herzlich also attened the NFL combine, and said he has already spoken to 32 team doctors. They have all liked what they have seen medically, so Herzlich is confident he'll be selected next month.
"It's a lot of excitement, a lot work to get to that point," he said. "Being able to play football is a reward, getting drafted is a reward. No one's guaranteed to get drafted, no one's guaranteed to play football. It's a lot like recess in elementary school. It's a privledge to get recess. Being able to work as an NFL player, it's a privledge."
Nothing, not even the NFL's work stoppage, can rain on his parade right now.
"I'm used to not play professional football, so another couple of months of that will be just like normal," Herzlich joked.
