NFL Combine invites:

[ASU Kep]

In case your interested:

ADAMS, DARRELL VILLANOVA DL
ADAMS, TITUS NEBRASKA DL
ADDAI, JOSEPH LOUISIANA ST RB
ADEYANJU, VICTOR INDIANA DL
ALLEN, JASON TENNESSEE DB
ALSTON, JON STANFORD LB
ANDERSON, DAVID COLORADO ST WO
ANDERSON, JAMES VIRGINIA POLYTECH INST LB
ANDERSON, MARK ALABAMA DL
ANDERSON, SIR HENRY OREGON ST DL
ANDREWS, WILLIE BAYLOR DB
AROMASHODU, DEVIN AUBURN WO
AUSTIN, MILES MONMOUTH-NJ WO
AVANT, JASON MICHIGAN WO
BASANEZ, BRETT NORTHWESTERN QB
BASKETT, HANK NEW MEXICO WO
BAUGHER, DANNY ARIZONA PK
BELL, MIKE ARIZONA RB
BENNETT, CHARLES CLEMSON DL
BERNSTEIN, MATT WISCONSIN-MADISON RB
BETHEA, ANTOINE HOWARD DB
BIENEMANN, TROY WASHINGTON ST TE
BILBO, DAMARIUS GEORGIA TECH WO
BLACKMON, WILL BOSTON COL WO
BLUE, GREG GEORGIA DB
BOOTHE, KEVIN CORNELL-NY OL
BOUKNIGHT, JOVON WYOMING WO
BOYKIN, MCKINLEY MISSISSIPPI DL
BRAY, TRENT OREGON ST LB
BROOKS, DARRELL ARIZONA DB
BROWN, MANAIA BRIGHAM YOUNG DL
BRYAN, COPELAND ARIZONA DL
BULLOCKS, DANIEL NEBRASKA DB
BUNKLEY, BRODRICK FLORIDA ST DL
BUTLER, BRAD VIRGINIA OL
BUTLER, RASHAD MIAMI-FL OL
BYRD, DOMINIQUE SOUTHERN CAL TE
CARPENTER, BOBBY OHIO ST LB
CARTER, JASON TEXAS A&M WO
CHESTER, CHRIS OKLAHOMA OL
CLARY, JEROMEY KANSAS ST OL
CLEMENS, KELLEN OREGON QB
COFIELD, BARRY NORTHWESTERN DL
COLLEDGE, DARYN BOISE ST OL
COLSTON, MARQUES HOFSTRA WO
COOK, RYAN NEW MEXICO OL
CROYLE, BRODIE ALABAMA QB
CUTLER, JAY VANDERBILT QB
DANIELS, OWEN WISCONSIN-MADISON TE
DANIELS, P J GEORGIA TECH RB
DAVIS, CHARLES PURDUE TE
DAY, TIM OREGON TE
DEGORY, MIKE FLORIDA OL
DEMPS, MARCUS SAN DIEGO ST DB
DERTING, WILL WASHINGTON ST LB
DOBBINS, TIM IOWA ST LB
DOUGHTY, REED NORTHERN COLORADO DB
DRAME, KADER SYRACUSE DL
DUMERVIL, ELVIS LOUISVILLE DL
DVORACEK, DUSTY OKLAHOMA DL
ELLISON, KEITH OREGON ST LB
ESLINGER, GREG MINNESOTA OL
EUGENE, BRUCE GRAMBLING ST QB
EVANS, JAHRI BLOOMSBURG OL
FELLS, DANIEL CAL-DAVIS TE
FERGUSON, BRICK VIRGINIA OL
GAITHER, OMAR TENNESSEE LB
GANTHER, QUINTON UTAH RB
GILBERT, RYAN HOUSTON RB
GOCONG, CHRIS CAL POLY ST DL
GOLSTON, KEDRIC GEORGIA DL
GRADKOWSKI, BRUCE TOLEDO QB
GREEN, MARCUS OHIO ST DL
GREEN, SKYLER LOUISIANA ST WO
GREENWAY, CHAD IOWA LB
GRIFFIN, CEDRIC TEXAS-AUSTIN DB
HACKNEY, DARRELL ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM QB
HAGAN, DEREK ARIZONA ST WO
HALI, TAMBA PENN ST DL
HALL, ANDRE SOUTH FLORIDA RB
HANNON, CHRIS TENNESSEE WO
HARALSON, PARYS TENNESSEE DL
HARPER, ROMAN ALABAMA DB
HARRELL, CHRIS PENN ST DB
HARRIS, GILBERT ARIZONA RB
HARRIS, ORIEN MIAMI-FL DL
HARRISON, JEROME WASHINGTON ST RB
HASS, MIKE OREGON ST WO
HATCHER, JASON GRAMBLING ST DL
HAVNER, SPENCER UCLA LB
HAWK, A J OHIO ST LB
HAWKINS, CHRIS MARSHALL DB
HENDERSON, ERIC GEORGIA TECH DL
HENDERSON, TAUREAN TEXAS TECH RB
HERRING, JARVIS FLORIDA DB
HILL, TYE CLEMSON DB
HINKEL, ED IOWA WO
HODGE, ABDUL IOWA LB
HOUSTON, REUBEN GEORGIA TECH DB
HOWARD, THOMAS UTEP LB
HOYTE, OLIVER NORTH CAROLINA ST LB
HUDSON, MARCUS NORTH CAROLINA ST DB
HUFF, MICHAEL TEXAS-AUSTIN DB
HUMES, CEDRIC VIRGINIA POLYTECH INST RB
HUNTER, DARRELL MIAMI-OH DB
HUSTON, JOSH OHIO ST PK
INGRAM, CLINT OKLAHOMA LB
IRONS, DAVID AUBURN DB
IWUH, BRIAN COLORADO LB
JACKSON, D'QWELL MARYLAND LB
JACKSON, TARVARIS ALABAMA ST QB
JACKSON, TOMMY AUBURN DL
JEAN-GILLES, MAX GEORGIA OL
JENKINS, JULIAN STANFORD DL
JENNINGS, ADAM FRESNO ST WO
JENNINGS, GREG WESTERN MICHIGAN WO
JENNINGS, KELLY MIAMI-FL DB
JENNINGS, TIM GEORGIA DB
JOHNSON, BRANDON LOUISVILLE LB
JOLLY, JOHNNY TEXAS A&M DL
JOSEPH, DAVIN OKLAHOMA OL
KEIAHO, FREDDIE SAN DIEGO ST LB
KEITH, CHARLTON KANSAS DL
KERSHAW, WILLIAM MARYLAND LB
KING, JEFF VIRGINIA POLYTECH INST TE
KIRTMAN, DAVID SOUTHERN CAL RB
KIWANUKA, MATHIAS BOSTON COL DL
KLOPFENSTEIN, JOE COLORADO TE
KUDLA, MIKE OHIO ST DL
KUPER, CHRIS NORTH DAKOTA OL
LACASSE, RYAN SYRACUSE DL
LANDRY, DAWAN GEORGIA TECH DB
LAWSON, MANNY NORTH CAROLINA ST DL
LAY, JOSH PITTSBURGH DB
LEINART, MATT SOUTHERN CAL QB
LEWIS, JOHNATHAN VIRGINIA POLYTECH INST DL
LEWIS, MARCEDES UCLA TE
LONIE, DAVID CAL-BERKELEY PK
LOWRY, CALVIN PENN ST DB
LULAY, TRAVIS MONTANA ST QB
LUNDY, WALI VIRGINIA RB
LUTUI, DEUCE SOUTHERN CAL OL
MAHELONA, JESSE TENNESSEE DL
MALONE, ANTONIO TOLEDO DB
MALONE, TOM SOUTHERN CAL PK
MANGOLD, NICK OHIO ST OL
MARTIN, INGLE FURMAN QB
MARTIN, JIMMY VIRGINIA POLYTECH INST OL
MASSAQUOI, TIM MICHIGAN TE
MATHIS, WENDELL FRESNO ST RB
MAXEY, MARCUS MIAMI-FL DB
MCCANN, ALTON WEST VIRGINIA DB
MCGARIGLE, TIM NORTHWESTERN LB
MCINTOSH, ROGER MIAMI-FL LB
MCNEAL, REGGIE TEXAS A&M QB
MCNEILL, MARCUS AUBURN OL
MCPHEARSON, GERRICK MARYLAND DB
MCQUISTAN, PAUL WEBER ST OL
MEADOW, ROBIN WASHINGTON OL
MEEKS, VINCENT TEXAS TECH DB
MEYER, ERIK EASTERN WASHINGTON QB
MILLS, GARRETT TULSA TE
MINCEY, JEREMY FLORIDA DL
MINTER, DEMARIO GEORGIA DB
MIX, ANTHONY AUBURN WO
MONTGOMERY, WILL VIRGINIA POLYTECH INST OL
MOORE, DONTRELL NEW MEXICO RB
MOSS, SINORICE MIAMI-FL WO
MULLINS, JEFF MARSHALL ST
NANCE, MARTIN MIAMI-OH WO
NANDE, TARNA MIAMI-OH LB
NANTON, JAVON MIAMI-FL DL
NAZIRUDDIN, KHALID TEXAS TECH DB
NICHOLSON, A J FLORIDA ST LB
NINKOVICH, ROB PURDUE DL
NORWOOD, JERIOUS MISSISSIPPI ST RB
OBOMANO, BEN AUBURN WO
O'CALLAGHAN, RYAN CAL-BERKELEY OL
OJINNAKA, QUINN SYRACUSE OL
OLIVER, MELVIN LOUISIANA ST DL
OLMSTED, THOMAS TROY PK
OLSON, DREW UCLA QB
ONYENEGECHA, CHIJIOKE OKLAHOMA DB
ORR, JONATHON WISCONSIN-MADISON WO
OSHINOWO, BABATUNDE STANFORD DL
PAULESCU, SAM OREGON ST PK
PEKO, DOMATA MICHIGAN ST DL
PENN, DONALD UTAH ST OL
PENNINGTON, TERRENCE NEW MEXICO OL
PEPRAH, CHARLIE ALABAMA DB
PHILIP, MARVIN CAL-BERKELEY OL
PHILLIPS, ANWAR PENN ST DB
PINEGAR, PAUL FRESNO ST QB
PITTMAN, DAVID NORTHWESTERN ST DB
PLACKEMEIER, RYAN WAKE FOREST PK
POCIASK, JASON WISCONSIN-MADISON TE
RAIOLA, DONOVAN WISCONSIN-MADISON OL
REDDICK, TROY AUBURN OL
REID, WILLIE FLORIDA ST WO
RICE, MATT PENN ST DL
RIGGS, GERALD TENNESSEE RB
ROACH, FREDDIE ALABAMA LB
ROBINSON, DALE ARIZONA ST LB
ROBINSON, MICHAEL PENN ST QB
ROLAND, DENNIS GEORGIA OL
ROSS, CORY NEBRASKA RB
ROSS, DERRICK TARLETON ST RB
ROSS, PAT BOSTON COL OL
ROSS, RICHIE NEBRASKA-KEARNEY WO
RUCKER, FROSTEE SOUTHERN CAL DL
RYANS, DEMECO ALABAMA LB
SALLEY, NATE OHIO ST DB
SCHEFFLER, TONY WESTERN MICHIGAN TE
SCHLEGEL, ANTHONY OHIO ST LB
SCIFRES, JONATHAN MISSOURI ST PK
SCOTT, JONATHAN TEXAS-AUSTIN OL
SETTERSTROM, MARK MINNESOTA OL
SHOCKLEY, DJ GEORGIA QB
SIMON, KEVIN TENNESSEE LB
SIMS, ROB OHIO ST OL
SLAY, DWAYNE TEXAS TECH DB
SMITH, ANTHONY SYRACUSE DB
SMITH, BRAD MISSOURI QB
SMITH, ERIC MICHIGAN ST DB
SMITH, LE KEVIN NEBRASKA DL
SOLOMON, CLINTON IOWA WO
SOWELLS, ISAAC INDIANA OL
SPENCER, CHARLES PITTSBURGH OL
SPITZ, JASON LOUISVILLE OL
STANLEY, MONTAVIOUS LOUISVILLE DL
STELLY, JOEL LOUISIANA-MONROE PK
STENAVICH, ADAM MICHIGAN OL
STEVENSON, DAN NOTRE DAME OL
STOVALL, MAURICE NOTRE DAME WO
STRIEF, ZACH NORTHWESTERN OL
STUTZ, BOONE TEXAS A&M ST
SYPNIEWSKI, QUINN COLORADO TE
TAHI, NAUFAHU BRIGHAM YOUNG RB
TAPP, DARRYL VIRGINIA POLYTECH INST DL
TARQUINIO, GAVIN GEORGIA TECH ST
TELLA, TONY MIAMI-FL OL
THOMAS, DAVID TEXAS-AUSTIN TE
TOLEDO, JOE WASHINGTON OL
TORP, JOHN COLORADO PK
TOUDOUZE, MICHAEL TEXAS CHRISTIAN OL
TRUEBLOOD, JEREMY BOSTON COL OL
VAUGHN, CAMERON LOUISIANA ST LB
VICKERS, LAWRENCE COLORADO RB
WALKER, DELANIE CENTRAL MISSOURI ST WO
WALKER, JOHN SOUTHERN CAL DB
WALLACE, COOPER AUBURN TE
WARE, SCOTT SOUTHERN CAL DB
WASHINGTON, LEON FLORIDA ST RB
WATKINS, PAT FLORIDA ST DB
WATKINS, TODD BRIGHAM YOUNG WO
WATSON, GABE MICHIGAN DL
WEATHERFORD, STEVE ILLINOIS PK
WEBB, JEFF SAN DIEGO ST WO
WHEELER, STEFON MICHIGAN ST OL
WHIMPER, GUY EAST CAROLINA OL
WHITEHEAD, TERRENCE OREGON RB
WHITEHURST, CHARLIE CLEMSON QB
WHITLEY, E J TEXAS TECH OL
WHITWORTH, ANDREW LOUISIANA ST OL
WILKINSON, GERRIS GEORGIA TECH LB
WILLIAMS, BRANDON WISCONSIN-MADISON WO
WILLIAMS, DEANGELO MEMPHIS RB
WILLIAMS, DEMETRIUS OREGON WO
WILLIAMS, JAMAR ARIZONA ST LB
WILLIAMS, JIMMY VIRGINIA POLYTECH INST DB
WILLIAMS, KYLE LOUISIANA ST DL
WILLIAMS, LEON MIAMI-FL LB
WILLIAMS, T J NORTH CAROLINA ST TE
WILLIAMS, TRAVIS AUBURN LB
WILSON, TRAVIS OKLAHOMA WO
WIMBLEY, KAMERION FLORIDA ST DL
WINSTON, ERIC MIAMI-FL OL
WRIGHT, RODRIQUE TEXAS-AUSTIN DL
WROTEN, CLAUDE LOUISIANA ST DL
WYATT, JUSTIN SOUTHERN CAL DB
WYCHE, JAMES SYRACUSE DL
ZEMAITIS, ALAN PENN ST DB

Edit - fixed the list. Underlined first names I thought were funny. Your welcome.

[Tod]

On a quick run-through, San Diego State (three players) is I-A. You missed Gocong, from Cal Poly...

Edit - Sorry for being negative. Thanks for posting it!! :) :) :) :) :)

[MACHIAVELLI]

JACKSON, TARVARIS ALABAMA ST QB is DI-AA

[seeker]

from the I-AA.org magazine email:

http://i-aa.org/article.asp?articleid=75204

http://anygivensaturday.com/ralphblog/article.php?story=20060112154354568

NFL COMBINE

Player School Position
Tarvaris Jackson, Alabama St QB
Daniel Fells, UC Davis TE
Kevin Boothe, Cornell OL
Erik Meyer, Eastern Washington QB
Ingle Martin, Furman QB
Bruce Eugene, Grambling St QB
Jason Hatcher, Grambling St DL
Marques Colston, Hofstra WO
Antoine Bethea, Howard DB
Jonathan Scifres, Missouri St PK
Miles Austin, Monmouth WO
Travis Lulay, Montana St QB
Reed Doughty, Northern Colorado DB
David Pittman, Northwestern St DB
Darrell Adams, Villanova DL
Paul Mcquistan, Weber St OL

Post more with a link.

[blackfordpu]

No players from the SLC huh? :(

[seeker]

No players from the SLC huh? :(Not unless you include Northwestern State as part of the SLC.

[AppGuy04]

No players from the SLC huh? :(

only one player from the SoCon and he wasn't even the best QB in the conference

[blackfordpu]

Not unless you include Northwestern State as part of the SLC.

Oh, missed that one sorry. I'm a little tired. :)

[bobcatfan06]

That can't be a complete list. Only one player from the SLC?? Probably not. If so alot of players in the SLC got robbed of a shot. Nealy, Evans, that linebacker from Sam (can't remember his name), and alot more. I'm tired.

[SUjagTILLiDIE]

Can we get a break down by conference. :) It seem the SWAC has quite a few. :)

[OL FU]

only one player from the SoCon and he wasn't even the best QB in the conference

I think most people realize he was the most likely to have a NFL career. Not sure he will but he is much closer to an NFL QB than any other SoCon QB.

[AppGuy04]

I think most people realize he was the most likely to have a NFL career. Not sure he will but he is much closer to an NFL QB than any other SoCon QB.

this might be true, but maybe as a Punter, not a QB eh?

[OL FU]

this might be true, but maybe as a Punter, not a QB eh?

No, as QB. Yes he may punt in the NFL before he quarterbacks ( he may never quarterback). But that does not change that he is the most likely NFL QB in the SoCon. That doesn't say he was the best in the SoCon, just that he is more likely to be a Quarterback in the NFL. And it is not a slight to Richie. Most people recognized Williams would not qb in the NFL.


To be perfectly honest, I was surprised when he first came to Furman, I would have thought he would have gone somewhere that throws the ball 40 times a game.

[AppGuy04]

No, as QB. Yes he may punt in the NFL before he quarterbacks ( he may never quarterback). But that does not change that he is the most likely NFL QB in the SoCon. That doesn't say he was the best in the SoCon, just that he is more likely to be a Quarterback in the NFL. And it is not a slight to Richie. Most people recognized Williams would not qb in the NFL.


To be perfectly honest, I was surprised when he first came to Furman, I would have thought he would have gone somewhere that throws the ball 40 times a game.

Oh yeah, I know people think Richie doesn't have NFL QB talent, guess I'm just biased

I was surprised that Ingle came to I-AA in the first place, thought maybe he would have gone to a smaller I-A

[LBPop]

I'm intrigued by the name, Miles Austin, from Monmouth. While I'm not the best informed I-AA fan, I do pay some attention to Monmouth and I have not heard about him. Can anyone fill me in...must be a real feather in the cap of the coaching staff in NJ.

[danefan]

Austin is a good receiver but was injured a good amount this year. He's without a doubt the best receiver in the NEC, but not sure if he is NFL material, allthough touted as so by many Monmouth fans. In the past I would say that he had no chance coming from the NEC, but with Curt Campbell going in the 7th round last year to the Packers, you can't write anyone off as having no chance.

[kats89]

That can't be a complete list. Only one player from the SLC?? Probably not. If so alot of players in the SLC got robbed of a shot. Nealy, Evans, that linebacker from Sam (can't remember his name), and alot more. I'm tired.

Marcus Mikulec is who you are thinking about. I doubt he will get invited. He didn't play all last year. Kinda suprised to not see Corey Robert's name not up there. 1st team AFCA All-American TE, unless the list is not complete. I would place a wager Evans and Nealy will be invited.

[nlwwln]

miles austin has a pretty impressive physical stature and he sure can go up and jump for a ball, didnt look especially fast but definatly has the tools to be considered for a look. Wagner on the other hand has a receiver by the name of chris turner who is about 6'3 6'4 and weighs 225 and is a complete physical speciman definatly a 1a talent. he runs a 4.4 and has legitimate strength, hes been double teamed alot of his career and still puts up numbers. If this kid doesnt get a look I dont know whos good enough to and hes only a juinor. kinda lacks that football savy though none the less a physical speciman.

[ASU Kep]

I read on the MMB that Richie was offered a contract with a few NFL teams, including my beloved Falcons, so he'd either start as a practice-squad QB that would offer the D excellent prep for a running QB (without having to risk hurting Ron M.) or he'd go to NFL Europe to refine his skills. Anybody have any idea how that works? Sounded a lot like how MLB teams work. So if Ron M. and Schaub go down, they could fly Richie back over? I've never heard of this sort of deal.

[Retro]

2006 SCOUTING COMBINE PLAYER INVITES
Player School Position

Jackson, Tarvaris Alabama St. QB
Gocong, Chris Cal Poly St. DL
Fells, Daniel Cal-Davis TE
Boothe, Kevin Cornell-New York OL
Meyer, Erik Eastern Washington QB
Martin, Ingle Furman QB
Eugene, Bruce Grambling St. QB
Hatcher, Jason Grambling St. DL
Colston, Marques Hofstra WR
Bethea, Antoine Howard DB
Scifres, Jonathan Missouri St. K
Austin, Miles Monmouth-New Jersey WR
Lulay, Travis Montana St. QB
Doughty, Reed Northern Colorado DB
Pittman, David Northwestern St. DB
Nealy, Barrick Texas State QB
Adams, Darrell Villanova DL
McQuistan, Paul Weber St. OL

[Nightwish1094]

WR Miles Austin - Monmouth - 6'3 219 4.59 40


Dont remember where i read that but thats the numbers i saw.


If he runs that at the combines or better, i think he gets drafted.

[th0m]

LEWIS, MARCEDES UCLA TE



Edit - fixed the list. Underlined first names I thought were funny. Your welcome.

Wait, you didn't find "Marcedes" a funny name :D

[ngineer]

I've heard that Lehigh's Safety, Kaloma Cardwell may be invited. Supposedly getting 'timed' and measured.

[MACHIAVELLI]

Bruce "Almighty" Eugene works out Sunday. Jason Hatcher works out Monday at the combine.

[*****]

I've heard that Lehigh's Safety, Kaloma Cardwell may be invited. Supposedly getting 'timed' and measured.2006 NFL Combine I-AA Invites
I-AA.org

18 players from 17 schools represent I-AA at the NFL Combine. Grambling State is the only school to have more than one player, they have two.

The Big Sky, Great West and Southwestern Conferences each have three players invited. The Atlantic 10 and the Southland Conferences have two each and the Gateway, Ivy, Mid-Eastern, Northeast and Southern Conferences all have one player each.

Selected players from I-AA:
School, Player, Uniform No., Position
Alabama State, Tarvaris Jackson, QB08, QB
Cal Poly, Chris Gocong, DL16, DL
UC Davis, Daniel Fells, TE08, TE
Cornell, Kevin Boothe, OL01, OL
Eastern Washington, Erik Meyer, QB14, QB
Furman, Ingle Martin, QB12, QB
Grambling State, Bruce Eugene, QB05, QB
Grambling State, Jason Hatcher, DL22, DL
Hofstra, Marques Colston, WO11, WR
Howard, Antoine Bethea, DB04, DB
Missouri State, Jonathan Scifres, PK08, K
Monmouth, Miles Austin, WO03, WR
Montana State, Travis Lulay, QB11, QB
Northern Colorado, Reed Doughty, DB11, DB
Northwestern State, David Pittman, DB44, DB
Villanova, Darrell Adams, DL01, DL
Weber State, Paul McQuistan, OL21, OL
Texas State, Barrick Nealy, QB15, QB

http://i-aa.org/article.asp?articleid=75387

[OL FU]

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/13929960.htm

Article on Martin and the Combine

[maacfb]

miles austin article

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060223/SPORTS/60223002/1002

[Redbird Fan 21]

No Brent Hawkins from ISU.... interesting since Mel Kiper has his as possibly going on the 1st day....

[*****]

No Brent Hawkins from ISU.... interesting since Mel Kiper has his as possibly going on the 1st day....They must have seen all they need to know! :)

[maacfb]

more Austin

Monmouth star faster, stronger for NFL combine
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
BY MIKE GARAFOLO
Star-Ledger Staff
It wasn't that Miles Austin didn't believe his coaches. He just wanted to see it in writing.

In late December, the Monmouth wide receiver heard rumblings that he would be invited to the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. But it wasn't until he got a letter from the selection committee in early January that he allowed himself to celebrate.

"I felt like Charlie when he got the golden ticket from Willy Wonka," the Garfield native said last week. "I just looked at it and thought, 'Wow, there it

And it was no mistake. Though he played for a Division 1-AA program that has never landed a player on a regular-season NFL roster, Austin was indeed the letter's intended receiver. He will be one of 330 hopefuls in Indianapolis for the combine that begins today.

For the next seven days, the players will run, jump, lift, interview and weigh in for hundreds of scouts, coaches and general managers. For many, it will be a chance to improve upon their draft status.

For the 21-year-old Austin, the combine is his Rose Bowl. Unlike Texas quarterback Vince Young or USC running back Reggie Bush, Austin hasn't had a chance to prove his 150 catches for 2,867 yards and 33 touchdowns in four years at Monmouth were due to ability and not to inferior competition.

Until this weekend, that is.

"Coming from a small school, the more you can do in your workouts to wow them, the better off you'll be," said Joe DeFranco, the owner of DeFranco's Training in Wyckoff, where Austin has trained for the past two months. "That'll be huge for him.

"They won't know what school he's from, but they'll know what he can do."

By all accounts, Austin should be able to do a lot more than he could the last time he worked out for NFL scouts.

At the time last year, the 6-3 receiver was a bulky 230 pounds. The scouts told him to trim down to 215 and he has done so. In the process, he shaved nearly two-tenths from his 40-yard time (from 4.6 to 4.41) at The Sports Factory in Lincoln Park while substantially increasing his strength at DeFranco's.

Austin currently holds four records on DeFranco's big board. His 42-inch vertical jump is tops for college athletes who weigh more than 220 pounds. While increasing his vertical jump to 43 inches when his weight dipped below 220, he also set records at DeFranco's in the weight class for box squat (515 pounds) and for 225-pound bench-press reps (23).

The credit for such performances, Austin said, goes to DeFranco.


"He sees things in what you're doing, even the tiniest changes you need to make," said Austin. "His training facility, his method of doing things, has taken me to a point I never expected."

DeFranco has been training six other draft hopefuls, most of whom are represented by Manhattan-based ETL Associates. Austin signed with Atlanta agent Hadley Engelhard but still chose to train with DeFranco because of a recommendation from Monmouth offensive coordinator Mark Fabish, who attended high school with DeFranco.

It was yet another decision he made out of loyalty for the program that had convinced the high school track star to stick with football, and remain determined to fully develop his talents.

"My freshman year, I couldn't catch a cold, but they still kept throwing me the ball," he said. "The next spring, we'd run a play, I'd drop it and they'd run it again. We had to run it three times just for me.

"For them to do that and put all their trust in me, I could never leave them dry."

He had the chance to do so and almost heeded the advice of his high school teammate Luis Castillo, who played defensive tackle at Northwestern and was drafted by the Chargers in the first round last year. Castillo told Austin he should be playing at the Division 1-A level.

But Austin remained with the Hawks. It's a decision that has affected his draft status to this point. However, those who know him believe he will overcome the small-school bias beginning this week.

"Once they see that he's as fast or faster, can jump as high or higher than some of these players, it won't be a factor for him," Fabish said. "And they'll see that his best football is ahead of him.

"This kid is not done (improving). He hasn't peaked yet. He hasn't even plateaued. He's constantly getting better."

And constantly campaigning for Monmouth. For Austin, hearing his name called in April is about more than furthering himself. It's also about putting the Hawks on the NFL map.

"Hopefully, I can get on Monday Night Football," he said. "And when they do the starting lineups, I can yell 'Monmouth' as loud as I can in the four seconds they give me."

If he runs 40 yards in as much time later this week, he might get that chance.

[*****]

... "Hopefully, I can get on Monday Night Football," he said. "And when they do the starting lineups, I can yell 'Monmouth' as loud as I can in the four seconds they give me."...Nice! :hurray:

Do you have a link to the article?

[maacfb]

http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1140587253176640.xml?starledger?s&coll=1

that should work otherwise if you go to NJ.com and search for miles austin under the Star Ledger paper the article will pop up