NFL Draft: Players from Smaller Schools Not Giving Up Shot at Pro Ranks

Most Division III football players see their playing careers end at the final whistle of their senior seasons. Don’t tell that to Matt Spitz, Jonathan Spring or James Starks, though.
               
The trio of seniors all have been in contact with various professional football teams and are working hard for that one shot to prove that they can compete at the highest level.
               
“There’s a stigma against Division III athletes that we’re not as good and we don’t play the top competition,” said Starks, who worked out for NFL scouts at Ohio State’s pro day and also at Mount Union’s pro day. “People think that we can’t play just because we’re from a smaller school, and that puts a chip on my shoulder to prove that I belong with that Division I talent.”
               
“There are players at Capital, at Mount Union, that deserved shots to play D-I,” Spring (pictured above, celebrating a victory over Baldwin-Wallace) added. “They just didn’t get the exposure in high school, for whatever reason. There are tremendous athletes here at Capital, and the NFL needs to go deeper into Division II, Division III to look for players because these guys can play in the league.”
               
The Crusaders football program has been pumping out pro-caliber talent the past few seasons. Former Capital receiver Lewis Howes (’06) has played arena football, quarterback Rocky Pentello (’07) was invited to Browns rookie training camp last summer, and twin safeties Thom and Kyle Hausler (’07) spent last summer playing in a German pro league.
               
But what does it take to cut it in the pros? Here’s how these former Crusaders are trying to earn a spot on a professional roster.

James Starks
               
Believe it or not, professional football aspirations never arose early in Starks’ career. He blew out his knee during the 2005 season, but even before then he had “no inclination or hope of ever playing in the NFL,” he said with a laugh.
               
Starks, a defensive back, was a consensus First Team All-American selection by both D3Football.com and the American Football Coaches Association. An All-OAC First Team performer the past two seasons, Starks earned the Lee Tressel Award as the best defensive back in the conference this season.
               
At 5-11, 190 pounds, Starks gained a reputation as being one of the biggest hitters in Division III. He also excelled on special teams, blocking a pair of kicks and forcing teams to always account for his presence on the field.
               
Before his senior season, a scout from the Rams organization came to watch Starks work out. But when Capital’s season ended in the Division III playoffs, Starks had no idea about the whirlwind direction his life was about to take.
               
It started with a meeting with a scout. Then another. Pretty soon, Starks was drawing interest from teams in both the Canadian Football League and the NFL.
               
“I wasn’t totally sure about trying to play professionally at first, but then I figured that as long as my body could let me play, I’d continue,” he said.
               
In January, he started training at Max Sports in Dublin, working on the same drills that the athletes go through at the NFL Scouting Combine. Though he wasn’t among the select 300-plus players invited to work out at the combine, Starks practiced for NFL scouts at the Buckeyes’ pro day, and did well enough to draw interest from the Cleveland Browns and the New York Giants.
         

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?