2011 NFL Draft: Why Nevada's John Bender Should Be Drafted

For most of its history, the University of Nevada Wolf Pack football program has been unknown outside the confines of the Inter-Mountain West. Despite a football legacy dating back to the early 20th century, Nevada has long suffered from small school obscurity. Its star player of the 1940's, Marion Motley went undrafted. He nevertheless enjoyed a long career in the NFL and was eventually inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.

Nevada's coach for much of the past 30 years, Chris Ault, is in the NCAA Hall of Fame yet is still largely unknown outside the WAC except among college football cognoscenti. Rank-and-file fans simply don't pay much attention to Nevada. A non-AQ conference, the Western Athletic Conference just doesn't get much respect from the pundits and gurus. It is the Rodney Dangerfield of conferences.

All of that changed this season. Lead by its phenomenal QB, Colin Kaepernick, the Nevada Wolf Pack had its best season ever, going 13-1 and winning the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl over Boston College before an estimated television audience of 2.5 million. With its first top 25 ranking, suddenly Nevada's star players became much more familiar to fans on the national stage. Certainly, Kaepernick is now on the radar screen—an emerging celebrity.

But other Nevada players, previously unknown, have gotten noticed too. Dontay Moch, an absolutely astonishing defensive end shocked everyone at the NFL combine posting the fastest 40-yard time of any defensive lineman in combine history. Virgil Green, Nevada's superb tight end, had the best vertical leap and longest broad jump. Running back Vai Taua also garnered significant attention.

Nevada may well have four players drafted. Not bad for a small non-AQ school that few outside the conference paid attention to before its remarkable 2010 season, a campaign highlighted by victories over CAL and Boise State.

Its safe to say, the talent at Nevada has been flying under the radar screen. Kaepernick, Moch, Green and Taua have been great all along. They didn't suddenly develop talent this year. They just got noticed after Nevada beat BSU in what many feel was one of the best games of the college football season.

This begs the question. Is there more unrecognized talent flying below the radar at Nevada? Are there still overlooked gems in the Silver state? I think so. In fact, there is a player at Nevada that has been all but ignored and shouldn't be.

Nevada has had one of the most prolific offenses in college football over the past few seasons. Kaepernick and Taua have enjoyed a lot of well-deserved recognition for their achievement as the most dynamic duo in college football history. But let's be honest here, a potent running attack requires a powerful offensive line. There are no holes or seams for the running back without the big beef up front.

There aren't many players bigger or more powerful that Nevada's offensive anchor for the past three seasons. Big John Bender, at 6'8'' and 325 pounds, is an absolute monster up front. He was drafted last spring by the Canadian Football League, the second offensive lineman taken.

He is the best lineman in the WAC, and he is a major reason why Kaepernick and Taua were able to become the most prolific QB-RB rushing combination in NCAA history. Yet, Bender has been overlooked. Not invited to the Senior Bowl or the combine, Bender is an unrecognized blue chip.

But a man this big is hard to hide. Sooner or later, some NFL team is going to wake up and see what he has to offer. A talent as big as Bender simply can't be ignored.