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| 04-25-2003 | Previous edition: 04-24-2003 |
         
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Printer-friendly version Purdue linemen hope to get drafted into NFL
Sports Editor The Indiana game on Nov. 23, 2002 marked the 48th consecutive game Gene Mruczkowski started in a Boilermaker uniform, every game of his career. Before the first half ended, Mruczkowski had a complete ACL tear and damage to his MCL. He not only missed the Sun Bowl, but the injury also forced him to miss all the NFL pre-draft tryouts. "It couldn't have come at a worse time," said Mruczkowski. "You never want to get injured, but it screwed everything up as far as combine workouts and pre-draft workouts." Before the injury, scouts told him there was a strong possibility of getting selected on the first day (rounds one through three). Now he said the sixth round is more likely. The drop is largely because Mruczkowski is about 80 to 85 percent recovered and hasn't been cleared by his doctor to run at full speed. This has prevented him from running 40-yard dashes for teams, something Mruczkowski said all the teams want to see. "(My doctor) has allowed me to do offensive line-type drills, lateral movement drills, pass sets and things like that, but teams aren't so much interested in that as times," said Mruczkowski. "They are really caught up in times." Even though it is hurting his draft status and his contract, Mruczkowski said he can't blame the teams for emphasizing times so much. He understands that the NFL is a billion-dollar industry and teams make large investments on young players. It is just frustrating to him because he can't prove his talent. To compensate for not being able to run, Mruczkowski sent a tape to interested teams of him doing everything on a football field except for running. The tape was designed to show his talent as well as to show teams how well his rehabilitation was going. "If you take a guy who had surgery the same day or even before me, I think I am ahead of him," said Mruczkowski. "So that was the reason (I made the tape) to show teams I will be ready for camp." Mruczkowski's faster-than-anticipated recovery is due to two factors. The first is his well-documented work ethic and the second is the aggressive rehab program that his doctors have prescribed him. Mruczkowski said that literally less than an hour after undergoing the surgery to repair his ACL, his rehab started. "As soon as I woke up a lady came in and said,' I'm going to bend both of your knees back up,'" said Mruczkowski. "I am like, 'No, this hurts' and she is cranking on me. I thought it was crazy." For the next six weeks, Mruczkowski underwent at least three hours of rehab six days a week trying to regain the full range of motion in his knee. Eventually, he improved to the point were he was rehabbing one hour four times a week and then finally was able get back into running and drills. He said the worst part of the rehab wasn't physical pain, but more the mental pain. "It's difficult mentally because knee injuries are slow and you don't see day-to-day progress," said Mruczkowski. "You see week-to-week or month-to-month progress, but it isn't measurable progress every day, so that is the tough part to deal with." But now he is (by his estimation) two months away from being back to 100 percent and even closer to realizing his dream of playing in the NFL. Unlike a lot of athletes, playing professionally wasn't a lifelong dream, but since he came to Purdue and played with the New England Patriots' Matt Light and the Pittsburgh Steelers' Chukky Okobi, it has been. "Seeing what success they had, I started thinking I can do that and that is what I want to do," said Mruczkowski. "They are just guys like everyone else, yet they are raking in millions of dollars, so I thought I could do that too." If Mruczkowski had his ideal situation, he would be playing for his hometown Cleveland Browns, but all he wants is a chance at a lengthy NFL career. "I would love to play in the NFL for seven to ten years and invest my money wisely and then kind of do whatever I feel like for the rest of my life not have to worry about money and just live worry-free," said Mruczkowski. He said the talents that are going to earn him that long career are his intelligence, strength and durability. It may seem odd for a player recovering from knee surgery to say durability is a strength, but he said one unlucky injury caused by someone flying into him shouldn't override four years of no missed games. According to The Sporting News' draft report, Mruczkowski will become "a solid NFL player for years," but one of the knocks on him is that he isn't nasty enough. That's something Mruczkowski wants to clear up. "It is a misnomer about O-linemen that you have to be nasty to play O-line," said Mruczkowski. "Sometimes you need to be a finesse player, especially with the athletes out there now on the defensive line. If you try and play too nasty, you get out of control. I think you need a level head to play O-line." While Mruczkowski has been rehabbing since the Sun Bowl, his teammate and roommate Pete Lougheed has participated in as many offseason workouts as possible for scouts. After the Sun Bowl Lougheed played in the Rotary Gridiron Classic, a postseason all-star game; participated in the NFL combine at Indianapolis and attended pro day here on campus. Lougheed, who was honorable mention all-Big Ten last season, said scouts have told him he should get drafted around the same time as Mruczkowski late on the second day but don't ask the ESPN's experts. They dont even include Lougheed in their draft coveragem, though he said that doesn't concern him. "I don't really put too much stock in (that)," said Lougheed. "I just want to prove myself." Unlike Mruczkowski, playing in the NFL has been a lifelong dream for Lougheed. Ever since he was young, he has dreamt of being a professional athlete and now that he is so close to his goal, he won't let "experts" tell him how good he is. He said numerous teams have shown interest in his abilities and that is all that matters. "Some teams a lot more interested than others," said Lougheed. "But when I talked to a lot of the older guys, it seems like a team that doesn't even show interest in you is that one that ends up taking you." Lougheed is confident that he will find a team because as a former tight end he possesses uncharacteristic athletic ability for an offensive lineman. "I feel more athletic than most offensive lineman out there," he said. "My speed and quickness I feel is a real asset for me." Whatever happens this weekend for the two offensive linemen, Lougheed said it has been fun going through the drafting process, which actually started a year ago, with a friend like Mruczkowski. "It is kind of fun because we went through this process together," said Lougheed. "Going through our last season, training, going to the combine and those things, it is kind of fun to have somebody with you doing the same things." The draft will start Saturday with rounds one through three and will be televised by ESPN. It will continue Sunday with rounds four through seven on ESPN2. Printer-friendly version |
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