Getting an invitation for a tryout at an NFL team’s rookie minicamp is a definite step in the right direction. To be signed by a team following a tryout has been a long shot for most Division III athletes.
Justin Beaver got his shot following his record breaking career at Whitewater. Beaver’s NFL Pro Day in Madison made headlines around NFL circles.
Beaver’s Pro Day numbers stunned NFL scouts that were in attendance at the University of Wisconsin’s McClain Center that morning in early 2008.
The former Palmyra-Eagle star ran the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds. That run would have placed him as the fifth-fastest running back at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis if he had been invited and had duplicated the feat there.
His 3.96-second 20-yard shuttle time was better than any of the Combine backs. And his 24 bench reps would have put him in the top ten among running backs in that category.
To put the numbers in further context, here’s a breakdown of Beaver’s Pro Day numbers compared to Darren Mcfadden who would be selected the No. 3 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.
Beaver ran everything fast, with the biggest difference in the 40-yard dash where he ran a solid 4.45 to Mcfadden’s 4.33.
Justin had quicker times in the 20-yard shuttle and three-cone and the three-cone drill. Beaver's 25 reps of 225 pounds stand out compared to Mcfadden's 13.
Two years later another UW-Whitewater football player, Lane Olson, put together Pro Day numbers that rivaled the best at the 2011 NFL Combine.
Olson’s 39” vertical jump is 1 ½ inches more than the closest strong safety (David Sims/Iowa State) at the ’10 NFL Combine in Indianapolis. His 28 reps 225 pound bench press is four more than the closest strong safety at the Combine. His 6.4 time in three-cone also tops all strong safeties in Indianapolis. Topping strong safeties at the Combine was Shiloh Keo’s (Boise State) 6.55 time. Olson also posted a 3.90 agility drill (20 yard cone) which was the top time among Combine strong safeties. Meanwhile, Lanes 10’4” standing broad jump distance tied him with Robert Sands of West Virginia as the longest at the Combine.
The average football fan would have thought that both Beaver and Olson were “slam dunks” to earn an undrafted free agent contract.
It didn’t happen.
A number of national publications portrayed Beaver, a 5-foot-7, 191-pound running back out of Division III UW-Whitewater is stereotyped as too small to play running back at the NFL level. The same was said about Olson who checked in with an official height of 5’8 ½ and 205 lbs.
Olson who was a linebacker his final three years at UW-Whitewater was projected as a strong safety in the NFL.
In NFL circles, size does matter and playing college football at the Division III level often produces “red flags” when considering a D III athlete in the NFL Draft or signing undrafted free agents.
Getting an invitation for a tryout at an NFL team’s rookie minicamp is a definite step in the right direction. To be signed by a team following a tryout has been a long shot for most Division III athletes.
Justin Beaver got his shot following his record breaking career at Whitewater. Hia NFL Pro Day in Madison made headlines around NFL circles.
Beaver’s Pro Day numbers stunned NFL scouts that were in attendance at the University of Wisconsin’s McClain Center that morning in early 2008.
The former Palmyra-Eagle star ran the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds. That run would have placed him as the fifth-fastest running back at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis if he had been invited and had duplicated the feat there. His 3.96-second 20-yard shuttle time was better than any of the Combine backs.
His 24 bench reps would have put him in the top ten among running backs in that category. To put the numbers in further context, here’s a breakdown of Beaver’s Pro Day numbers compared to Darren Mcfadden who would be selected the No. 3 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.
Beaver ran everything fast, with the biggest difference in the 40-yard dash where he ran a solid 4.45 to Mcfadden’s 4.33. Justin had quicker times in the 20-yard shuttle and three-cone and the three-cone drill. Beaver's 25 reps of 225 pounds stand out compared to Mcfadden's 13.
Two years later another for UW-Whitewater football player, Lane Olson, put together Pro Day numbers that rivaled the best at the 2011 NFL Combine.
Olson’s 39” vertical jump is 1 ½ inches more than the closest strong safety (David Sims/Iowa State) at the ’10 NFL Combine in Indianapolis. His 28 reps 225 pound bench press is four more than the closest strong safety at the Combine.
His 6.4 time in three-cone also tops all strong safeties in Indianapolis. Topping strong safeties at the Combine was Shiloh Keo’s (Boise State) 6.55 time. Olson also posted a 3.90 agility drill (20 yard cone) which was the top time among Combine strong safeties. Meanwhile, Lanes 10’4” standing broad jump distance tied him with Robert Sands of West Virginia as the longest at the Combine.
The average football fan would have thought that both Beaver and Olson were “slam dunks” to earn an undrafted free agent contract. It didn’t happen.
A number of national publications portrayed Beaver, a 5-foot-7, 191-pound running back out of Division III UW-Whitewater is stereotyped as too small to play running back at the NFL level. The same was said about Olson who checked in with an official height of 5’8 ½ and 205 lbs. Olson who was a linebacker his final three years at UW-Whitewater was projected as a strong safety in the NFL.
In NFL circles, size does matter and playing college football at the Division III level often produces “red flags” when considering a D III athlete in the NFL Draft or signing undrafted free agents.
Beaver eventually signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League and was on the team’s “practice squad” in his only year with the club. Justin returned to the United States and is a highly successful teacher and coach at Jefferson High School. He and wife Amber are expecting their first child this summer.
Olson never did receive an invitation to a rookie minicamp tryout and was out of football in 2011. The former UW-Whitewater linebacker is playing this spring with Rhinos Milano of the Italian Football League. Olson currently plays defensive back and wide receiver for Rhinos Milano of the Italian Professional Football League. He is one of four players from the United States on the team’s 2012 roster.
Three former Warhawks – Matt Blanchard (QB), Casey Casper (Long Snapper) and Kris Rosholt (Punter) are the next in line in seeking an NFL career. Casper and Rosholt have been invited to the Green Bay Packers rookie minicamp the weekend of May 11th. The same weekend, Blanchard will be at the Chicago Bears rookie minicamp.
