The NFL hosts a draft every year in which college players are selected by teams to play on the professional level, but not all college athletes are chosen. Out of thousands of football players, only 254 were drafted to a team this year, and of those 254, only five came from NCAA Division II colleges.
\nWhile Division II players are competing against smaller teams and don\u2019t receive as much publicity as Division I teams, they aren\u2019t overlooked by NFL scouts. Still, the question has often been raised whether it\u2019s harder to be drafted coming from a Division II team as opposed to Division I, and if players can expect to play on the professional level coming from a Division II school.
\nLuke Tribble, Harding football\u2019s special teams coordinator and defensive back coach, said there is a lot that goes into the scouting process, even when scouting on the college level. Because he has had a role in this in the past, he knows what teams are looking for when it comes to drafting players.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of things we look for,\u201d Tribble said. \u201cBut it all starts with the question that we ask their high school football coaches, and that is, \u2018What type of person are they?\u2019 We are looking for young men with really high character that are exceptional young men who want to do the right thing. There are some players who just like football, but we are looking for players who love the sport. We look for prospects that love everything about football, from weight training to playing on the field.\u201d
\nWhen going professional, scouts are looking for the next breakout player and the missing piece to complete their team. Recently, scouts from the New Orleans Saints and Oakland Raiders came to Harding to look at the program as a whole and see what work is being done here.
\nFormer San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Bill Walsh knows what to focus on when looking for potential pro players.
\n\u201cThe difference is the truly unique combination of skill, passion, focus, competitiveness and dedication that separates one from the other,\u201d Billick said. \u201cThese are the same attributes it takes to play quarterback in the National Football League and the hardest to isolate, identify and quantify. But find me a tough gym rat with a live arm, pinpoint control and a level head, and I\u2019ll take my chances.\u201d
\nHarding junior offensive lineman Sam Wilson said there are several current players he believes have the potential to go on to play professionally, and he thinks that it is definitely possible to go pro coming from a Division II team.
\n\u201cIf you\u2019re just a [good] ballplayer, people are going to find you,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cIt\u2019s like with colleges and going to a small high school. People think you won\u2019t get recognized but it doesn\u2019t matter where you\u2019re from, you\u2019re going to get the same opportunity that anyone could have. But if you\u2019re a [good] ballplayer, you can go anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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