Mentor grad Nick Samac of Michigan State drafted in Round 7 by Ravens news-herald.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from news-herald.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
To understand how difficult it is and the odds of being drafted by an NFL team, look no further than the Mentor football program. For all of its success as a dominant Division I program in Ohio, the Cardinals have produced five players drafted by NFL teams according to profootballreference.com. Michigan State center Nick […]
Doug Smith was overlooked from the beginning.
Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, he hoped to play football for the hometown Ohio State University. It, however, didn t recruit him. I couldn t go to any other Big Ten schools, Smith said. They all offered me, but I felt like I was a Buckeye. So I decided to go to Bowling Green.
A second-team All-MAC center as a senior, Smith was overlooked again in 1978 when he wasn t chosen during the NFL Draft. The Browns wanted to sign me (as a free agent), and the Philadelphia Eagles. But the Rams offered me a little bit more money because I didn t know that the cost of living was higher in L.A. than it was in the other places, Smith laughed. They needed a long snapper, and I long-snapped since I was 10, so I thought that may be my way into the NFL.