By By Chandler Myers
In keeping up with the NFL combine I have been reading up on how some guys I attended college with have been doing over the last week.
Seniors John Parker Wilson, Antoine Caldwell, Rashad Johnson, Glen Coffee and Andre Smith have all at least been in attendance if not participated in drills or interviews.
It’s crazy to think that these are guys that use to walk right past me on the Quad or sit at a desk behind me in a criminal justice class.
Now they all have the possibilty to be professional athletes making millions of dollars in the years to come.
For the most part, they are all really good guys who had good careers, while at the Capstone especially closing out their careers with a 12-2 season.
Johnson is my favorite out of the group as I had the chance to get to know him in a class the fall semester of my senior year. He is a very humble person that can play the safety position as well as anyone in the upcoming draft.
On the offensive front, the likes of Caldwell and Smith made the largest difference for the Crimson Tide last year.
Caldwell has apparently impressed scouts at the combine with his athleticism by posting a long jump of nine feet three inches.
Smith is running into trouble and not because of the contact his uncle made with an agent.
He abruptly left the combine after admitting he was not in his best shape because he has not been working out. He is still probably at Top 15 pick if not higher and will get the chanc to start wherever he ends up.
I still think he has some good in him, but he needs to begin proving his worth.
Wilson made extraordinary strides last season under center. He showed leadership and patience, while controlling the tempo of the game. His first two years are hard to put under a microscope because he put up good numbers, but did not have the wins to back it up.
Most scouts have him as an unsigned draft pick, but I think a team might take a chance on him in the fifth or sixth round. He is a guy who could pose as a great backup, and has proven he can take a hit and get right back up.
Coffee is a talented running back with speed as well as the strength to run over linebackers.
He has suprised scouts at the combine with his mobility, and contined to show he has the speed and strength he had in his breakthrough junior season of 2008.
All of these guys have great chances to be something in the NFL. It might be as a third down running back or a starting safety, but either way come NFL Draft day there will be some Crimson Tide players called, and I can’t wait to see these guys representing the school we all called home for four years.
Chandler Myers is sports editor of the Atmore Advance. He can be reached at 368-2123 or by e-mail at sports@atmoreadvance.com