Waiting Game: NFL Draft Fast Approaching
4/21/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Growing up in nearby Allen, Texas, Baylor center J.D. Walton was a "diehard" Dallas Cowboys fan who would love nothing better than suiting up with a star on his helmet.
But when the 2010 NFL Draft starts on Thursday, the only team Walton's interested in is the one that calls out his name.
"Because they'll be the ones putting food on the table," said the 6-foot-3, 300-pound Walton, who's projected to be one of the first centers taken in the three-day draft and the second Baylor offensive lineman drafted in the last two years.
"It's been a dream of mine since I started playing football in seventh grade," Walton said. "Everybody's got a goal. At first, mine was just to get on varsity. Then it was college, and now it's to get to the NFL. I can't wait. I'm ready to get my foot in the door and play for 10, 12 years."
While other Baylor players like linebacker Joe Pawelek, safety Jordan Lake, defensive end Jason Lamb and deep snapper Carter Brunelle will likely have to go the free agent route, Walton and wide receiver David Gettis are projected draft picks after going to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
"It's been a long process as far as going to the all-star games, the Combine and then going through the visits and meeting with each club," said the 6-4, 215-pound Gettis. "I'm definitely happy that that part is coming to an end. I'm just looking forward to a team picking me up and getting back to football stuff again."
Gettis is back at his home in Los Angeles, Calif., for this week's draft. But don't expect him to be glued to the TV for all three days. ESPN and The NFL Network will have prime-time broadcasts of the first round at 6:27 p.m. Thursday and the second and third rounds starting at 5:27 p.m. Friday, followed by the fourth through seventh rounds starting at 9 a.m. Saturday.
"That's one thing I will not be doing," Gettis said. "I don't want to sit there and stress about,' Oh, my gosh, they picked that guy?' I'm not going to do that. The way I see it is whatever happens, happens. I've done everything I could possibly do to this point. So now it's not up to me. It's up to the people with the decision to make - if they want to bring me I or not. So all I can do is wait."
Walton will actually have some friends and family with him for a watching party at his home in Denton, Texas. But he knows he won't be taken until Friday or later.
"As long as my name's called out, that's all that matters," he said. "Hopefully that happens."
Both players believed they helped themselves at the NFL Combine, where they were poked, prodded, evaluated and interviewed by the various NFL scouts, general managers, coaches and player personnel directors.
"I didn't do as much on the bench as I would have liked," said Walton, who did 24 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press. "It's not that bad, but it was really the one thing that stuck out in my mind. But shoot, everything else I did was good. The Combine definitely helped me out. It showed that I can move my feet."
Gettis helped his stock with a sub-4.3 time in the 40-yard dash at Baylor's Pro Day last month. But he called his Combine experience "a great workout all the way around."
"I caught the ball well, ran well and showed my agility and change of direction - all the stuff the scouts want to see," he said. "So that was definitely a great experience and profitable for me."
Since Los Angeles doesn't have a team, Gettis said he has never really had a favorite NFL team. "So wherever I get to go, as long as I'm playing football, I'm happy."
