By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation

CHICAGO ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" Even as a 170-pound receiver at Richardson Pearce High School, Corey Coleman set a goal and dreamed of being a first-round pick in the NFL Draft.

Tonight, that little kid's dream is expected to become reality.

Now 5-11 and 195 pounds, the Baylor All-American and Biletnikoff Award winner says he was "probably 5 years old" when he first told his mother that he wanted to go to the NFL, "and I just stuck with it, really."

Since Coleman missed the Russell Athletic Bowl with a sports hernia injury, it's been nearly five months since he played his last game for the Bears. The last few months have been a blur with the NFL Combine, Baylor Pro Day and individual workouts and meetings with various teams that could take him in the first round that will be held Thursday night at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University.

"It's a long wait, and now it's finally here," Coleman said Wednesday after participating in the NFL Play 60 event with the other 24 NFL Draft invitees. "It's like, 'Dang, this stuff's about to get real. At the same time, it's a blessing, because people would kill to be in my shoes. I've got to take it like it's the best thing that's ever happened, really. . . . I'm ready to go to work and earn my spot and play in the NFL."

With All-American defensive tackle Andrew Billings projected to go late in the first round to either the Pittsburgh Steelers or Green Bay Packers, Baylor could have a pair of first-round picks for the third time in six years and as many as six players taken in the seven-round, three-day Draft.

"I'm not sure they listen to my biased opinion, but we certainly think we've got a good chance to have two guys go in the first (round)," Baylor head coach Art Briles said. "And then we think (cornerback Xavien Howard) has a chance to go pretty high, maybe in the top 60 (picks). Potentially, we could have five to seven guys drafted.

"We're very excited and happy for these guys to have an opportunity to take care of their loved ones and themselves and carry on their dream of playing pro football, because all of the guys we deal with have that dream. And for it to become a reality for some of our Baylor Bears, it's a neat thing for us."

While some draft experts have TCU's Josh Doctson and Laquon Treadwell from Ole Miss rated ahead of Coleman, NFL Network analyst and former Philadelphia Eagles scout Daniel Jeremiah says Coleman "is the best wide receiver in this draft class."

"He gets on top of coverage, he can run away from you," Jeremiah said, "and then after the catch, he's just so physical and tough and elusive."

The only knock on Coleman, who's been compared to other NFL receivers like Steve Smith and Percy Harvin, has been the limited number of routes he ran at Baylor. But as former FOX broadcaster and now NFL Network analyst Charles Davis said, "He doesn't run that many routes . . . but he runs four really good routes that end up in the end zone."

"I think the big thing for Corey is to go somewhere where he can be the complementary big-play threat," said Bucky Brooks, another former scout and current NFL Network analyst. "If he does that, he has a tremendous opportunity to be a big-time threat early in his career."

Most mock drafts have Coleman projected to go somewhere in the 22-24 pick range in the first round to either the Houston Texans, Minnesota Vikings or Cincinnati Bengals, a run that could also include Treadwell and Notre Dame receiver Will Fuller. The Texans sent a large contingent to Baylor's Pro Day that included head coach Bill O'Brien.

"I try not to pay too much attention (to the mock drafts), because the Draft is one thing where you never know what's going to happen," Coleman said. "The mock drafts are fun for the fans, but in reality the only people that know are the ones making the call, like the GM and the head coach. So, I try not to get caught up in all that. And we're going to find out (Thursday)."

Billings was actually in Chicago for an NFL event Wednesday, but returned home to Waco, where the 6-2, 310-pound defensive tackle will watch the Draft with family and friends.

Brooks sees Billings as a "three-down player" with his ability to stuff the run "and also give you a little something as a pass rusher," and expects him to go near the end of the first round.

With a 4.92 time in the 40 at Baylor's Pro Day, Billings showed that "he's a little more athletic than we gave him credit for and has some upside as a pass rusher," Jeremiah said.

Howard was easily the most surprising of the Baylor trio that entered the Draft a year early, but he earned first-team All-Big 12 honors as a fourth-year junior when he picked off five passes and also returned a fumble for a touchdown.

"It was a hard decision, because I was so close to graduating. I only had eight hours left," Howard said. "But I felt like I was ready. I started two years here, and I've seen a lot of improvement."

Jeremiah calls the 6-2, 205-pound Howard the "classic second-round corner."

"He's got the traits you look for," he said. "He's big, didn't run as fast at the Combine as we all expected, but then he cleaned that up at his Pro Day. He's got great ball skills, a little bit raw, but all the things you look for ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢' ¬" the size, the length, to be able to press, to be able to play off and to play the football."

Two-time All-American offensive tackle Spencer Drango is projected as a third-day pick in the fifth or sixth round, while receiver Jay Lee is a potential sixth- or seventh-round pick.

A four-year starter for the Bears at left tackle, Drango said he still sees himself as a tackle, "but I'm not above moving inside at all. If I need to move inside, if I need to learn how to snap, play right, left, I can do whatever as long as it helps the team and helps me succeed."

Easily the most intriguing Baylor prospect in the Draft is Rico Gathers. The basketball power forward decided late in the season that he was going to give the NFL a shot as a tight end and had reps from 25 teams scouting his personal workout Monday in New Orleans.

Measured at 6-6 and 273 pounds, Gathers was clocked between 4.75 and 4.85 in the 40-yard dash, had a 9-foot, 7-inch broad jump and a short-shuttle run of 4.56 seconds. The 4.75 time in the 40 would have placed seventh among tight ends who ran at the NFL Combine in February.

Gathers, who has not played football since junior high, worked out the last several weeks with former Green Bay and New Orleans quarterback Matt Flynn.

On his updated big board that was released Tuesday, ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper had Gathers listed as the 157th best prospect, which would put him somewhere in the fifth or sixth round.

Jeremiah said teams are "definitely intrigued by Rico."

"I haven't started watching the basketball tape yet," he said. "I didn't know that would be part of my assignment as we marched toward the Draft that I needed to be watching Baylor hoops. But talking to buddies around the league, I need to do that, and I've got less than 24 hours to get it done. But he's somebody that's creating a lot of buzz. We've seen it work before. Obviously, Antonio Gates is kind of the model. But you look at Julius Thomas, another one who I scouted up at Portland State who played very little football."

Coverage of the NFL Draft will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday on both ESPN and the NFL Network. Also, check out our daily reports and videos at www.baylorbears.com.