Fred Russell Draft Journal: Part VIII
Iowa tailback Fred Russell sums up his anxiousness in his draft journal before it all goes down this weekend.
By Fred Russell
NFL Draft prospect
Business is picking up.
We're only a few days away from the NFL Draft and if I thought it was tough to balance my time before, now it is even crazier. As I'm writing this late on Tuesday night after a night of studying, I have heard from 15 NFL teams. Most of them have contacted me directly while some have spoken with my agents at PlayersRep Sports.
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| April 22: Draft Journal Part VIII | |||||||||||||
| April 8: Draft Journal Part VII | |||||||||||||
| March 25: Draft Journal Part VI | |||||||||||||
| March 10: Draft Journal Part V | |||||||||||||
| Feb. 26: Draft Journal Part IV | |||||||||||||
| Feb. 16: Draft Journal Part III | |||||||||||||
| Feb. 9: Draft Journal Part II | |||||||||||||
| Feb. 2: Draft Journal Part I | |||||||||||||
| Latest Darnell Dockett journal | |||||||||||||
I personally have spoken with either running back coaches or scouts from the Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, St. Louis Rams and Denver Broncos to name a few. All of the coaches and scouts I've talked with were real cool and I enjoyed talking with each of them. It is really awesome to know that all these busy folks are taking the time out of their busy schedules to call me and talk. I am honored and appreciate the phone calls.
I'm really upbeat and can't wait for the draft to get here. Being in a position to get drafted is the culmination of all the long hours I have put in working out. I'm excited and a little bit nervous.
I have participated in a variety of steps in the draft process. It began with me playing in the Outback Bowl victory over Florida for Iowa, playing and winning the MVP of the Hula Bowl in Hawaii, going to the combine in Indianapolis and doing the drills and interviewing with the teams and working out at my pro day. The last step is what I'm doing now, talking individually with the teams and waiting for my name to be called on draft day.
The process was similar to what I expected but not exactly like I heard it would be. It was a little different because I had never experienced it before. I talked to my coaches at Iowa, former teammates and friends who have gone through the process and they gave me advice and an overview on how the process would go, but until I went through it I didn't actually know what it would be like.
Hearing about the draft process and executing all the steps of it is a whole different thing. But I enjoyed every minute of it. Overall, the draft process was fun and now the draft equation for me will be solved this weekend when the draft is conducted.
As far as the draft itself, the only team who knows what they are going to do is the San Diego Chargers. Since they have the first pick, their selection will trigger a variety of different scenarios. I don't worry myself with what will happen because so much is up in the air. Trades can happen, teams can go a different direction or have been bluffing about whom they really want to select.
The only thing I can do is what I plan on doing: letting everything unfold, be patient and see what happens. Just like every other football fan in North America, I'll be camped out on my couch watching the draft. When you hear my name called, you'll know my draft odyssey is over and my journey to becoming a standout NFL player begins.
