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| U.SportsSunday, April 27, 2008 11:00 PM CDT |
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Bloomington, Eureka alums find their spot in the NFL
Justin Harrison had to wait a bit longer than Andy Studebaker for the phone to ring. No big deal, really. “When” was not the issue, only “if.” | Complete draft coverage What mattered was it rang for both on Sunday, with the opportunity to pursue a dream on the other end of the line. Studebaker, a former Eureka High School star and Division III All-American defensive end at Wheaton College, was taken by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of Sunday’s NFL Draft in New York. Harrison, a former Bloomington standout and four-year starting safety at the University of Illinois, signed a free agent contract with the Cleveland Browns shortly after the draft’s seventh and final round concluded. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Studebaker said he will be given a defensive line playbook and a linebacker playbook when he reports to mini-camp this week. “I have a lot to learn it looks like,” he said from his parents’ home in Congerville. “I’ll be taking reps at both (positions), which is good for me. The more you can do, and the more you can bring to the table, the better chance you have. “Hopefully that, plus special teams, will help me make the team. It’s nice to know where I’m going for mini-camp. I have a home to go to and a chance to compete for a spot. That’s what I’m going to do.” Philadelphia was among seven teams to send a scout to Studebaker’s “pro day” at Evanston on April 18. His performance in several of the drills/tests would have ranked at the top among defensive linemen at the NFL Combine in February. Studebaker sought to convince teams he had recovered from a foot injury which halted his senior season in the fifth game and required surgery in November. The Eagles deemed him healthy enough to choose him with the 37th pick of the sixth round and 203rd selection overall. Studebaker had taken official visits to Buffalo, Baltimore, Green Bay, Kansas City and Jacksonville. “I knew they (the Eagles) were a little bit interested, and my agent told me they seemed kind of interested,” Studebaker said. “It was a nice surprise to hear from them.” Studebaker had 17½ sacks and 24½ tackles for loss as a junior. He was limited to 6½ tackles for loss and five sacks as a senior by his injury, which prevented him from participating in the Combine and kept him from running at full speed until mid-March. “Mini-camp starts on Friday, and that will be a weekend-long type of thing,” Studebaker said. “It’s been a while since I’ve played, so I’m ready to do football stuff rather than the Combine stuff.” Harrison, a hard-hitting 5-10, 210-pounder, registered 80 tackles this past season while helping Illinois to the Rose Bowl. He had 285 tackles in his Illini career despite undergoing hand surgery and three hip operations. Harrison was among three Illinois defensive backs who worked out for a Browns’ secondary coach prior to the Illini’s official pro day. “They showed a lot of interest through the whole process,” Harrison said. “Since (the workout) they’ve stayed in contact with me week in and week out. They said they liked the way I played and thought I would be a good fit for their program. “They said they didn’t have that many DBs in their program. I got a couple of phone calls from other teams (New Orleans and Tennessee), but I felt the best fit was with Cleveland. They like to create a defense with an attitude, and I just felt some of the things they try to incorporate fit in well with the way I play.” Harrison also was a regular on special teams at Illinois, which could be an advantage in his pursuit of a roster spot. His goal is to follow in the footsteps of his uncle, Eric Wright, a starting defensive back on four Super Bowl championship teams with the San Francisco 49ers. “Growing up, he was somebody looked up to and emulated in the backyard,” Harrison said. “I wanted to go to the NFL like he did. “It (the NFL) has always been a dream of mine. It didn’t matter how I got in as long as I had a chance to play.” Harrison said he will take final exams today and Tuesday as he finishes up his bachelor’s degree in sports management. He will leave later in the week for Cleveland and mini-camp. The wait for Sunday’s call was worth it, though Studebaker said it “made for a long day.” He tuned into the draft at 9 a.m. and watched it pick by pick beginning with the third round. “I should have gone fishing,” he said. “As the day went on I was like, ‘Oh, man, am I going to get picked?’ I should have just thrown a line in the water and waited for the phone to ring.” E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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OC wrote on Apr 29, 2008 12:32 AM:
Raider63 wrote on Apr 28, 2008 2:12 PM:
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t-horn wrote on Apr 28, 2008 9:23 AM:
John Q. Public, esq. wrote on Apr 28, 2008 9:20 AM:
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