Greg Eslinger  

Does anyone out there recognize this name? Not that anyone really cares (obviously they do not) but this young man is, hopefully, going to be selected in this weekends NFL draft.

For those of you who do not know who this young man is, he is the winner of the Outland Trophy given to the nation's top interior lineman. He is the Rimington Trophy winner which is given to the nation's outstanding center. He is a 3 time first team All Big 10 player and a 3 time All-American. He is the rock that Minnesota Gopher coach Glen Mason built his formidable offense around (he can't seem to find a rock for his defense, though). He has proven to be durable, extremely athletic, passionate about his game and his teammates. He is bright, has a great football intelligence and his character has never been questioned.

What he is not is Matt Leinert, Reggie Bush, or Vince Young. He is not arrogant or cocky as Leinert has proven to be, in trouble (although anyone can say why) with the NCAA as Bush appears to be, and he apparently is smarter than Vince Young (even though the Wonderlic, at least the sample of it I have seen, is a joke). He also is not projected to be drafted until, at the earliest, late on the first day of the draft, or, according to some experts (?), the third or fourth and, in some cases, as late as the seventh round.

How can a guy that has all of this going for him not be on anyone's draft scope until, at the earliest, late on the first day? He is too small! How can Eslinger, who was a first team All Big 10 selection, be rated lower than Ohio State's Nick Mangold, who is projected as a late first round choice? This is how. Eslinger is listed at 6'3" and weighs in at 293 lbs. Mangold is listed at 6'4" and weighs in at 300 lbs. Too small! What does this kid have to prove? He is durable. He played, started, all 50 games of his career. He is athletic. As recognized in an article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune "he turned the ability to pull around end into an art form." He is committed to improving. After their bowl game last year Eslinger went to a training facility in Pittsburgh to improve his skills and agility.

Aside from asking what this kid has to prove, I could ask a slew of other questions. Why, with all of his accolades and accomplishments, was he NOT given an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl? Why is he considered too small for his position when the NFL is full of players at his position who are comparable in size with long careers? Who might those players be, you ask? We'll I'll tell you. Olin Kreutz of da' Bears is listed at 6'2", 292 lbs with 103 career starts. Kevin Mawae of Tennessee is listed at 6'4", 289 lbs with 177 career starts. Jeff Hartings with the World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers comes in at 6'3", 299 lbs with 146 career starts. Robbie Tobek of the Seahawks comes in at 6'4", 297 lbs with 158 career starts. And then, why does the NFL not draft "Centers" as a rule but lumps these players in with all lineman?

I don't know the answers to these questions. I also am not a Minnesota Golden Gopher football fan (hockey, yes!). I am an Oklahoma Sooner fan who, for the life of me, can't understand why Chris Chester is rated as a higher pick than Greg Eslinger at their position. I understand that his skill sets put him as favorable with some teams and not with others depending on the schemes of those teams. I understand that defensive lineman in the NFL are very big at 300 lbs plus (and a lot of plus in some cases). But like Eslinger himself has said, it isn't like he faced a whole lot of defensive lineman in college who weighed 245 lbs. And the sports world, heck the world outside of sports, is full of prime examples of how guys who are labeled too small often stand taller than all the rest.

Maybe I am just pulling for the underdog here. Maybe I am hoping that a guy who says he won't even be watching the draft but will be golfing instead gets a better shot. Maybe I am hoping that a guy who said, "I don't care where I go. I just want to be put in the best situation where I can play, whether that's the first round or the sixth round. I just want a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream" will get a better shot than people are giving him before the draft. Maybe I am hoping humble gets a shot at arrogant and egotistical on this draft day. Maybe I am hoping that the chance to fulfill a lifelong dream gets a shot at the money on this draft day.

Go get 'em, Greg! Here's to hope!