For many, what should be considered a national holiday is fast approaching. The NFL draft starts Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Washington fans will be watching to see if any Huskies get drafted Thursday in Round 1, Friday in Rounds 2-3 or Saturday in Rounds 4-7.
The NFL Draft Tracker 2012 on NFL.com lists five player prospects from the UW: Jermaine Kearse, Senio Kelemete, Chris Polk, Quinton Richardson and Alameda Ta’Amu.
Through NFL.com’s grading system, Kelemete, Polk and Ta’Amu all received grades that have them going in the second or third rounds of the draft, labeled “eventual starter.”
Kearse received a grade that has him going in the fourth through seventh rounds, labeled “draftable player,” and Richardson received a grade that has him going out as a free agent.
But you never really know until the draft actually starts.
When asked about Kelemete, Polk and Ta'Amu, Washington head football coach Steve Sarkisian said he thinks all three will have opportunities to have extensive careers in the NFL.
It won’t be easy, though.
Said Sarkisian: “The challenge for all three of those guys is, like any guy that goes into the NFL, the draft comes, the draft goes, and now it’s that daily grind, the self-motivation to get up every day to work, to compete, to prepare, and I feel like we’ve helped prepare them for that, but that’s going to be their challenge and it’s going to take their own internal motivation to make that go, and that’s the hardest thing to transition from.”
Sarkisian talked about challenging perceptions, especially in Polk’s case where people have said he’s not durable or fast enough to play in that league.
So he’ll have to prove it.
“The NFL, these guys, they’re the experts, right? They do this for a reason. They study every film, they look at every play, they look at all of it, and that’s the perception they have,” Sarkisian said. “If that’s a guy’s perception of Chris (Polk), it is what it is and until you go out and prove to change that perception, that’s who you are.”
This is when a perception can become a reality.
Sarkisian said that the perception of Polk can change in an instant, whether that means he doesn’t get drafted very high, or it means a team takes him higher than people thought he would go.
Polk’s former head coach thinks the NFL training camp will be his time to define himself.
“Ultimately, when training camp rolls around, he’s got to go prove what he wants to prove about himself,” Sarkisian said.
Sarkisian doesn’t seem to doubt his former players’ abilities to make it in the NFL. In fact, he sounded like a father-figure, which in a way he was for years to them, supporting the guys, but also giving necessary warning that the grind will be tough.
“For those guys to really extend their careers in the National Football League, it’s going to be their self-motivation day in and day out because it’s not about talent with them, that’s for sure,” Sarkisian said. “They’re plenty talented enough to play in that league.”
Washington fans will be watching to see if any Huskies get drafted Thursday in Round 1, Friday in Rounds 2-3 or Saturday in Rounds 4-7.
The NFL Draft Tracker 2012 on NFL.com lists five player prospects from the UW: Jermaine Kearse, Senio Kelemete, Chris Polk, Quinton Richardson and Alameda Ta’Amu.
Through NFL.com’s grading system, Kelemete, Polk and Ta’Amu all received grades that have them going in the second or third rounds of the draft, labeled “eventual starter.”
Kearse received a grade that has him going in the fourth through seventh rounds, labeled “draftable player,” and Richardson received a grade that has him going out as a free agent.
But you never really know until the draft actually starts.
When asked about Kelemete, Polk and Ta'Amu, Washington head football coach Steve Sarkisian said he thinks all three will have opportunities to have extensive careers in the NFL.
It won’t be easy, though.
Said Sarkisian: “The challenge for all three of those guys is, like any guy that goes into the NFL, the draft comes, the draft goes, and now it’s that daily grind, the self-motivation to get up every day to work, to compete, to prepare, and I feel like we’ve helped prepare them for that, but that’s going to be their challenge and it’s going to take their own internal motivation to make that go, and that’s the hardest thing to transition from.”
Sarkisian talked about challenging perceptions, especially in Polk’s case where people have said he’s not durable or fast enough to play in that league.
So he’ll have to prove it.
“The NFL, these guys, they’re the experts, right? They do this for a reason. They study every film, they look at every play, they look at all of it, and that’s the perception they have,” Sarkisian said. “If that’s a guy’s perception of Chris (Polk), it is what it is and until you go out and prove to change that perception, that’s who you are.”
This is when a perception can become a reality.
Sarkisian said that the perception of Polk can change in an instant, whether that means he doesn’t get drafted very high, or it means a team takes him higher than people thought he would go.
Polk’s former head coach thinks the NFL training camp will be his time to define himself.
“Ultimately, when training camp rolls around, he’s got to go prove what he wants to prove about himself,” Sarkisian said.
Sarkisian doesn’t seem to doubt his former players’ abilities to make it in the NFL. In fact, he sounded like a father-figure, which in a way he was for years to them, supporting the guys, but also giving necessary warning that the grind will be tough.
“For those guys to really extend their careers in the National Football League, it’s going to be their self-motivation day in and day out because it’s not about talent with them, that’s for sure,” Sarkisian said. “They’re plenty talented enough to play in that league.”
