ABILENE – While lawyers and judges, lawsuits and counter-suits have taken over the NFL landscape in recent days, football will take center stage once again this week with the league's annual selection meeting in New York.
The first round of the NFL Draft will be Thursday with the second round set for Friday. The final five rounds of the draft will be Saturday with all of the action over the three days taking place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
And for the third time in the last six drafts, a former ACU all-America expects to hear his name called sometime during the three days.
Former wide receiver
Edmond Gates has spent the last two months visiting and talking to virtually each of the 32 teams in the league, hoping to make the right impression on just the right team.
He was at the NFL Combine in February where his stock began to rise after he ran a 4.37 40-yard dash with a bad groin. On March 21 in Abilene he performed well at ACU's Pro Day in front of scouts from more than 15 teams, and the buzz surrounding him began to intensify.
In the last few weeks he's made visits to Dallas, Baltimore, Minnesota, Seattle, Denver, Pittsburgh and New York (Jets). He's worked out and visited in Abilene with the Ravens, Browns, Dolphins, Patriots and Chiefs.
Mock drafts all over the internet have him going anywhere from the end of the second round to the end of the fourth round. But like former Wildcats Danieal Manning (second round, Chicago, 2006), Johnny Knox (fifth round, Chicago, 2008) and Bernard Scott (sixth round, Cincinnati, 2008), Gates doesn't really care which team drafts him in what round as long as he gets a chance to perform on Sundays.
"I can't control that at all, so there's no need in worrying about which team is going to draft me," said Gates, echoing the sentiment of Manning, Knox and Scott before him. "I'm sure I'll be a little bit more nervous about it starting Thursday, but until then there's no reason to think too much about it."
Gates will watch the three days of draft coverage in Arlington where he'll be joined by his parents, his cousin Scott, Knox and other family and friends. He said he'll enjoy watching the first round on Thursday, but will really begin to focus on the proceedings starting midway through the second round.
He's been a fast riser on several national media mock draft boards with the highest potential pick being No. 49 to Jacksonville. One of ESPN's draft gurus, Todd McShay, had him as a potential pick of the Jaguars in that spot, while the other long-time guru, Mel Kiper, said Gates could go to the Ravens with their late second-round pick (26th of the round, 58th overall).
Well-respected Dallas Morning-News NFL writer and draft guru Rick Gosselin has Gates pegged as the 57th-best player and eighth-best wide receiver in the draft.
"I just look at it as a huge blessing," Gates said of his increased notoriety. "To be honest, it's all been a little big overwhelming, but it's been a blast getting the chance to go all over the country and meet so many of the guys we see on TV each week."
Gates said he's enjoyed meeting each of the head coaches and coaching and personnel staffs from each of the teams he's visited and that each of them have told him that returning kicks – both punts and kickoffs – would be part of his duties as well as playing receiver. Gates hasn't been a return man since his freshman season in 2007, but it's a role he's looking forward to embracing at the next level.
"Returning kicks is something that I'll have to do, and I'm comfortable with that," said Gates. "I've been working on that part of my game, and I feel like I'm ready to contribute in that area."
Gates said the biggest area of concern about him with most of the teams is his ability to physically handle the rigors of playing in the NFL.
"Some of the teams I met with are worried about how I'll hold up as far competing with veteran guys at the NFL level after playing Division II football," Gates said. "I've told them that I can't tell them either, and I can't tell them 'I'll do this or that.' What I have told them is that I love to play football, and that I'll go hard and play the role they ask me to play. That's really I can tell them."
And he hopes that's enough.
