|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
April 17, 2005Draft DreamsKingsley's Kaleita hopes to hear name called in next weekend's NFL draftByRecord-Eagle staff writer
Name: Tom Kaleita
TRAVERSE CITY - The odds of going from Eastern Michigan University to the National Football League are long.Position: Offensive tackle College: Eastern Michigan High school: Kingsley Height: 6-5½ Weight: 318 lbs. 40 time: 5.2 seconds 225-lb. reps: 26 NFL prospects: Rated as the 33rd best tackle in the draft by scout.com. Projects as a possible seventh round pick or at wrost an undrafted free agent. The Detroit Lions, who scouted Kaleita, have the 233rd pick overall, although they would give that selection to San Francisco if the 49ers do not match the Lions’ offer to restricted free agent OT Kyle Kosier. The odds of going from Kingsley High School to the NFL are even longer. But Tom Kaleita has beaten long odds before. As a freshman tight end at EMU, Kaleita's season ended after four games when he found a tumor on his testicle. Initially he was told the chances were "99.99 percent" it was cancerous. But it wasn't, it was benign. "At that point, I thought that if I wouldn't have found it soon enough, I could have died," Kaleita said. "That crossed my mind fairly quickly. "Being an 18-year-old kid, you think you're invincible. It opened my eyes to a lot of things. I just couldn't expect to live. I had to appreciate everything I have - football, my family, school ..." So that's why Kaleita, a 6-foot-5½, 318-pound offensive tackle who started 35 straight games for the Eagles, appreciates the opportunity he has next weekend. Kaleita will participate in commencement ceremonies at EMU on Saturday, earning a degree in marketing. The following day, he could be a selection on the second day of the annual NFL Draft. "I'm excited," Kaleita said on Thursday. "I'm not really feeling anxious yet, but I'm pretty sure it will come." Kaleita, who has run a 5.2 in the 40-yard dash and can bench press 225 pounds 26 times, has worked out twice for NFL scouts. The first was in front of at least 10 teams at Eastern Michigan's Pro Day on March 17. The second was for the Detroit Lions and offensive line coach Pat Morris on Wednesday. Whether Kaleita is one of the 255 players picked in the seven rounds of the draft remains to be seen. "I'm right there on the line," Kaleita said. "That's the feeling I get. A lot of it depends on (workouts) and I thought I had a great workout and they told me I did. "But there are so many variables involved. It could go either way." That's the same message Kaleita's agent delivered. That also comes from experience and Saline-based Dr. Da-i Ping has been a NFL Players Association certified contract adviser since 1983. "The bottom line is we hope he gets the opportunity," Ping said. "You get drafted, that's icing on the cake. "Things happen on Draft Day that you can't predict. The bottom line is to get an opportunity, go in and play and see what happens." Kaleita said he'll get a chance with an NFL team, either as a draft pick or as a free agent invitee to a training camp. "I'm going to be realistic as well," Kaleita added. "One thing I'm fairly confident about is that I'll get a shot. I realize all I need is to get my foot in the door and then I have a take it from there." Just the chance to go in the draft has Kingsley buzzing. "It's awful neat," said Kingsley football coach Tim Wooer. "I have to kind of pinch myself. I never thought I'd have the opportunity to coach a kid that would be in that situation." If he's not picked in the seven rounds of the draft, it may be a little bit of a better situation for him. Free agents are exactly that - free to accept an invitation to training camp. "Sixth- and seventh-rounders get cut all the time," Kaleita said. "It would be nice to get drafted and see my name, but if you don't get drafted, then you get to pick from whichever team wants you and sometimes that's better. Then I get to go to the situation that's best for me." One Web site, scout.com, lists Kaleita as No. 34 among the top 50 offensive tackles in the 2005 draft. Chris Symington, the offensive line coach at Eastern Michigan, knows what it's like to be in Kaleita's situation. An offensive guard at the University of Colorado, Symington signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was released at the end of training camp. "I think his chances of getting into a camp are very good," Symington said. "As far as his chances of getting drafted, who knows. "That's the crazy thing about the NFL. You would think he will (get invited to a training camp), but you never know. I'm not figuring those guys out. It's crazy. "It's one of those things where you have to shot what you can do and then let the chips fall where they may." When - or if - Kaleita makes it to a NFL training camp, he has a clear view of what he wants to accomplish. "The first thing I have to do is get there," he said. "Then the goal the first year is to make the 53-man roster. Next year I'll set my goals a little higher and make my way up to playing time or starting. "My goals will keep on increasing." One of the two captains for Eastern Michigan this season, Symington said he has been impressed with what he's seen from Kaleita after the season. One of the things Ping did in working with Kaleita was to get him into martial arts to improve his flexibility. "I think he's done a tremendous job with his body since the end of the season," Symington said. "He's totally redefined his body. "It looks like he's lost 20 pounds and he hasn't. He's redefined his body and it's very impressive." Just looking at his raw numbers - which includes a maximum 420-pound bench press and a 615-pound squat - Symington said Kaleita has the numbers NFL teams are looking for in a lineman. "They're all looking for that perfect guy," Symington said. "He's not too far from that as far as the numbers go. He runs a 5.2 in the 40, he can bench press 225 pounds I don't know how many times. "He's a prototypical guy." Symington said he also saw a mean streak out of Kaleita, particularly in the second half of the season, that NFL teams also like. "He's played for two head coaches and I'm his fourth line coach in as many years," Symington said. "He's kind of had to renew himself every year and I think it's kind of caught up with him a little it. "If Tom Kaleita had his last five games be his first five games instead of the other way around, he'd be a middle- to late-round draft pick." With that being said, Symington added Kaleita may be an untapped talent that an NFL offensive line coach would love to mold. "I think all of his best football is ahead of him," Symington said. "I think somebody's going to get an untapped talent." That would be just fine with Kaleita, who credited his agent with giving him the right tools to be in this position. "I've been blessed to be with Dr. Ping," Kaleita said. "One of the things he's really done well is to make it a point that it takes hard work. "It's not about the frills and all that stuff. It's how bad do you want it. It's not where you come from or what your name is. It's how bad do you want it and how much work are you going to put forward to get there." Both Symington and Wooer also said the mammoth Kaleita has other things that go beyond his bulk. "That's the thing he does have going for him," Wooer said. "You talk about the intangibles like work ethic, character and attitude. Those are things where Tom Kaleita is going to win the battle every time." "I told him, 'Good things happen to good people and you're one of the good guys,' " Symington said. "Anything I could do for that kid, I would." Symington said Kaleita should also feel good about Wednesday's look for the Lions and Morris. "If they're coming in to work you out, they're pretty serious about you," he said. Kaleita would also love to be roaming Ford Field, where he played against Central Michigan in the Collegiate Clash. EMU won 61-58 in four overtimes. "That'd be a great situation," Kaleita said of playing for the Honolulu-blue and silver. "The Lions have always been the team. "But I'm not going be too choosy. I'll play for anybody." Kaleita will watch the draft at his agent's house along with his parents, sister, girlfriend and his martial arts instructors. He'll be waiting to see if his name is called and/or waiting for the phone to ring with free-agent offers after the draft. The Kingsley grad will be waiting to see if he can beat the long odds one more time. "I'm excited about it," Kaleita said. "My life is going to change." See Related Story: Kingsley grad Kaleita inks free-agent deal with Lions - April 25, 2005
|
|
