O'Connell learns NFL way for combine

By: MICHAEL KLITZING - Staff Writer | Monday, February 18, 2008 11:55 PM PST ∞

Kevin O'Connell may be a mere pro football hopeful on his way to the NFL scouting combine, but the former San Diego State and La Costa Canyon High quarterback is already talking like a 10-year veteran.

"It is," O'Connell summed up, "what it is."

That Sunday-ready response came in reference to the rigorous weeks of training he recently logged in Arizona, preparation for the annual pre-draft meat market that starts Thursday in Indianapolis.

"You just have to go and be confident you're going to give it your best," he said. "I couldn't be more prepared to head out there and do what I've got to."

In short, that means being on top of his game this week -- both physically and mentally. The good news for O'Connell, who hopes to become first Aztecs player drafted in two years and the first quarterback selected since Dan McGwire in 1991, is that the 22-year-old seems more than equipped to excel in both of those phases.

He's 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, with enough quickness to become the first quarterback in Aztecs' history to lead the team in rushing, which he did last season.

He's also a bright guy -- already a college graduate in political science -- who's well-spoken with the media and seems comfortable in his own skin.

It's doubtful he'll have any problems interviewing with teams or completing the notorious Wonderlic test.

Aztecs head coach Chuck Long knows what kind of asset intelligence will be for his former passer.

"Because of the way he is and his personality, he will interview well," Long, a first-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 1986, said recently. "A huge part for a quarterback at the combine is how they interview. ... If you sit down with Kevin, you're going to be very impressed. He's really improved his leadership and work ethic, and that will all come out."

Said O'Connell: "All I can do is be myself. ... I'm not one of those guys who's going to be a problem. I'm going to come in, do my job and expect to get better every day -- how to learn from the veterans and recognize my role, possibly, as a developmental quarterback."

It sure sounds like O'Connell has done his homework for the combine.

During his workouts at MakePlays, a sports performance training facility in Phoenix, he had the opportunity to elicit advice from NFL quarterbacks Charlie Frye (Seattle Seahawks) and John Beck (Miami Dolphins), who have been through the process.

Another benefit of training in Arizona is that O'Connell got to attend functions leading up to Super Bowl XLII in Glendale. He had a chance to briefly pick the brains of Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger and Arizona's Matt Leinart.

"I was quick to ask as many questions as I could without coming across as bothersome," he said.

Along the way, O'Connell gleaned bits of advice on things most people would never really think to ask about. Like, for instance, the importance of packing some chow.

"Sometimes you can go six, seven hours without eating because if you go straight from a medical meeting to the Wonderlic, and then a couple teams want to sit you down -- you're not going to tell those teams no," O'Connell said. "So it's (good) to bring snacks or protein bars or whatever it might be.

"There's a set schedule, but at the same time it's pretty much off the cuff. (Teams) might just want to grab you or see you in the hallways. You've got to be available for everyone and you've got to be at your best at all times."

Rather than wringing his hands, O'Connell sees an opportunity at the combine to make a splash as a player who doesn't come from a major football power. Considering it's doubtful that scores of NFL general managers get the mtn., he can still mold opinions. He was able to do just that last month with strong efforts at the Hula Bowl and East-West Shrine Game.

"It's one of those situations that's really set up for a guy like me," he said. "I want to confirm any kind of positive (ideas) people have about me and, at the same time, I've worked real hard to attack the negatives and turn those into positives if I could. I've done a lot of good things as far as working on footwork and, to be honest with you, I wish I would have tried to do that a little earlier in my career.

"But that sense of urgency kicks in as this draft process goes through."

O'Connell said he has more than one motive to excel this week. With tackle Will Robinson the only other Aztecs player invited to the combine, O'Connell hopes improving his stock will result in more interest from scouts at the team's pro day later this spring and provide a boost to his former teammates.

Then there's the obvious -- putting himself in position to hear his name called in April. In that regard, he knows he can only do so much in Indianapolis.

"This is one heck of a process," O'Connell said. "But it's just the beginning."

-- Contact staff writer Michael Klitzing at mrklitzing@gmail.com.

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