The Next Wave: A student-athlete’s view of the Draft
For this year’s class of players hoping to become pros, the Draft is a career-defining moment. But back at every Draft prospect’s respective college, their former team-mates are training and preparing for a new season of college football. Student-athletes across America will look towards this year’s Draft and envision their own names being called in the next few years.
So what is the Draft like from the perspective of a player still in college? I spoke with Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Simeon Smith to find out;
As the Draft unfolds in Philadelphia, players like Simeon will be training for the upcoming season, playing in Spring games and running through drills. So do college players pay attention to the Draft? “I will pay a lot of attention (to it). I have a lot of team-mates from last year who I look forward to watching, and it’s exciting to see where they will end up.”
Watching former team-mates get chosen by NFL teams puts into perspective just what the coming college football season means. For college programs, player turnover is always high as players leave for the Draft only to be replaced by new athletes graduating from the high school ranks. Michigan pulled in the nation’s fourth best recruiting class this year in coach Jim Harbaugh’s third season at the helm.
“It is hard but also exciting to see guys leave. The team will miss their contributions and leadership, but it’s also awesome to see guys going on to play at the highest level. Amara (Darboh) helped me learn plays when I first came here as a freshman. Jehu’s (Chesson) sense of humour will be missed as well. It’s nice to see spots open up on the depth chart though.”
It is a journey that Simeon has already begun, enrolling at Michigan as a preferred walk-on out of Loy Norrix ( Kalamazoo) High School in 2016. Choosing a college is a big decision, as student-athletes like Simeon must balance their dreams of playing football with studies that will set them up for life after the gridiron. So why did Simeon choose Michigan?
“As a student, I chose Michigan because they were the #1 Aerospace Engineering program in the world. As an athlete, I chose Michigan because of the deeply rooted traditions and the potential the program showed after Coach Harbaugh’s first year.”
Simeon enrolled at Michigan as a preferred walk-on. College programs have a limited number of scholarship places for a single season, so many of players on the roster will be walk-ons. But preferred walk-ons, like Simeon, are guaranteed a spot on the roster at the start of training camp. It is then down to the player to earn that honour.
“The only difference between a walk-on player and a scholarship player is money really. If a walk-on performs better than a scholarship (player), then he will play more. We have a lot of guys that start at their positions, but started as walk-ons.”
As the Wolverines prepare for the upcoming season, they are ranked as the 10th overall program in the country by an Associated Press Top 25 list, and will be expected to be contenders for both the Big Ten title and a spot in the College Football Playoff. So in a season with so much at stake, how much of a chance does Simeon have?
“It will all depend on how hard I work, and how much everybody improves throughout spring ball and summer workouts. As for right now, I have a chance to play just like everyone else on the team does.”
Per NFL rules, players who want to declare for the Draft must wait at least three full seasons after graduating from high school before declaring. As he graduated from Loy Norrix last year, Simeon won’t be eligible until the 2019 Draft. However, surely it must still be on his mind?
“I have a lot of work to do before I think about the NFL Draft personally. I do think about it though, I’m sure every football player that wants to play professionally does. Right now I am just focused on getting better every day.”
One of the biggest differences between the pro and college game is the complexity of the offense. Many college programs opt to run spread or Air Raid systems that don’t utilise the full tree of NFL routes for receivers. However, Michigan runs a pro-style offense under coach Harbaugh, who coached the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014. That should put Simeon at an advantage when his chance comes.
“Understanding the terminology and the way plays are pieced together was a big step for me when I came in as a freshman. In high school we only had about 25 or so plays, so when 70+ concepts were introduced to me on the first day of fall camp in 2016, it was quite the awakening.”
For now though, Simeon and the Wolverines will focus on the season ahead, hoping to win their first Big Ten title since 2004 and secure a spot in the College Football Playoff. With players like Simeon eager to prove themselves on the hallowed turf of Ann Arbor’s “Big House”, that dream might just come true…
