Lively anxious for NFL Draft
4/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Lively could be part of second-day selections
ACU lineman could be drafted in mid-to-late rounds
ABILENE -- Britt Lively won't be any different than any of the millions of football fans who will tune in to ESPN this weekend to watch the cable network's gavel-to-gavel coverageof the annual NFL Draft.
Just like the rest of those fans, he'll be wondering if the San Diego Chargers will really select Eli Manning, despite the protestations of his famous father, Archie. He'll also be wondering how long it will take the Giants' and Jets' fans in the arena to boo their teams' selection. And he'll watch with interest to see if a single hair on the head of "draft expert" Mel Kiper Jr. is out of place.
But unlike about 99 percent of the viewing audience, Lively will be waiting for one of the NFL's 30 teams to call out his name during the two-day selection meeting.
As one of the top offensive linemen in NCAA Division II football the last two seasons, Lively has caught the attention of NFL scouts and personnel directors, and now he's hoping his play will pay off in a shot at an NFL career.
"I'm ready to get this whole process over with," said Lively, who likened the last few months to the recruiting process he went through out of high school. "Ever since I was a kid I've wanted a shot at a career in the NFL, and now it's so close. I'm ready to get started right now."
Lively and his agent, Scott Casterline of Dallas, have talked to about 10 teams who have expressed a serious interest in drafting the 6-4, 335-pound offensive lineman, who can play either guard or tackle. Lively said Miami, Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Green Bay, Washington, Kansas City and Oakland have expressed the most interest in him, and at least three of those -- the Dolphins, Redskins and Raiders -- have holes to fill along their offensive lines.
Lively is likely to be selected in the "middle-to-late rounds" of the draft, meaning he probably won't be selected until Sunday when the teams draft players in rounds 4-7. Lively said those teams have been impressed with his footwork and athletic ability.
If he's not drafted in any of the draft's seven rounds, Lively could be a hot property early next week on the unrestricted free agent market. If that were to happen, he would be free to sign with the team of his choosing. Lively, though, would still rather be drafted, even if it meant he were a seventh-round selection.
"Even if you're a late-round pick, the team that picks you sees something in you and they want you, and that's why I would still rather be drafted," he said. "It's a little bit like the recruiting process I went through before I signed with Texas A&M out of high school, but now I really have no choice in where I end up. But that's kind of exciting, and I'm anxious to find out where I'm going to be playing."
The last ACU player to be selected in the NFL Draft was Dan Remsberg, who was a ninth-round selection of the San Diego Chargers in 1985. Remsberg was cut by the Chargers in training camp, but he later caught on with the Denver Broncos and went on to play in two Super Bowls with the Broncos. The only former Wildcat currently on an NFL roster is Justin Lucas, who recently re-signed with the Arizona Cardinals.
Lively was one of the top offensive linemen in Division II football in 2003, and his play helped the Wildcats to their second straight 6-4 record. Lively was named a first team Associated Press Little all-America after the 2003 season, and he was also named first team all-America by the American Football Coaches' Association and Dopke.com College Sports Report.
In addition to his three all-America honors, Lively was named first team all-Lone Star Conference South Division and first team Daktronics NCAA Division II all-West Region. He is just the 22nd player in ACU history to earn first team all-America honors, the last being punter Brad Raphelt in 2001. The last ACU offensive lineman to be named first teamall-America was Sweetwater native John Layfield in 1989.
Lively is the fifth-ranked small-college offensive tackle prospect, according to rankings produced by www.football.com. He is also one of the NFL Draft "sleeper" picks by www.nfldraftworld.com, and he is the No. 38 small-college player, according to www.robscouting.com. He has also been named in several other rankings services on the world wide web, something Lively takes with a grain of salt.
"I've read a lot of that stuff, and I've really learned to not pay a lot of attention to it," said Lively, a three-year starter for the Wildcats after transferring to ACU from Texas A&M prior to the 2001 season. "Those rankings and mock drafts and lists are just somebody's opinion, and none of those guys are the ones picking the players. But it is good that my name is out there, because at least people know who I am and what I can do. I think I'm a better player than some of the guys who are 'ranked' ahead of me, and hopefully I'll have a chance to prove that on the field."
