Eric the Red
Team HuskerBoard
Ross pursues NFL dream
BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
He traces the germination of his NFL dream to the seventh or eighth grade. To the Police Athletic League in Denver.
Cory Ross chuckles at the recollection of playing strong safety on defense and guard on offense.
“I still have film of those games at home — it’s funny, man,” said the former Nebraska I-back, emphasizing his prowess as a lineman. “I was one of the bigger guys back then. I used to pull like a maniac.”
Ross was one of those kids who sprouted early. Because he never made it past 5-foot-6, he came to rely on speed, shiftiness and exceptionally keen instincts for the game. Now he leans on those qualities as he continues pursuit of his NFL dream.
Cory Ross runs from Michigan defenders in the first quarter of the Huskers' Alamo Bowl victory. (Ted Kirk)
At the moment, he finds himself in the crucial final stages of the chase.
For the past several weeks, the 195-pound Ross has been training at a workout center in Morristown, N.J., along with several other college seniors, including former Husker teammate Seppo Evwaraye. Ross said he left Lincoln to help him remain focused. He stays in a hotel and works out twice a day, gearing the sessions toward drills and exercises he’ll encounter next week at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Ross will participate in the invitation-only combine along with at least 300 other players, including fellow 2005 Husker seniors Daniel Bullocks, Le Kevin Smith and Titus Adams.
“Here, you really don’t know anybody,” Ross said from New Jersey. “You get done with your workout, come back to the hotel and sleep. You want to get into the best shape of your life so you can go to the combine and have fun and just be natural.”
Obviously, there’s stress involved in the NFL preparation process. Remember, a good performance at the combine could increase a player’s contractual value by tens of thousands of dollars, or more. For players like Ross, there are no guarantees he’ll even be selected in the April 29-30 NFL Draft, though Todd McShay of Scouts., Inc. and ESPN projects him as a fourth-round selection.
Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan, who spent nine years coaching in the NFL, typically hesitates to project his players’ draft stock. Callahan, though, often has praised Ross’ “completeness” as a running back, a reference to the player’s ability to run the ball, catch passes and block. This past season, Ross led the Huskers in rushing (882 yards on 3.9 yards per carry) and tied for second in receptions (43).
“He’s a pretty good cut-back runner who’s really good in a zone-blocking scheme,” said Gil Brandt, senior analyst for NFL.com and former player personnel director for the Dallas Cowboys. “You have to respect his productivity (in college). Obviously, his size isn’t the greatest in the world. But the guy is quick and elusive. Somebody will draft him. It won’t be high, but I feel certain he will be a choice.
“Just being at the combine will help him.”
Ross said he offers NFL teams “the total package,” including prowess as a return man. At Nebraska, he had only seven career punt returns, but averaged 12.4 yards.
“If I stay at it every day, I can get comfortable doing it,” Ross said. “I was a center fielder in baseball, so it’s always felt natural to me catching the ball.”
Running fast also comes naturally to him. Last week, he said, he ran a 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds (hand-timed), the day after a rigorous leg workout. He said it was his fastest 40 since high school.
“There’s a technique to it that makes you faster,” Ross said. “That’s what they’re teaching us here. It’s almost exactly what (Nebraska strength coach) Dave Kennedy taught us. But in college, you just don’t have as much time to work on it.”
If Ross emerges from the combine at all disappointed in any aspect of his performance, he can make up for it March 8 when NFL front-office types will evaluate prospects in Lincoln during the Huskers’ annual “pro day.” The “pro day” on campus gives those who weren’t invited to the combine a chance to perform drills in front of general managers, coaches, scouts, et al.
Ross has fewer than 10 credit hours to finish before receiving a bachelor’s degree in sociology. He’s taking only three credit hours this semester (a sign-language course he can work on while on the road). He vowed to his parents he would obtain his degree eventually.
“I just felt that right now, I needed to give the NFL a shot and do everything I could in order to do my best,” Ross said. “I’d feel bad if I didn’t do that. That’s why I’m OK and confident with what’s going on right now.
“I’ve always wanted to play at the most elite level.”
BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
He traces the germination of his NFL dream to the seventh or eighth grade. To the Police Athletic League in Denver.
Cory Ross chuckles at the recollection of playing strong safety on defense and guard on offense.
“I still have film of those games at home — it’s funny, man,” said the former Nebraska I-back, emphasizing his prowess as a lineman. “I was one of the bigger guys back then. I used to pull like a maniac.”
Ross was one of those kids who sprouted early. Because he never made it past 5-foot-6, he came to rely on speed, shiftiness and exceptionally keen instincts for the game. Now he leans on those qualities as he continues pursuit of his NFL dream.
Cory Ross runs from Michigan defenders in the first quarter of the Huskers' Alamo Bowl victory. (Ted Kirk)
At the moment, he finds himself in the crucial final stages of the chase.
For the past several weeks, the 195-pound Ross has been training at a workout center in Morristown, N.J., along with several other college seniors, including former Husker teammate Seppo Evwaraye. Ross said he left Lincoln to help him remain focused. He stays in a hotel and works out twice a day, gearing the sessions toward drills and exercises he’ll encounter next week at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Ross will participate in the invitation-only combine along with at least 300 other players, including fellow 2005 Husker seniors Daniel Bullocks, Le Kevin Smith and Titus Adams.
“Here, you really don’t know anybody,” Ross said from New Jersey. “You get done with your workout, come back to the hotel and sleep. You want to get into the best shape of your life so you can go to the combine and have fun and just be natural.”
Obviously, there’s stress involved in the NFL preparation process. Remember, a good performance at the combine could increase a player’s contractual value by tens of thousands of dollars, or more. For players like Ross, there are no guarantees he’ll even be selected in the April 29-30 NFL Draft, though Todd McShay of Scouts., Inc. and ESPN projects him as a fourth-round selection.
Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan, who spent nine years coaching in the NFL, typically hesitates to project his players’ draft stock. Callahan, though, often has praised Ross’ “completeness” as a running back, a reference to the player’s ability to run the ball, catch passes and block. This past season, Ross led the Huskers in rushing (882 yards on 3.9 yards per carry) and tied for second in receptions (43).
“He’s a pretty good cut-back runner who’s really good in a zone-blocking scheme,” said Gil Brandt, senior analyst for NFL.com and former player personnel director for the Dallas Cowboys. “You have to respect his productivity (in college). Obviously, his size isn’t the greatest in the world. But the guy is quick and elusive. Somebody will draft him. It won’t be high, but I feel certain he will be a choice.
“Just being at the combine will help him.”
Ross said he offers NFL teams “the total package,” including prowess as a return man. At Nebraska, he had only seven career punt returns, but averaged 12.4 yards.
“If I stay at it every day, I can get comfortable doing it,” Ross said. “I was a center fielder in baseball, so it’s always felt natural to me catching the ball.”
Running fast also comes naturally to him. Last week, he said, he ran a 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds (hand-timed), the day after a rigorous leg workout. He said it was his fastest 40 since high school.
“There’s a technique to it that makes you faster,” Ross said. “That’s what they’re teaching us here. It’s almost exactly what (Nebraska strength coach) Dave Kennedy taught us. But in college, you just don’t have as much time to work on it.”
If Ross emerges from the combine at all disappointed in any aspect of his performance, he can make up for it March 8 when NFL front-office types will evaluate prospects in Lincoln during the Huskers’ annual “pro day.” The “pro day” on campus gives those who weren’t invited to the combine a chance to perform drills in front of general managers, coaches, scouts, et al.
Ross has fewer than 10 credit hours to finish before receiving a bachelor’s degree in sociology. He’s taking only three credit hours this semester (a sign-language course he can work on while on the road). He vowed to his parents he would obtain his degree eventually.
“I just felt that right now, I needed to give the NFL a shot and do everything I could in order to do my best,” Ross said. “I’d feel bad if I didn’t do that. That’s why I’m OK and confident with what’s going on right now.
“I’ve always wanted to play at the most elite level.”
