Legwold: Rare finds revealing hidden talents

Published April 6, 2007 at midnight

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By now, the faces and names at the top of the NFL draft are well-worn parts of the April discourse about such things.

Those can't-miss guys with all the right numbers who already know all the right people.

Then there are those such as former University of Colorado cornerback Terry Washington, who believe they have something to offer and are looking for a team that believes that, too.

Washington, a 5-foot-9 cornerback who played two seasons for the Buffaloes, is a little shorter than most teams want on the outside and is still a work in progress in coverage. But special teams coaches around the league have taken a long look.

They see Washington, at a solid 192 pounds and with a time of 4.49 seconds in the 40-yard dash at CU's pro day, as having plenty of potential in kick coverage. They see him as someone who just might fit a job that needs to be done.

"I don't know if I'm a secret right now; I'll do whatever it takes, special teams whatever they want," Washington said. "If they tell me to be a long snapper, hey, I'm a long snapper."

Washington also might have to try his luck at safety or returning punts. He went as far as to work some at wide receiver on pro day, just to show he was willing.

"I'll do whatever they want," Washington said. "I'll line up anywhere, do anything. All they have to do is tell me where and I'll be there."

Washington is one of many whose names have passed across the draft board through the years. Those with something, not everything, but something they hope gives them a chance for a career of Sundays.

Those who might not always fit the mold, yet are still looking for a chance. Pieces looking for just the right football puzzle.

Other examples include:

• Chad Nkang, LB, Elon

At 5-11 1/2 and 220 pounds, Nkang is a former fullback who has cranked out the tackles since making the move to defense as a sophomore.

Though too small for many tastes on the inside of the defense, he still figures to make a go of it once he hits a training camp.

A defensive most valuable player at the Hula Bowl, he ran a 4.51-seconds 40 at the combine and had 135, 152 and 127 tackles the past three seasons, including 19, 18 1/2 and 16 1/2 tackles for loss in those years.

When scouts look at players who played beneath the large shadow cast by the football factories, they want to see players who dominated. Nkang did just that.

• Steve Baylark, RB, Massachusetts

His 40 times - in the 4.8s - will turn plenty away and he was not invited to the combine. But if production means something, then it's production that will give him a look.

He is one of nine players in NCAA history to have had four 1,000-yard rushing seasons - and two others are in this draft with him, Hampton's Alonzo Coleman and Harvard's Clifton Dawson. Baylark had 1,104 in his career and caught at least 20 passes in three of four years.

He finished with 26 100-yard games - 10 in 2006 - 11 two-touchdown games and four three-touchdown games.

• Arron Sears, OL, Tennessee

Sears has a big-time résumé, having started the last 32 games of his career in the Southeastern Conference. But it's just a matter of where a team sees the fit.

He played both tackle and both guard spots in his career, having made 26 career starts at left tackle, six at right tackle, four at right guard and one at left guard.

One game getting the rewind plenty of times is his performance against Georgia defensive end Charles Johnson last season, where he dominated despite playing with a sprained ankle and sprained elbow.

• Tim Shaw, LB/DE, Penn State

He is simply a study in unselfish versatility. And that alone should make people take pause when trying to decide when to make the call on him.

Shaw was a productive player who moved around the field to help his team win.

He arrived at Penn State as a record-breaking running back who set Michigan State records for career rushing yards (7,611) and touchdowns (131).

Shaw played one season at running back in State College, then moved to linebacker in 2003, a redshirt year. He started two seasons at linebacker, finishing with 50 and 76 tackles.

But when the Nittany Lions were looking for help in the pass rush this past season, they asked him, at 236 pounds, to put a hand down and battle each and every down against players who often outweighed him by as much as 75 pounds.

All he did was finish with 44 tackles and seven sacks.

Pile on a 4.51-seconds 40 at the combine - he dropped that to 4.46 on the traditionally fast Penn State track in an on-campus workout - and somebody will have plenty to work with, especially teams that play the 3-4 and are already circling.

Robinson's legacy

Grambling coach Eddie Robinson died Tuesday night after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. Grambling players he helped send to the Pro Football Hall of Fame:

Player Pos. NFL accomplishments

Willie Brown CB 54 career interceptions

Buck Buchanan DE Missed only one game in 13 seasons

Willie Davis DE Two-time Super Bowl winner

Charlie Joiner WR 12,146 career receiving yards, 65 touchdowns

legwoldj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2359

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