By MIKE KEMMETER
Special to The Gazette
Ross Kolodziej had heard all about what National Football League prospects go through at the league's annual scouting combine, as the league's 31 teams prepare for the April college draft.
Now the 1996 Stevens Point Area Senior High graduate and three-year starter on the defensive line for the Wisconsin Badgers knows first-hand.
Kolodziej may be the first former SPASH player to take part in the combine, where scouts, general managers and coaches from every NFL team test players who are eligible for the draft, running them through a series of drills and medical tests.
"First and foremost, when they say it's a meat market, they mean it," Kolodziej said.
When he arrived in Indianapolis, Ind. for the combine, which was held Feb. 22-26 at the RCA Dome, Kolodziej said he received a white T-shirt and white shorts. The shirt had four characters on it - "DL" (for defensive line, the group he was in) and "11" (the number assigned to him). "You don't have a name anymore, it's a position and a number. You're just a piece of meat," he said.
Kolodziej was one of 55 defensive lineman invited to the camp, who were broken down into two groups. His group was awakened at 5 a.m. all three days. "It's a pretty strict routine. They move you from activity to activity," Kolodziej said.
Those activities included a stop at a hospital on the second day for three or four hours of strength and blood tests. On the combine's third day, Kolodziej and his group stopped at six different stations, all manned by physicians. "Each team has its own doctor and they all prod you," he said.
While the experience may sound bad, don't think Kolodziej wasn't happy to be there. "I had hope that given the opportunity, I could really turn some heads," said Kolodziej, who received a letter in the mail just before Christmas inviting him to the combine.
That wasn't the only chance Kolodziej would get to impress personnel men around the league. Kolodziej, who received honorable mention All-American honors by USA Today after his senior year at SPASH, was one of several Badgers who worked out for teams Wednesday, March 7, at UW's indoor practice field, the McClain Athletic Facility. Kolodziej participated in several drills during the afternoon session.
"It is a little different this time because it's home," he said. "I got to sleep, and sleep in my own bed."
The former Panther knew what was on the line on both occasions. "It all depends on who's fast. It's pretty much do or die, sink or swim," Kolodziej said. "The game films stand out a lot, but if you perform here, you can improve your stock."
As for his "stock," Kolodziej said he isn't sure when his name will be called during the two-day NFL draft, which is held April 21-22. "It's so tough to say at this point," Kolodziej said. "I've heard I'm a first-day guy (first three rounds), and I've heard I could go in the fourth or fifth round.
"There's no way I'm going to believe the hype. As soon as I hear my name, I'll know where I'm going."
Pro Football Weekly's Joel Buchsbaum, a respected draft projector, rates Kolodziej as the 12th best defensive end prospect. Buchsbaum gave Kolodziej a grade of 5.19, which according to his scale, means Kolodziej has a "better than average chance to make an NFL roster."
Kolodziej said playing for the Badgers in the Big 10 Conference and starting for three years, at both defensive end and tackle, means a great deal. "Obviously, playing at this level of a school helps - week in and week out, the athletes you face," Kolodziej said. "There's so many great players that play in the conference."
But no matter what happens, Kolodziej wants his chance to prove he can be a NFL player. "It's just hoping that you get the opportunity and make the most of it. Some guys bounce around in the league a lot and then get the opportunity, and some get the opportunity right away. It doesn't matter where you're going or who you're going to, it's about making the most of your opportunity."
After Kolodziej said that Wednesday afternoon, he looked around the McClain Athletic Facility and saw about 75 people on the practice field. Among them were the head coaches of the New Orleans Saints and the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson, coordinators and position coaches from a handful of NFL teams, and pro scouts.
"It's just great. This is what you dream about," he said. "I'll just try to take advantage of the opportunity."