2007 NFL Draft: Chris Denman Makes the Game His Mission

By Jeremy White, NFLHS.com

Of all the offensive linemen set to enter the NFL through this year's draft, Fresno State's Chris Denman has perhaps come the longest way.

Like his draft-eligible cohorts, he was a standout at the high school level, in his case at Tehachapi (Calif.) High School. But Denman wasn't highly recruited because of his size: he was already 6-foot-6 in high school, but was considered too thin.

Still, Fresno State head coach Pat Hill - one of the grittiest coaches in all of college football - saw potential in Denman and took a chance on him. He offered Denman a scholarship.

Denman politely turned it down, saying he wasn't sure if he wanted to go to college. He planned to go on a Mormon mission instead. Later, while playing in an all-star game, a light went off: Maybe he wanted to play in college after all.

"I turned down the scholarship because I was going to go on a mission for my church," Denman explains. "But when I was playing in that high school all-star game I realized how much I loved and wanted to play football and that I could always go on a mission at any time."

Unfortunately, Hill had already given away all his scholarships by the time Denman realized he wanted to play football. Hill told Denman he was still welcome to come to Fresno State, but he would have to walk on and earn a scholarship for the next year. Denman took Hill up on his offer and never looked back.

Denman was part of a highly touted recruiting class that many feel underachieved. In 2006, Fresno State failed to make a bowl for the only time in Denman's four-year college career. That, he says, was tough to swallow.

"It was a rough year," he admits. "We finished off strong and went to a bowl game every year until last year. That was rough."

Back at Tehachapi High, Denman played for his father, Steve, who has coached the team for 25 years. Chris was a tight end and defensive end, and his primary talent, at that point in his career, was on defense.

"I was recruited to play defensive end," says Denman. "I played a lot of that in high school. But at Fresno State I switched over to offense."

To make the switch successful, Denman had to put on lots of weight. He added somewhere around 20 pounds each season to reach his current weight of 305.

Now, he's an imposing figure capable of unleashing plenty of fury on defensive linemen. In fact, despite his pleasant demeanor off the field, he says a lineman needs to take on an alter-ego between the lines.

"You have to have somewhat of a mean streak to play offensive line and play football in general, really," he says.

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc.