2007 NFL Draft: Zak DeOssie Turns the Odds in His Favor

By Mike Scandura, NFLHS.com

Even a cursory glance at the numbers says the odds are stacked against Brown University senior linebacker Zak DeOssie (North Andover, Mass.).

Consider: At the start of the 2006 season, only 13 of the 1,696 players on NFL rosters were Ivy Leaguers; he was the only Ivy Leaguer out of 327 players invited to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in February; he's also the only Brown University player ever invited to the Combine, and that includes tight end Steve Jordan who played 12 years and was voted to six Pro Bowls with Minnesota.

DeOssie chose Brown because of the educational opportunities it provided instead of seeking a scholarship from a "football factory."

Yet after his performance at the Combine, DeOssie -- the son of former NFL linebacker Steve DeOssie (who played 12 years with the Cowboys, Giants, Jets and Patriots) -- boosted his stock to the point where he's now considered to be a middle-round choice in the draft, as an outside linebacker (because of his speed and natural ability for that position).

DeOssie, who checks in at 6-4 1/2 and 250 pounds, not surprisingly has been fueled by the underdog mentality that comes with playing football for an Ivy League school.

"It's always there, especially coming from a I-AA institution," said DeOssie, who already has completed his requirements for a degree in public policy. "I get it at every level and I love to prove all the doubters wrong. It's just more magnified at the Ivy League level.

"The only thing I can control is producing."

DeOssie certainly has produced.

While playing for the East Team in the East-West Shrine game, he made eight tackles at outside linebacker and on special teams (for good measure, DeOssie also is capable of being a long snapper).

He was a two-time I-AA All-American and a two-time finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, which goes to the nation's top defensive player.

At the Combine, he clocked a 4.58 in the 40, which was the eighth-fastest time for a linebacker, and put up 26 reps on the 225-pound bench press, which was fifth-best among 34 linebackers.

DeOssie also has received a "graduate course" in football.

An All-New England selection at Phillips Andover, DeOssie worked as a ball boy for the New England Patriots at their 2002 and 2003 training camps.

Why?

Patriots coach Bill Belichick did a post-graduate year at Phillips Andover and has remained close to the school.

"He came to a few games and asked me if I wanted to be a ball boy and I jumped at that," recalled DeOssie, who played quarterback at Phillips Andover before Brown coach Phil Estes (who recruited him as a free safety) converted him to linebacker. "Bill always was involved with the school and stays in touch with the coaches. One thing led to another."

But DeOssie wasn't relegated to shagging missed passes or toting water bottles.

"I was the extra arm around training camp and was throwing 300 to 400 balls a day to guys who were injured," he said. "Every receiver would get a pass. That was my job. I threw to Terry Glenn and Daniel Graham if they were injured and needed passes thrown to them.

"I do have an edge in terms of knowing how a Super Bowl organization is run and I know how to act accordingly. I came away with a good experience and hope to translate that into where I go this summer."

Being around the Patriots as well as his father has eliminated the "golly, gee whiz factor."

"I've been around camps and athletes my whole life," he said. "And even though my father played in the NFL, in my eyes it was his job. I wasn't awestruck or overwhelmed. I looked up to him but he wasn't like a Little League coach who was after me to play football. But he was behind me 100 percent in whatever I wanted to do, even if it was playing chess.

"I learned to love the game on my own. When I was playing he talked to me about the mental aspects of the game like how to act as a leader. Fortunately, I grasped the whole team concept."

DeOssie's time at Phillips Andover helped prepare him for Brown, just like working at the Patriots camp and listening to his father has prepared him for a possible job in the NFL.

"In terms of the transition from high school to college, I think I was more ready than most high school players," said DeOssie, who played on the NEPSAL championship team as a freshman. "Post-grads play here and the success of the team depends on how they gel.

"There are some good players in Class A. But I never doubted my abilities to play or questioned that, so I was ready to make the transition from high school to college."

Just like he harbors few doubts about his ability to make the transition to the highest level.

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc.