chenyan94: him to slide down draft
him to slide down draft
He wiggled his fingers and toes and had feeling in his arms and legs, giving the big offensive lineman some reassurance that he wasn’t paralyzed.
James was the starting right tackle for Auburn when his football career — and possibly much more — flashed before his eyes. It was Sept. 16, 2017, and the crowd of more than 80,000 packed into Jordan-Hare Stadium to watch the Tigers take on Mercer was silent.
“I actually was pretty scared out there because I couldn’t move my neck,” recalled James, who’s in camp this summer with the New York Jets. “When they rolled me over, I was good again.”
While blocking on a short run by Kamryn Pettway in the second quarter, James fell and teammate Mike Horton landed on James’ head. Doctors and trainers rushed out to treat James, who showed no movement initially. His neck was stabilized before he was flipped onto a backboard, strapped down and lifted onto a stretcher.
“They were like, ‘Just in case. It’s all precautionary. Don’t be scared,'” James said. “So, I wasn’t as scared when they came out there and talked to me. But it was a scary moment when it happened because nothing like that ever happened to me.”
It turned out to be a severe spasm in James’ neck, and it was relieved through treatment and massages. He was taken to a hospital and released after an evaluation.
James was back on the field for Auburn a week later for the Tigers’ game at Missouri.
“I feel like injuries, obstacles, anything like that helps you be a better player because once something happens to you, people think it’s the end,” James said. “But, nah [url=www.cowboyscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-jihad-ward-jersey]Cheap Jihad Ward Jersey[/url] , you can still come back from all that stuff.
“I like to think of myself as somebody who comes back, know what I mean?”
James proved his resilience just over a month later when he went down with what appeared to be a serious leg injury at Arkansas. Again, he was surrounded by doctors and trainers — and carted off the field in front of nervous teammates.
“I was just like, ‘Ahh, it keeps happening again, man. Just something else to bounce back from.’ And I always bounce back.”
Sure enough, X-rays were negative and James returned in time to play in Auburn’s next game at Texas A&M two weeks later.
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arius has had a rough ride,” said offensive lineman Austin Golson, who was James’ teammate at Auburn and is now his roommate during camp with the Jets. “Every time he got hurt, he’d get back up and fought to get better. He’s just worked his tail off to get where he is today.”
James grew up in Killeen, Texas, and was considered one of the top high school offensive linemen in the country despite only playing in two games as a senior because of injuries.
He flashed remarkable versatility as a five-star prospect — playing center, offensive tackle, guard, defensive tackle and defensive end. Several scouting services rated him the No. 1 center in the country, while he was ranked as the top guard by another.
James ended up going to Texas and played in six games for the Longhorns during the 2014 season, including starts at right tackle against Baylor and Oklahoma. But he struggled and was pulled by coach Charlie Strong, and then James suffered a season-ending knee injury.
“I tore my ACL right before the OSU game and (Strong) was trying to bring some of his young people in and he said, ‘You can stay here and go to school or you can leave and play football,'” James recalled. “I thought it was the best opportunity for me to leave and play football.”
James transferred to Auburn and sat out a season [url=www.chiefscheapstore.com/breeland-speaks-jersey-cheap]Breeland Speaks Jersey Chiefs[/url] , but then played in every game as a junior and senior — despite those two scary moments in his final year.
“The injuries I had, they weren’t that bad,” he said. “I came right back from them. I’m just ready to start this new journey.”
The 6-foot-4, 324-pound James signed with the Jets in May as an undrafted free agent. With New York, James faces a difficult path to stick on the active roster. There’s lots of competition for depth spots, and both he and Golson will need to have some standout performances in the preseason to impress coach Todd Bowles.
“We’ve been playing together for three years,” Golson said, “and hopefully we can keep it going, playing for the Jets.”
James has been used primarily at right tackle by the Jets during practice, but his versatility could help him. Bowles has typically kept backups who can be plugged in at various spots.
“It’s still early and I’m still feeling out the ropes,” James said, “figuring out where I fit in, figuring out how I’m supposed to play, figuring out the speed, the playbook. Everything’s going so fast and nobody’s waiting for you.
“To me, it’s fun because nobody else really gets this opportunity. You can’t take anything for granted.”
鈥?All that’s left of the 2018 NFL scouting combine is for the deepest class of defensive backs ever to attend the annual assembly of college prospects to wrap up their testing and timing Monday at Lucas Oil Stadium.Then, they’ll join the other hopefuls in returning home to prepare for their pro days, team visits and the NFL draft in Arlington, Texas, next month.Here’s a look at some of the highlights and lowlights of this year’s combine: BARKLEY BLOWS IT UP : Penn State running back Saquon Barkley exceeded lofty expectations in Indianapolis. His 29 reps on the bench press bested Luke Kuechly’s 27. His 4.4 time in the 40-yard dash was better than Ezekiel Elliott’s 4.47 and his 41-inch vertical jump was higher than Odell Beckham Jr.’s 38陆.“Oh no [url=www.authenticsindianapoliscolts.com/cheap-braden-smith-jersey]Braden Smith Jersey Elite[/url] , I’m not surprised,” said Nittany Lions linebacker Jason Cabinda, saying he’s seen that kind of dogged determination every day out of Barkley, who could go anywhere in the top five picks depending on the run on quarterbacks.“I’m competitive,” Barkley said, “but I don’t care if I’m drafted 1, 5 or 72 or the last pick, I’m going to come in with my head low ready to work.” GREAT GRIFFIN : Shaquem Griffin did 20 reps on the bench press with a prosthetic left hand in what was by far the best feel-good story of the combine.“My goal was six,” acknowledged Griffin, who almost doubled his previous high of 11 reps and surpassed the 17 his twin brother, Shaquille, managed at last year’s combine before the Seattle Seahawks selected the speedy cornerback in the third round.Griffin is expected to be a mid-rounder like his brother.“This is a legitimate football player,” NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said. “He’s an energy giver.”One who, conversely, fed off the hoots and hollers during his bench press.“Everybody in the stands was hyping me up. I got the guys I’m here with hyping me up. It felt amazing,” Griffin said. JACK OF ONE TRADE : Louisville QB Lamar Jackson showed off a strong arm and excellent footwork but also some inconsistency while throwing to receivers Saturday. What he didn’t do was run routes.Many wonder if the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner might be best suited as an NFL receiver, but he insists he’s “strictly a quarterback.”Mayock called Jackson the best and most fascinating athlete in this year’s draft, noting that while his passing game needs plenty of polish, he’s going to have an immediate impact running the football.“He’s Michael Vick,” Mayock said. “He has as good a pair of legs as anybody in the history of the game. And he’s going to win games with his legs.” DARNOLD’S DODGE : USC quarterback Sam Darnold refused to throw at the combine [url=www.authenticswashingtonredskins.com/cheap-da_ron-payne-jersey]Da'Ron Payne Color Rush Jersey[/url] , preferring to show off his arm at his upcoming pro day with receivers he’s used to playing with.“I was a little disappointed Darnold didn’t throw,” Mayock said. “You get a chance to show off a little bit here. This is all about competition. I wonder in his heart of hearts if he missed competing (Saturday). Because the other guys went out and ripped it pretty good.“I thought Josh Allen put on a show.” HURST GOES HOME : Michigan defensive lineman Maurice Hurst Jr., a possible first-rounder, was kept out of drills at the combine after doctors reportedly red-flagged a heart condition. Hurst told Utah defensive lineman Lowell Lotulelei that he had been diagnosed with the same heart condition as Lotulelei’s older brother, Star.Hurst, a 6-foot-2, 280-pound defensive tackle, had 59 tackles and 5陆 sacks last season. He also had 13 tackles for loss and has been considered one component of a deep class of defensive tackles in this year’s draft. BAD, BAD ORLANDO BROWN JR. : The only thing that went well for Oklahoma’s massive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. was the vote of confidence from his Heisman Trophy-winning teammate.“When are you ever going to watch Orlando Brown run 40 yards down the field?” quarterback Baker Mayfield asked. “You can watch last year’s tape and see he allowed zero sacks. I’d say that’s pretty important for a left tackle.”It sure is.But measures matter, too, and Brown’s wretched week will surely cause him to slide down draft boards: He managed just 14 reps on the bench press, lumbered though the 40-yard dash in 5.85 seconds and put up historically poor numbers in the broad and vertical jumps. THIN AT TACKLE : Notre Dame’s Mike McGlinchey is projected as a late first-rounder, but if he falls to the second round, this year’s NFL draft would be the first one in more than a half century without an offensive tackle taken in the first round.The last time that happened was in 1965, and there were only 11 first-round picks that year. The last time a tackle wasn’t selected in the top 32 picks was in 1960, when Len Rohde of Utah State went to the San Francisco 49ers with the 38th overall selection in the fifth round..
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