Owens hoping for shot in NFL; Corona, CA

A few days prior to perhaps the biggest weekend of his life Fairmont State’s Jacob Owens appears cool, calm and collected.

But you just know inside the youngster has to be riddled with anticipation.

Still Owens, a standout defensive end for the Falcons who hails from tiny Franklin nestled among the beautiful mountains of Pendleton County, is a realist.

The National Football League Draft will be held Saturday and Sunday and Owens’ name keeps surfacing on draft sites as a small school player to watch. He’s rated as the 43rd best defensive end in the nation out of 162 prospects on NFL Draft Scout.com and 46th out of 76 defensive ends on Pro Football Weekly.com.

And the calls keep coming.

“I just missed a call from the (Miami) Dolphins,” said Owens minutes prior to doing this interview. “Had my phone on vibrate. Oh well, I called them back and left a message. The (Philadelphia) Eagles called yesterday (Tuesday) and I talked to them.”

In addition, recent phone calls have also been placed to either Owens or his agent Ty Barnes of Corona, Ca. by Kansas City, Baltimore, Buffalo and others.

“There’s been a good many teams showing an interest in me, but I really don’t know what’s going to happen this weekend,” said Owens, who would at best be a late-round draft selection on Sunday, but in all likelihood will sign a free agent contract sometime in the near future. “I’m not getting my hopes up. I mean it would be awesome to get drafted don’t get me wrong, but I’m also pretty realistic about what’s going on.

“Dave Rogers (FSU’s director of football operations) keeps joking with me telling me I’m going to be Mr. Irrelevant. Hey, that would be fine with me, but I’m not really counting on that. What I am counting on is getting into some camps, signing a free agent deal and getting with a team which needs defensive linemen and one which would be the best fit for me.”

Mr. Irrelevant is the tongue-in-cheek title bestowed upon the final selection of the NFL Draft. This year the St. Louis Rams are scheduled to make the final pick in the draft.

This fall a plethora of NFL scouts made their way to Fairmont to watch Owens in practice and on film. They also gave him advice which he’s been following this semester, while finishing work on his degree in exercise science which he is expected to receive in May.

“The basic thing they all told me was they wanted to see me get bigger, stronger and faster,” said Owens, a first-team All-West Virginia Conference selection for FSU who finished this past season with 44 tackles, including 12 for losses, five sacks, seven pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. “That’s pretty much what I’ve been working on the last several months.”

Since his FSU playing days ended in November Owens, who turned in solid performances in both the East Coast Bowl and the Cactus Bowl, which is the premiere Division II All-Star game, has added eight pounds to his 6-5 frame and now weighs in at 280. He runs the 40 in 4.9, but noted that he still needs to improve in that area. At a recent pro scout workout session at WVU Owens bench pressed 225 pounds 26 times, but he wasn’t satisfied with that.

“I should’ve been able to do at least 30 reps,” he said. “I was disappointed with that, but at that time I wasn’t concentrating a lot on the bench. Right now I’m a lot better.

“Personally I’m never satisfied with where I’m at as a player. I always feel I can do better.”

Owens’ maximum bench press is 450 pounds and his maximum squat is 635 pounds.

His progression toward becoming a possible NFL prospect took a leap forward last summer when he interned at West Virginia University under former strength coach Mike Barwis. A few months ago Owens spent two weeks at the University of Michigan working with Barwis and former FSU strength coach Josh Ison, who is now an assistant strength coach for the Wolverines.

When Sunday rolls around Owens says he’ll be in Fairmont and he’ll keep an eye on the NFL Draft, although he won’t stay glued to the television.

“I’ll keep tabs on it, but I seriously don’t expect to hear my name called,” he said. “All I want is a chance. Right now I’m just playing a waiting game.”