Lucas at Large: Walk-ons’ NFL waiting game nears end
April 28, 2016 | Football, Mike Lucas
Erickson, Schobert and Stave have leaned on each other through draft preparation
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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Before embarking on the next leg of their journey — the NFL draft and beyond — Joe Schobert, Alex Erickson and Joel Stave got together in Madison and served as workout partners and sounding boards, a fitting arrangement since these Cheeseheads took their first steps on this road as walk-ons.
"It's nice to do it with somebody who's going through the same things that you are," said Schobert, a linebacker out of Waukesha West. "We didn't have to get up at 6:30 (in the morning) to work out. We'd just kind of plan our stuff how we'd see fit."
"They'd share some stuff about their workouts (with pro teams) and visits and I'd share my stuff," said Erickson, a wide receiver from Darlington. "Other than that, we'd go golfing and find time to get away and think about other things as well."
"More than anything, Joe and Alex are two of my really good friends and they're just fun guys to be around," said Stave, a quarterback from Greenfield. "We'd tell stories about what we did (on trips) and talk about what coaches have asked of us. It's fun to bounce things off of each other."
The actual training sessions would usually involve throwing — Stave throwing to Erickson and Schobert, who lined up as a wide receiver for about three days as a UW freshman before moving to defense. "I think I still catch it pretty well," claimed Schobert, a former prep running back.
It's that moxie that makes him appealing to many scouts.
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For a second consecutive year, the NFL draft will originate in Chicago from the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University on Michigan Avenue, across from Grant Park. Round 1 will get under way on Thursday at 7 p.m. Rounds 2-3 will be Friday night. Rounds 4-7 will be Saturday.
Schobert, Erickson and Stave will all watch the draft from the comfort of their families' homes.
"The biggest thing is to stay patient," Stave said. "that's what a lot of people say because it's such as long process — from when we played our bowl game back on Dec. 30 to now. It seems like a long time ago and you get anxious because you want to get things figured out so you can move on."
Erickson and Schobert received nearly the same advice on how to handle the process.
"It's one of the things that sticks in my mind," recalled Erickson. "One of the coaches said to me, 'It doesn't matter how you get here (training camp), it's what you do when you're here.' Whether you're drafted or not, it doesn't matter once you're on the field competing for that 53-man roster."
Schobert is projected to be taken early in the draft; maybe the second round, likely the third or fourth. "I have no clue really on where or when it will be," he admitted. "Probably not the first round, but you never know. I'm not too worried about anything. I just want to figure out where I'm going."
Might his NFL arc follow the UW model? Schobert played on special teams as a true freshman, moved up to the No. 2 defensive unit as a sophomore (with one start), started 27 straight games over his junior and senior seasons and capped his career by earning first-team All-America honors.
"That's the expectation," he said. "But I wouldn't be opposed to coming in and playing right off the bat as a starter. There are a lot of teams that have a solidified set of guys. And to go to one of them and play special teams and learn and then eventually be able to take over wouldn't be too bad, either."
Before participating at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Schobert trained in California on the behest of his agent, Joe Panos, a former UW walk-on success story. While rooming with Michigan State center Jack Allen, a middle-round projection, Schobert put on five pounds. He's now 245.
Many teams view him as an inside linebacker. "I don't think the physicality would be out of my wheelhouse," said Schobert. "You have to play the run on first and second down. But the NFL is a passing league right now and you have to be able to drop in coverage, break on balls and pass rush."
During interviews, Schobert's walk-on background occasionally came up. "As proof," he said, "that I was capable of working hard and I had to do a lot of work just to get to the spot where I am now. Being in the weight room and taking coaching is not something they have to worry about with me."
Stave also went to the combine but in a different capacity. He threw for all the positions groups, which turned out to be invaluable experience and exposure. "That was big for me," he said. "Anytime you get the chance to do something in front of NFL personnel, you want to put your best foot forward."
Prior to Indy, he trained in Pensacola, Florida, under the tutelage of Buddy Geis, a former assistant with the Green Bay Packers. "It was a great opportunity," Stave said, "to focus just on football — getting stronger, getting faster and working on mechanics, things like that."
He spent a lot of time eating and lifting, too. In fact, he increased his weight from 220 to 235. "To be honest, I don't feel a whole lot different," he said. "But if you can put on 15 pounds and feel like you did when you were lighter that's probably a good thing."
At 6-5, 235, Stave has nearly the same physical dimensions of North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz, who's 6-5, 237. Stave's hands were measured at 10-3/4 and Wentz at 10. For further comparison, Cal quarterback Jared Goff is 6-4, 215 with a 9-inch hand measurement.
Goff and Wentz will likely go one-two in the draft. Stave may not get selected.
In that case, he said, "I would lean to my agent. He will have gone around and gauged teams' interest so he's got a good feel for what teams' quarterback situations are like. I'll sit down with him and my parents and we'd put together where we would get the best option and we'd take it and go with it."
Erickson is prepared to deal with the same reality if he doesn't get picked. Asked what impact not getting invited to the combine would have on his draft status, he said, "Whether it hurt or not, I'm not sure. My pro day was good and I got some good feedback and met with the scouts then."
While training for two weeks in Florida, Erickson came under the wing of former Wisconsin wide receiver Chris Chambers, who ran the camp in Fort Lauderdale. Among the instructors were two other Badgers wideouts: Lee Evans, the school's all-time leader in receiving yards, and Brandon White.
"It was cool to have that Wisconsin connection — they were willing to help me out any way that they could," said Erickson, who added that there were a number of current NFL players on hand, including Minnesota Vikings defensive back Xavier Rhodes. "You're going against some of the best."
The Vikings were one of the teams that Erickson visited. Cincinnati was the other. Stave took a trip to New England. Schobert went to Philadelphia. Not that it means anything. Depending on a team's draft board, a player can move up or down from pick to pick based on need and the best available players.
"I really can't do much about it now," said Schobert, knowing his future destination is out of his hands. "I've been playing football for a long time and that's what I have to focus on. I just have to find out where I'm going and, once I get there, I have to impress the coaches by doing my job."
It's no different for Stave. "I'm getting excited to figure out where I'm going to move to, what team I'm going to be with and all that kind of stuff," he said. "I'd just like to get a team figured out so I can start learning an offense and start preparing that way."
Erickson can relate. "You don't know where you're going to go so there's some anxiety with that," he said. "But it's also exciting. You've put in a lot of work. You've done everything you could up to this point to put yourself in this position.
"It would be a shame not to enjoy it now."
