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DT Cameron Heyward (6x Pro Bowl, 3x All Pro, Pittsburgh Steelers)

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DE Cameron Heyward, Ohio State

Heyward?s father, known as ?Ironhead? for the way he lowered his head into would-be tacklers as well as his 8 1/2 hat size, was a first-round draft choice by New Orleans in 1988. He died of cancer in 2006, a year before Cameron enrolled at Ohio State.

Cameron, who stands 6-4 5/8 and weighs 294 pounds, knows just how he?d tackle his 5-11, 260-pound dad in his prime.

?I?d take him on, full head,? Heyward said. ?He would lower his head, too. I?m going to go right at him. I?m not going for the ankles. I?m going to take him down right away.?

Heyward, who had 15 1/2 career sacks at Ohio State, is not intimidated by his father?s larger-than-life persona.

?I can?t follow his legacy; it?s his legacy,? Heyward said. ?I want to be in the NFL, and he was there. I want to leave a legacy of my own. I don?t want to live in his shadow. He was a great player, and he?s always in my heart. I appreciate everything he?s done.

?But I want to do everything by my own. I?m not asking anybody to give me a second look just because my dad was ?Ironhead.? They all know I have a big head just like his,? he added with a laugh.

At the height of Ironhead?s career, which included one Pro Bowl season in 1995, he was featured in a series of commercials for Zest body wash, and Cameron has captured one on canvas.

?My true love was drawing,? said Heyward, who underwent Tommy John surgery on his left elbow following last season. ?There is a picture I drew of my dad with a Zest bottle that got in the newspaper.

?I get to run into guys that he knew. It?s funny to hear stories about him ? it?s a true pleasure and it gives you great memories about him.?
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Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/04/22/2819742/some-nfl-draft-picks-will-have.html#ixzz1KLaF6GJl
 
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Cameron Heyward determined to escape dad?s shadow
Sunday, April 24, 2011
BY VINNY DITRANI
The Record
STAFF WRITER

If Cameron Heyward were a pitcher, he'd still be a year away from resuming his career. He underwent Tommy John surgery in January.

Heyward, however, suffered his injury in Ohio State's Sugar Bowl victory over Arkansas.

As a defensive end, he will be able to start playing again this summer, providing the National Football League provides him with a stage to continue performing.

The 294-pound Heyward, son of former NFL running back, the late Craig "Ironhead" Heyward, figures to be a late first-round or early-second round selection in this week's NFL Draft.

He is part of a stellar field of incoming defensive linemen with perhaps as many as 14 being gone by the end of Thursday night's opening round.

Heyward may not be as prolific a pass rusher as Clemson's Da'Quan Bowers or North Carolina's Robert Quinn, who figure to be gone in the upper half of the first round. Tackles Marcell Dareus from Alabama and Nick Fairley from Auburn also will be high picks in this draft heavily tilted to the defensive side of the ball.

Heyward, however, is strong against the run, which should give him the versatility of being able to play end in a 3-4 or tackle in a 4-3 defense.

While he did have 6 1/2 sacks as a senior, he vows to improve on that total in the pros.

"I'm a guy with a very high motor and I'm going to give you all I got," he said at the NFL combine in February.

"You'll see all my pass-rush moves. I might not have gotten there every time, but I'm going to continue to work on my pass rush and continue to get better."

Cont...
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http://www.northjersey.com/sports/120560164_Rushing_toward_success.html
 
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Ohio State's Cameron Heyward among Big Ten's quintet of first-round defensive talent: 2011 NFL Draft
Published: Sunday, April 24, 2011
By Doug Lesmerises, The Plain Dealer T

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Marvin Fong / The Plain Dealer
"He's not a pass rush rusher in a four-man front that you'd want as your dominant guy," ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. says of Ohio State's Cameron Heyward (tackling Miami's Damien Berry). "But he is a really, really good 3-4 defensive end."

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Cameron Heyward is convinced he's a first-round pick, which this year is the same thing as being the fifth-best NFL Draft prospect at his position from his own conference.

"Over my four years, I think you can look back at my tape and say I'm a first-round pick," Heyward said. "But it's not for me to decide. It's for teams to decide."
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"He's not a pass rush rusher in a four-man front that you'd want as your dominant guy," ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said. "But he is a really, really good 3-4 defensive end, and I think he would fit the Jets and the Green Bay Packers."

If there's anything that could hurt Heyward, it's that he's more solid than explosive, and his production as a senior wasn't what most people expected it to be.

"I thought he lost the ball and blocked himself, and had a difficult time creating much as a pass rusher," Nawrocki said. "But for teams that run a (3-4) there's definite value there, because I think he's a guy that can hold up blocks and occupy space."

One thing that shouldn't be an issue is Heyward's off-season Tommy John surgery to repair a torn left elbow ligament injured in the Sugar Bowl against Arkansas. That kept him from working out at the NFL's combine or at Ohio State's Pro Day, but it didn't keep 25 teams from showing up for Heyward's late individual workout at the end of March.

"I was pretty upset about it," Heyward said of learning how severe the injury was. "If I didn't get surgery, I probably could have played through it, but there could have been long-term damage. But now I'm optimistic about it. It helped me be more thankful."
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http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2011/04/ohio_states_cameron_heyward_am.html
 
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Cameron Heyward: What it's like growing up in NFL locker rooms
Matt Crossman Sporting News

Ohio State defensive end Cameron Heyward will follow his father into the family business. Craig "Ironhead" Heyward, played 11 seasons in the NFL for five different teams. He was a bruising fullback; his son bruises quarterbacks.

Cameron Heyward played the best game of his career the last time he stepped on the field, when Ohio State beat Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl. He is expected, but not guaranteed, to go in the first round on Thursday.
Cameron Heyward could be a first-round selectiono n Thursday. (AP photo)

Heyward talked with Sporting News' Matt Crossman about sacks, the draft and getting interviewed in the bathtub.

SN: Is this the biggest week of your life, or is that overstating it?

CH: I think it is. It's a great opportunity. It's going to be fun.

SN: You're part of the 'Everything to Prove' video series on NFL.com. What I don't get is, you had a great career at OSU and you're probably a first-round pick. I mean this as a compliment, but what do you have left to prove and who do you have to prove it to?

CH: With my circumstances, I got hurt after the Sugar Bowl. I have to prove myself again, coming off the injury (elbow surgery), to all these coaches. I have to prove to everybody that I'm ready for the NFL. I know I still have a lot of proving to do once I make it to the NFL.

SN: They essentially interviewed you in the bathtub (laughs). Do you ever look around and say, what the heck am I doing giving an interview in a bathtub?

CH: Yeah, you know, it was warming up the body before a workout. It gets a little funny at times. But it gives good insight into players. You (usually) only see players with their helmets on. This makes it more personable. It helps a lot.

SN: You had Tommy John surgery, correct?

CH: Yes, sir, a form of it. Not the full Tommy John.

cont...
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Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/sto...-growing-up-in-nfl-locker-rooms#ixzz1Kd0A6gkZ
 
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Ironhead?s son Cameron forges own path
Les Carpenter
By Les Carpenter, Yahoo! Sports

COLUMBUS, Ohio ? The face comes from that commercial all those years gone now. This is the man the son remembers: the one with the contradictions, the one who could strike fear with a glare and then warm with the widest smile. He is grinning here and it?s impossible not to notice that enormous head, the one that used to knock tacklers to the ground, the one that has also gotten him that most wonderful of football nicknames.

Craig ?Ironhead? Heyward is lathered up for the commercial. It?s about a year before doctors will find the first of the brain tumors that are eventually going to kill him. It?s been three years since he gave up the drinking and partying and carousing that nearly destroyed his NFL career. His life is together, perhaps as perfect as it can be. His wife remembers him being thrilled to be picked for this ad and the joy effuses from the shower in which the director has placed him. His huge torso is soaped with Zest Deodorant Body Wash, which he is promoting. His face darkens before quickly turning bright.
More From Les Carpenter

?But Iiiiiirrrrronnheead!, Aren?t body washes for ladies??

Then he clutches a bath puff and utters the most famous words he will ever say:

?But Iiiiiirrrrrronnhead! What?s with this thingy??

They say Cameron Heyward looks exactly like his father. And as he sits at a restaurant a few blocks from the Ohio State campus late last week, devouring a plate of pasta, there is indeed a lot of Ironhead in the wide face, the kind eyes and his easy, big smile. In a few days he will probably be chosen in the first round of the NFL draft just like his father was by the New Orleans Saints 23 years ago

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http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=lc-carpenter_cameron_heyward_ironhead_different_paths_042611
 
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Cameron Heyward can?t ?sneak and see? where he?ll be selected in the NFL draft
By Thomas Bradley
[email protected]
Published: Wednesday, April 27, 2011

881478293.jpg

Andy Gottesman / Multimedia editor

Former Buckeye defensive lineman Cameron Heyward fights past offensive tackle Andrew McDonald during the Buckeyes? 38-10 win against Indiana on Oct. 9, 2010.

There are several Ohio State Buckeyes who have a chance to be drafted in the 2011 NFL draft ? but, realistically, only one can expect to be drafted in the first round tonight: Cameron Heyward.

Because of last year's format change, the draft will take place over three days, with the first round set to begin at 8 p.m., the second and third rounds Friday and the remaining rounds Saturday.

This year's draft takes place during a complicated legal battle between the NFL Players Association and the NFL owners, in which the future of the NFL is still in question. While the U.S. District Court ruled in favor of the players Monday, the outlook for the 2011 season is still questionable.

The day before what some consider the biggest night of his life, Heyward tweeted from his Twitter account, @camheyward, about his excitement for the day.

"Day before Christmas!! only problem is there no way to sneak and see what I got for tomorrow lol," Heyward tweeted at about 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Heyward, who is rated No. 29 on Scout Inc.'s top 32, is projected by many draft analysts to be a late first-round pick. A dominating force on the Buckeyes' defensive line, Heyward said he would be spending the draft weekend at his house in Atlanta.

"I would like to just stay at home with my family. ? I want to be around my family and friends that have helped me accomplish so much so far, and share the moment with them as well," Heyward said March 30 after a workout.

In his latest mock draft April 6, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. projected that Heyward will be drafted by the New York Jets with the 30th pick in the first round. Heyward said he does not care which team drafts him.

"Whatever team that takes me, I think I can play any position you put me at," Heyward said March 30.

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http://www.thelantern.com/sports/ca...-he-ll-be-selected-in-the-nfl-draft-1.2210540
OSU?s Heyward looks ahead to draft day
By Carlos "Big C" Holmes | Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Ohio State?s premier pass rusher Cameron Heyward will be waiting to hear his named called during Thursday?s primetime NFL draft. Heyward?s wait may not be considerable with his stock rising. The first team all-Big Ten All- American is regarded as a Top 5 defensive lineman prospect and likely first-round selection. How far he moves up the draft board is anyone?s guess.

The Cincinnati Bengals have shown interest in the OSU product, but selecting him with the fourth overall pick is unlikely. Nevertheless, Heyward relishes the thought of wearing tiger stripes.

?It would be an honor to play for the Bengals,? he said. ?They have an up-and-coming defense with some great players. They have all these different guys flying around contributing. It feels like a team most of the time. The city is very passionate about their team and to be a part of that would be something special.?

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http://www.daytondailynews.com/blog...011/04/27/osus_heyward_looks_ahead_to_dr.html
 
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