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LB A.J. Hawk (2x All-American, Lombardi Trophy, National Champion, Super Bowl Champion)

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Found by cdiddy70 on BN

NFL.com
Hawk: All part of the process
(A.J. Hawk is arguably the best linebacker in the 2006 NFL Draft and could be a top-five pick. In his senior at Ohio State, Hawk helped lead the Buckeyes to a 10-2 record and a 34-20 victory over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. NFL.com brings you updates from Hawk as he approaches the draft.)

(March 31, 2006) -- I'm back at school now and spring quarter started on Monday so things have been very busy. I have one last class to take before graduating in June with my degree in criminology. Classes are four days a week so it's a full schedule. I also am interviewing with teams on the phone and in person. Between that and working out my day actually gets pretty full. I don't want to make it sound like my schedule is any busier than any other college athletes though. Any college athlete goes through this; just instead of practice I do interviews and workout. Everybody is busy when you are in college; it's just a difference of activities.


Preparing for the NFL Draft has been a full-time activity. First, there was the Scouting Combine, then Pro Day and now there are individual team workouts and interviews. Some are in person and some interviews are on the phone. It's fun thinking about playing in the NFL, but I don't want to get too ahead of myself. I know it's a cliché, but I'm just taking things one step at a time. I grew up a Bengals fan, but I'd honestly be happy to play anywhere. Playing at Ohio State makes playing in cold weather a non-factor and I really don't' mind moving to any part of the country.


img9349205.jpg
A.J. Hawk (right) closed out his college career with another bowl win with the Buckeyes. I started to think about the NFL some time around my junior year. That is probably when I first realized that I could end up being a player in the NFL and hoping it would happen. I went to high school and played college football with Mike Nugent, who was drafted by the Jets last year as their kicker. He's given me some good advice about how to manage everything and some of the other guys on OSU and I talk often about it, so hopefully we are staying grounded through the process. There are a lot of Ohio State players in the NFL, so I know a little about what to expect. But you really need to do these things yourself to figure it all out.


I'm planning on heading up to Notre Dame on April 22nd for their spring game. Brady Quinn and I are friends now and I want to go see the game. I was at Notre Dame once when my brother was being recruited there, but I don't remember it well. I'm looking forward to seeing the campus and the stadium up close.


I've always been a fan of the draft so I can't wait for April 29th. I'm going to be watching it with my family at home. This year's draft will be a great one. There are so many great players in it at all positions -- (Reggie) Bush and (Matt) Leinart and (Vince) Young and (D'Brickashaw) Ferguson. It's such a deep class that watching as a fan will be great, let alone as someone who could be drafted.
The next few weeks should be pretty exciting and I look forward to the excitement of graduating and moving on to the next stage of my life.
-- As told to Mark Zimmerman
Click to expand...
 
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I love Hawk. So many players, and you can't really blame them, in his position would just put off on getting that degree.. possibly come back for it in a few years. But with the graduating rates being so important now for schools and scholarships, it's just good to see him help out the school.
 
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It hasn't been said on here yet, but Mel Kiper on SportsCenter has said he has Hawk pegged to be the 5th pick in the 1st round, going to Green Bay. He even said something about Hawk having "Spielman-like qualities".

Warning! ESPiN link

Edit: Added link
 
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Dallas Morning News

4/3

Ohio State LB can do anything, except go No. 1

Player doesn't fit in cornerstone position

By RICK GOSSELIN

DALLAS MORNING NEWS

A.J. Hawk knows how to play football. He also knows how the game is played in the NFL.
Which is why the Ohio State All-American, maybe the most complete player on the 2006 NFL draft board, knows he won't be the first overall selection. Or the second. Or even the third.
There are six cornerstone positions in the salary-cap world - quarterback, running back, wide receiver, left offensive tackle, pass rusher and cover corner - and Hawk doesn't play any of them. He plays linebacker.
"It's a position where they say you don't want to draft a guy too high, because how much of an impact can a linebacker have?" Hawk said. "We're not a defensive end who's going to come in and get 15, 18 sacks a year, and we're not a running back who's going to come in and rush for 1,500 yards.
"There are three or four of us on the field, so I guess you can justify not taking one too high. All I want is a chance regardless of where I'm taken. I'll gladly go to any team that wants me."
There will be plenty of teams that want Hawk. In this draft, there may not be a more dominant player at his position in his college career than Hawk.
Hawk was a three-year starter at Ohio State, a three-time All-Big Ten selection, a two-time All-American, a two-time Big Ten defensive player of the year and the 2005 Lombardi Award winner as the best lineman in college football.
Hawk may be an even better athlete than he is a football player. His performance at the NFL scouting combine in March rivaled any of his performances on the field last fall.
NFL talent evaluators run players through a battery of drills at the combine to test athleticism. The 40-yard dash measures the speed of a player, and the vertical jump indicates the explosion in his legs. The short shuttle (stops and starts) is a barometer of agility and the ability to change direction, and the three-cone drill (sharp turns) indicates short-area quickness.
Hawk checked in at 6-1, 248 pounds and ran a 4.59 40-yard dash. Wisconsin running back Brian Calhoun, who led the Big Ten in scoring and finished second in rushing with 1,636 yards, ran a 4.60 40 on the same track. Calhoun, who projects as a first-day draft pick, is four inches shorter than Hawk and carries 47 fewer pounds.
Hawk's vertical jump was 40 inches. Ohio State teammate Santonio Holmes, who is considered by many NFL teams the top wide receiver in this draft, had a vertical jump of 38 inches. Holmes is three inches shorter than Hawk and carries 69 fewer pounds.
Hawk finished the short shuttle in 3.96 seconds. A 4.0 is considered superb for any player at any position. Holmes ran his short shuttle in 4.26. Hawk finished the three-cone drill in 6.82 seconds. Again, that put him in a range with elite offensive skill players. Holmes ran his in 6.83 seconds.
Hawk is every talent evaluator's dream - he plays like a big man yet moves like a small man. His measurable skills translate onto the football field.
If Hawk sounds too good to be true, he is. He may be the best player in the 2006 NFL draft - and it won't even take the first overall pick to get him.
 
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SI.com lists 8 instant impact players...

Instant impact
Eight draft prospects ready to produce right away

Vernon Davis, tight end, Maryland
Ernie Sims, linebacker, Florida State
Laurence Maroney, running back, Minnesota
Mario Williams, defensive end, North Carolina State
Joseph Addai, running back, LSU
Sinorice Moss, receiver/return man, Miami
Manny Lawson, defensive end, North Carolina State

A.J. Hawk, linebacker, Ohio State: Between Merriman, Seattle's Tatupu, Cincinnati's Odell Thuman, Dallas' DeMarcus Ware and Kansas City's Derrick Johnson, a host of productive linebackers were selected in the first two rounds of last year's draft. Will this year's crop of Hawk, Sims, Iowa's Chad Greenway, Ohio State's Bobby Carpenter and Florida State's KamerionWimbley (a 3-4 linebacker/defensive end type) be as impactful? League talent evaluators don't seem to have any reservations about Hawk, who won't last past the top five.

"He's going to be really productive right away, because he'll be on the field a lot,'' said a personnel man. "He'll play that weakside position and he'll fly around and be around the ball and get in the middle of a lot of plays. He could have strong numbers, because the team that takes him is going to need him on the field right away. And he's smart enough that he'll be able to be out there from Day One for you.''
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Top 10 pro-day winners
Prospects on the rise after successful workouts

Posted: Friday April 14, 2006 11:49AM; Updated: Friday April 14, 2006 12:33PM

By Tony Pauline, Special to SI.com
The pro-day workouts are in the books as the 2006 draft draws near. One-on-one interviews and player visits to team facilities are all that's left before the big weekend. As is the case every year, several players came away from the month of March with significantly improved draft stock. Here are the 10 hottest names around the league.
1. A.J. Hawk, OLB, Ohio State: Hawk duplicated his efforts from a terrific combine and bettered many of his marks on campus at the beginning of March. Several teams around the league, including the New Orleans Saints, presently rate Hawk as the top defensive player in the draft. The burning question that must needs answering: Should a linebacker be selected with the second pick of the draft even though outstanding linemen from both sides of the ball are available?
p1_hawk.jpg

Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk (47) stares down Texas quarterback Vince Young.
John Biever/SI



http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/football/nfl/04/14/pro.day.gainers/index.html
 
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DDN

4/19

Hawk picks family over N.Y. for draft day

Linebacker from Centerville and Ohio State turns down the NFL's invitation to be one of six players to attend the draft.

By Doug Harris
Staff Writer
COLUMBUS | The NFL made repeated overtures to A.J. Hawk, trying to get him to New York for its live draft-day show, but the Ohio State linebacker fended them off like would-be blockers.

Hawk was told in multiple talks with league representatives that he has the kind of image they want to showcase — humble, hard-working, team-oriented. But the ultra-private player had no interest in spending draft day on April 29 in front of ESPN's cameras.
"It was tough (to say no)," Hawk said. "But with all these trips, I'm missing a lot of class as it is, at least one a week. They wanted to make a whole weekend out of it. And on draft day, my agent tells me I'll be going to the city where I'm drafted that night.
"It's a huge honor, but I have a big, extended family, and I knew I couldn't take all of them with me. I'd rather stay at home with them where I'm comfortable."
Hawk is in New Orleans today to conclude a two-day visit with the Saints, who have the second pick in the draft. He'll be in New York later this week to talk with the Jets. He also has been to Detroit, San Francisco and Tennessee.
The six players who will spend draft day in New York in their flashy suits are tailback Reggie Bush and quarterback Matt Leinart of Southern California, Texas QB Vince Young, Virginia offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams and Maryland tight end Vernon Davis.
They will meet with the media beginning Thursday, April 27.
"The offensive guys can get all the glory they want," Hawk said. "I don't need any of that."
Hawk, who is expected to be a top-10 pick, had his fill of the spotlight during a week in December touring the nation as a nominee for prestigious defensive awards.
In addition to the trophy ceremonies, the players had a full schedule of public functions.
"That was a long time for him to be out of his routine," said Keith Hawk, the player's father. "He came away from that saying he'd never put himself through it again."
 
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