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S Kurt Coleman (All B1G, All-American)

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Coleman picks up the pace, says he?d be a good fit for Bengals
By Carlos "Big C" Holmes | Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Englewood native and former Ohio State safety Kurt Coleman?s draft stock is on the rise like prices at the pumps after a stellar Pro Day performance. The biggest knock on Coleman entering the draft was speed, or a lack thereof. He addressed concerns about his speed by running a 4.49 in the 40-yard dash.

?I think the coaches and scouts really wanted to see if I could exceed their expectations during the workout,? Coleman said this week. ?I believe I definitely exceeded my performance of what they thought I would have done at the combine.?

An abdominal strain kept Coleman from taking part in drills, except for the bench press, at the NFL Scouting Combine last month. The Northmont graduate did 19 reps of 225 pounds on the lift. Coleman posted some impressive numbers at OSU?s workout and nailed the position drills.

?They came in there thinking that I was a slow safety,? Coleman said. ?But they left with the perception that my speed is up there with the corners. I think that opened up their minds even more to my versatility.?

The hard-hitting strong safety brings a lot to the table in terms of playing ability. I had one scout compare Coleman?s playmaking ability to that of Indianapolis Colts All-Pro Bob Sanders. He firmly believes that he can be that type of impact player in the pros.

The 5-foot-10, 195-pound Coleman is arguably one of the ?Top 5? safeties in this draft. A number of teams including Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Indianapolis and New England are showing interest. Coleman worked out for New England on March 19 following his Pro Day performance.

Coleman is projected as a late second- or third-round choice in April?s draft. Three of the teams showing interest ? New England, Cleveland and Cincinnati ? have a plethora of picks in those rounds. New England owns the 44th, 47th and 53rd overall picks. Cleveland owns the 71st, 85th and 92nd overall picks. Cincinnati has the 84th pick and picked up a third-round compensatory pick, 96th overall.
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MiddletownJournal: Dayton, Ohio, news and information
 
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billmac91;1692224; said:
Kurt will go no later than the third round, IMO. He's an absolute steal in the 4th or 5th with his ball skills and tackling ability.
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It all depends how the board falls and many teams view him as a FS..not a SS...and there are a ton of FS's in this draft class...I don't think he makes the 3rd round...I'm thinking 5th round..but hoping I'm wrong...IMO, landing on the right team is more important than where you are being drafted if it's not in the first round...he will probably be able to stay in the NFL if he can be a standout on special teams, like Donnie Nickey...and I think he can
 
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Scout.com: 2010 NFL Draft - 6th Round Talents

176. Kurt Coleman, SS Ohio State 5-10, 192
A small, active defender who finds ways to make plays, he’s a good athlete with decent strength and good ability to go out and be a baller. He might not look the part, but he’s a pure football player who seems to always find ways to make things happen. A good enough athlete to fit just about any system, he can find a home for someone. However, he’s not an elite athlete and he’s not going to hit anyone with any sort of an impact. He needs to play in a zone and will get beaten badly when matched up one-on-one with anyone with speed. There’s a hard ceiling on what he can become, but he should be a decent player who bounces around the league for a while.
CFN Projection: Fifth Round


 
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Coleman is a good example of what many draft-eligible Ohio State players are facing this year. A three-year starter, he was an impact player last season, intercepting five passes and forcing three fumbles.

Once the cold eyes of NFL scouts looked Coleman over, though, they saw a player they feel is slightly undersized for a safety (he measured 5 feet 101/4, 192 pounds at the NFL combine) and maybe not quite fast enough to be a cornerback. He is projected as a fourth- or fifth-round pick.

"I've had a lot of positive feedback," he said. "I've talked to eight or nine teams that told me they wanted to draft me; it's just a matter of when."
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No Buckeyes expected to be taken in first round of NFL draft | The Columbus Dispatch
 
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Northmont High School product Kurt Coleman also had an agonizing wait, getting selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh round, eight picks before Spitler.

?There were high points and low points (during the draft),? the OSU strong safety said. ?It?s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Of course, I wanted to be drafted higher than I did, but it?s exciting to have the opportunity of going to the NFL. To be honest, I look at it as the beginning of a long career.?

Like Spitler, Coleman considers his new team a good fit.

?I feel I can crack the starting lineup if I learn the defense and produce,? he said.

Spitler and Coleman watched the draft with their families and chatted afterward.

?I told him I?m so happy for him,? Coleman said. ?He?s going to join (former Buckeye) Brian Hartline down there. It?s a good match for him.?
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Area natives Spitler, Coleman finally selected in draft

Coleman was projected as a fourth- or fifth-round pick but fell all the way to pick No.244 overall, 11 picks from the end.

"It was a little stressful, I'm not going to lie," he said.

But he was heartened that Eagles coach Andy Reid, and not an assistant, personally welcomed him to the team.

"Andy asked me if I could still play cornerback," Coleman said, "and I said, 'Yeah, fine with me.' I've got a tremendous opportunity, and I've got to make the best of it."
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NFL draft: Wait pays off for Gibson and others | The Columbus Dispatch
 
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Rising above
By: REUBEN FRANK
Burlington County Times

Seventh-round draft choice Kurt Coleman stayed with football, with the blessing of a teammate who was paralyzed as the result of a tackle made by Coleman in practice. Then there was the news that Coleman's dad had cancer. Treatment was successful and Coleman went on to enjoy success at Ohio State.

It was a play like a thousand other plays. It was a tackle like a thousand other tackles. Kurt Coleman went to wrap up teammate Tyson Gentry during an Ohio State football practice in April 2006 when things went terribly wrong.

"It was just a simple route," Coleman recalls now. "I tackled him, and he landed awkwardly on his neck, and he was paralyzed. It was devastating. I was a 17-year-old freshman in my second week of spring ball, and to know you're responsible for somebody being paralyzed? It weighed greatly on me."

Gentry, a walk-on punter who was running routes as a receiver with the scout team, had broken the C4 cervical vertebrae along his spinal column. He underwent surgery the next day, but the prognosis was grim. Gentry was told he would never walk again.

"It was an ordinary play," Gentry told reporters at a news conference in Columbus in October 2008. "It wasn't really a big hit, I just kind of fell awkwardly."

Coleman, a safety from Northport High near Dayton, was crushed. He pretty much decided to quit football, a decision that lasted only until he visited Gentry in the hospital about a week later.

"I remember Tyson lying on his hospital bed and his family sitting there, and they just kept telling me, 'Everything's going to be OK,' " Coleman said by phone from Columbus Tuesday.

"I don't think I would have played again, but Tyson and his family were so supportive. They told me it wasn't my fault, it was just an accident. Part of the game. That meant so much."

Coleman and Gentry grew close and still speak at least once a week. Gentry graduated from Ohio State and continues to rehab in Columbus while working toward his master's. Coleman is now a senior and was drafted by the Eagles in the seventh round Saturday after a terrific four-year career as a smart, physical safety.

"Tyson's actually doing really well," Coleman said. "He's got a little movement back in his lower extremities - he's starting to move his legs a little bit. Slowly but surely, he's getting better."
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PhillyBurbs.com: ?Rising above
 
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