University of Albany FCS Football's Rafael Nguti Awaits NFL Call - UAlbany Sports 2009

At 6-foot-7 and 330 pounds, Rafael Nguti is an impressive physical specimen. He stands out in a crowd, and he looks pretty ominous all by himself.

Nguti is hoping to become the third University at Albany football player to be drafted by the NFL this weekend. Kurt Campbell and Rashad Barksdale are the other two.

Many teams have an interest in Nguti, and according to UAlbany head coach Bob Ford, almost all of the NFL teams came back for a second look. Nguti said he would love to be chosen by his favorite team, the Oakland Raiders, but that he would be happy to go anywhere.

Some draft experts see Nguti as a project, but he does have plenty of physical talents, including one of the longest wingspans in the draft.

You can read more on the personable Nguti in my story Thursday morning.

By the way, UAlbany punter Chris Lynch is also a draft possibility. It's more probable, though, that he will be offered a free-agent contract after the draft.



ALBANY — Rafael Nguti enjoys Subway sandwiches, but he’s no Jared.

The 6-foot-7 330-pound University at Albany senior offensive lineman keeps his weight in check by eating his share of subs, but unlike Jared, Subway’s nerdy pitchman, Nguti can’t afford to lose too much weight, especially if he gets a call this weekend during the NFL draft.

After polishing off his chicken sub under the press box at UAlbany’s John Fallon Field, Nguti talked about his chances of being only the third Great Dane to be drafted by the NFL.

Kurt Campbell, who was chosen in the seventh round by the Green Bay Packers in 2005 and Rashad Barksdale, who was picked in the sixth round by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2007, are the only others. Andre Coleman, Schenectady’s Jacob Hobbs, Geir Gudmundsen, Dan Gmelin, Seth Thomas and Matt Caliandro signed NFL free-agent contracts.

“I would love to carry on the legacy of the great linemen we’ve had here at UAlbany, like Jacob Hobbs and Geir Gudmundsen,” said Nguti. “I think the guys who came before me in this program opened the scouts’ eyes about the players at this school.

“This is definitely an amazing opportunity. Every kid dreams of playing in the NFL,” said Nguti, a Rochester native. “My dad has been doing research on the Web for me, and both my parents think this is very exciting.”

UAlbany head coach Bob Ford said Nguti has many of the tools that NFL scouts drool over.

“The No. I thing is that he possesses all the statistical things that the NFL is looking for. He’s 6-7 and 330 pounds. And I heard somewhere that he has the seventh-largest wingspan of all the tackles out there. They love that. Also, he has pretty decent feet for a big man. The other thing is that they give all the recruits an IQ test, and he scored at the Ivy League level. He’s intelligent, well-spoken and articulate. Those are all the pluses.”

Nguti played in 45 career games for the Great Danes, and made 24 consecutive starts over the last two seasons. He was a

major cog in the Great Danes’ back-to-back Northeast Conference championships. The All-American also helped the Danes finish 16th in the country in rushing yards per game (200.6).

“He dominated on our level,” said Ford. “He was like a tsunami. He rolled off blockers like a tidal wave.”

Ford said Nguti proved himself on the Division I FCS level.

“He won two league championships, and has two rushing titles behind him. He was the leading force in the ground game for us,” Ford said. “He has all the physical tools they’re looking for. Everybody in the NFL came in and looked at him once, and almost everybody came back for a second look.

“Jim McNally, who has worked with offensive linemen for the Bengals, Jets and Giants, came to practice and asked me who the big kid was. He said he really liked him. Rafael is the kind of kid who jumps out at you. In high school, he jumped out at you one play out of four. In college, he jumps out at you three times out of four.”

Nguti said he would gladly play for any team, but he loves the Oakland Raiders.

“They have the kind of fans who really love their team, and I would love to play for them,” he said.

“I’ve been working with my cousin, Edward, who is a personal trainer back in Rochester. We’ve been doing workouts and working on my footwork. I know my strength is run blocking, but I’ve got to work on my footwork to be a better pass blocker.”

Nguti said he’ll be home in Rochester Saturday, watching the draft on ESPN and sitting by the tel­ephone. waiting for a call.

“This whole process has been so exciting.” he said. “I got a call the other day from the Carolina Panthers, and they just wanted to touch base with me. That call really made me think that this could be a reality. It’s a very realistic goal.”

UAlbany punter Chris Lynch, also an All-NEC first-team selection, is another draft possibility, but more than likely he will sign as a free agent. Lynch averaged 40.9 yards per punt with a career-best 75-yarder last season.


By Bob Weiner

University of Albany FCS Football's Nguti Eyes 2009 NFL Draft - UAlbany Sports 2009

There's no doubt University of Albany offensive tackle Raphael Nguti has the size to play in the NFL. He's 6-foot-6 and weighs 330 pounds. His arms are 341/8 inches long, which ranks among the top 10 prospects at his position entering the NFL Draft April 25-26.

And yet his agent, J.R. Rickert, said opinions are all over the map on whether Nguti is good enough to play at the next level and whether he might be selected in the seven-round draft.

"It's interesting," Rickert said. "There are a wide range of ratings from different scouts. Some people think he's good enough to be (picked) in the fifth round. ... "

There are concerns about whether a player from UAlbany, which belongs to the Football Championship Subdivision, can play against higher-level competition from the Football Bowl Subdivision. In addition, NFL teams wonder whether Nguti has the athletic ability and the quick feet needed to block pass-rushing defensive ends at the highest level.

"I definitely think there are going to be questions just because I didn't get a chance to play week in and week out against guys who are playing in the SEC and Big Ten," Nguti said. "It's up to me to show everyone I can play and excel against that caliber of talent. I take that challenge."

Rickert said it's likely that Nguti will go undrafted and then sign immediately with a team as a priority free agent. And that's fine with Nguti, who didn't even think he'd play college football as an overweight high school prospect out of Rochester.

"I'd rather be drafted but what it comes down to is an opportunity to show a team I can play football," he said.

UAlbany has had two players drafted, linebacker Kurt Campbell by Green Bay in 2005 (seventh round) and cornerback Rashad Barksdale by Philadelphia in 2007 (sixth round).

Rickert said the Eagles are showing interest in Nguti, who along with punter Chris Lynch worked out for them at UAlbany's pro day last month. A left tackle last season, Nguti projects as a right tackle or guard in the NFL.

Former UAlbany lineman Jacob Hobbs was cut by the Eagles in training camp two years ago. "(Nguti) has got the measurables," Hobbs said. "It basically comes down to how bad he wants it."

Nguti, an FCS All-American, wasn't even voted UAlbany's best offensive lineman last season as the players instead chose Jon Leible, who's now playing for the Albany Firebirds of arenafootball2.

But Nguti drew scouts from almost every NFL team last season because of his size and reach that neutralize quicker opponents. He held his own in 2007 against Montana defensive end Kroy Biermann, who plays for the Atlanta Falcons. "I call him 'The Tsunami,'" UAlbany coach Bob Ford said. "He just rolls off the ball, baby, and look out."

Nguti, who will follow the draft from his parents' house in Rochester, feels he'll be in a training camp this summer. "It's been a long, long journey," Nguti said. "There's not any place I'd rather be."

By MARK SINGELAIS

University of Albany FCS Football Players Nguti And Lynch Look Towards NFL

If the NFL thinks you have a shot, they'll find you, whether you play at Auburn or Albany.

"I do expect to hear my name called," said Nguti, a mammoth offensive tackle from the University of Albany. "Whether it's a sixth-round or seventh-round draft pick, it doesn't matter to me."

Are you going to argue with a 6-foot-7, 330-pound lineman?

Being selected or not won't seal the pro fates of Nguti or Lynch, a UAlbany punter/holder with a strong leg. For all the pre-draft hype focusing on select blue-chippers, many future stars come from more humble pro beginnings. Think of that while watching Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner and Pittsburgh Steelers running back Willie Parker, unwanted free agents on their draft day who'll star on Super Bowl Sunday.

Meanwhile, Charles Rogers and Ryan Leaf and a host of other first-rounders come and go, only to be quickly forgotten.

Nguti and Lynch signed Tuesday with National Sports Management, a Schenectady agency that represents several dozen NFL and pro baseball players. As agents they're charged with hooking up these Great Danes with the right trainers while working the phones with NFL teams.

"We really lobby these teams to give those kids a look," said vice president/co-owner Michael Giorgio. "Kids do fall through the cracks."

These players have jobs now: Training and preparing for auditions before NFL scouts, likely at Pro Days. In a sense, with a pen stroke Tuesday they became pro athletes

"It's a very important step in the process to making it to the NFL," said Nguti, an FCS Coaches All-American who lost almost 60 pounds dating to his freshman year. "I don't know if I feel like a professional … but I feel like I'm on my way."

... all the scouting and evaluation that goes into college players in the years, months and days leading up to a draft, no team truly knows who is going to make a good, let alone great, NFL player. "All I have ever said to any of those questions is 'I don't have a clue,'" UA coach Bob Ford said. "This is not an exact science."

When a lineman is as big as Nguti, he will get noticed. (UAlbany Coach Ford said most NFL teams came to Albany to scout him.)

When you're a punter like Lynch, you're not going to get drafted, so you have to impress a scout, get invited to a camp and hope there's an opening. "I never had a punting coach," said Lynch, who will get specialized training in the weeks leading up to Pro Days and tryouts. "I just have to keep working on my form to get more like the guys on TV."

From most of the thousand or so players with pro dreams a little more than 300 will be drafted, with a like number of first-year players sticking with some team. And those 300 include drafted players, free agents and holdovers from previous incoming classes.

Some were stunned to hear Rashad Barksdale's name announced in the sixth round of the 2007 draft, when he was taken by the Philadelphia Eagles. The former UAlbany cornerback finished this past season on the New York Giants' roster. After awhile in the NFL it doesn't matter where you came from.

But now the idea of a Great Dane playing in the NFL is not so outlandish. The odds are still long... unless you ask Nguti. Then, if he puts in the work he promises, it's merely expected.

Courtesy: Mark McGuire