By Chris Vaccaro
Willie Colon woke up at 6: 30 a.m. last Sunday with the sun glaring in his eyes and asked God to “let this be his day.” That was the start of the best day of his and many other former Hofstra football players’ lives.
Hours later, during the second day of the NFL Draft in the fourth round, Colon called his agent Joe Litner, and asked what was on the table. It was only a matter of time before his prayers were answered and he was selected as the 34th pick (131st overall) in the fourth round by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“I walked into the kitchen to get a cup of water and said, ‘Lord you have to walk with me now,'” Colon said at a press conference on campus at Margiotta Hall. “I went to the terrace, my phone rang, I looked up and saw my name [on television] and dropped to my knees and cried.”
Marques Colston’s family erupted with noise when New Orleans selected him with the 44th pick (252nd overall) of the seventh and final round of the draft. He felt his hard work and dedication to football paid off.
His name was skipped over on the televised draft because of a commercial break, but Colston was happy, saying, “As long as [the screen] said my name [eventually], I was alright.”
Colston, who set the Hofstra record for all-time receiving yards with 2,834 and played in the Alamo Dome during an impressive East-West Shrine Game outing, was speculated by some scouts to switch to the tight end position because his speed didn’t match up with quicker defensive backs, but New Orleans felt otherwise.
“It’s not something we even thought about,” said Rick Mueller, director of player personnel for the Saints. “He’s going to be a receiver for us.”
Mueller said Colston will have to learn different routes and make considerable adjustments. He also mentioned Colston’s 6-foot-4 frame as something the Saints lack. Also standing at 6-foot-4, Chase Lyman is the only other Saint receiver taller than 6-foot-1.
“I don’t know that we got another guy over six feet tall in that room right now,” Mueller said. “This kid brings a good speed-size combination, and we got a guy that has something different in size and the potential to improve. That’s what really drew us to him.”
For Pittsburgh, Colon fits the prototypical hard-nosed player.
“I am just a guy that tried to make things happen to the best of my abilities,” said Colon, who also got a lot of interest from Miami prior to the draft. “I am a blue collar type guy and Pittsburgh is a blue collar type city, so I am ready to go to work.”
Pittsburgh assistant head coach and offensive line coach Russ Grimm said Colon will play both the tackle and guard positions, and his 6-foot-2 frame will not be a problem.
“He showed enough ability with his hip roll and foot quickness for us to like on film,” Grimm said. “You look at big guys and you see your Max Starks’ and your 6-7, 6-8 guys and you say, ‘Can they bend their knees and get under people?’ You look at your shorter guys and say ‘Do they have enough power to hold the point?’ He’s shown that.”
At the end of an award-filled senior year where Colon was an All-Atlantic 10 first team selection and a first team I-AA All-American selection by both the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), and Walter Camp Foundation, he couldn’t think of a greater feeling.
“It has been the longest emotional roller coaster ride of my life,” said Colon, who at one point thought college football was his highest honor. “I was the kind of guy that fell underneath the radar and then I appeared and just received a lot of love. To go in the fourth round, considering where I came from, is a blessing, it truly is.”
Also, defensive end Stephen Bowen inked a free-agent deal with the Dallas Cowboys. He originally thought St. Louis would draft him during the seventh round, but that fell through and his dream came true when Dallas defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers asked him to join the team.
Colon and Colston were the ninth and 10th players from Hofstra to be drafted, and the first since Giovanni Carmazzi was selected by San Francisco in 2000. They and Bowen will join Charlie Adams (Broncos), Lance Schulters (Dolphins) and Renauld Williams (Jets) as the only former Hofstra players currently playing in the NFL.
ON THE MOVE
Three other former Hofstra graduates will be in minicamp with NFL teams this week. Tight end Brandon Sebald will work out with the Washington Redskins, wide receiver Devale Ellis will be in Detroit and running back Onyi Momah is headed to Cincinnati to workout as a fullback and possibly outside linebacker.
Defensive tackle Ed Greene will most likely be in mini-camp with the Bengals or Saints, while defensive end Dan Garay will be working out with San Jose of the AFL.
