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Pro Day prize Linebacker shows coaches, scouts what he's made ofPosted: Wednesday March 19, 2003 10:28 PM
This is the second in a series as SI.com follows West Texas A&M linebacker Chaun Thompson in the weeks leading up to the 2003 NFL Draft in April. By B. Duane Cross, SI.com Spring break couldn't have come at a better time for Chaun Thompson. After wrapping up the regular season, Thompson went into overdrive while preparing for the NFL Scouting Combine. Then, after making his presence felt in Indianapolis, he's been going non-stop while showing his wares for interested teams in individual workouts and at the Buffs' Pro Day. "I'm just having a good time in Dallas; here for my son's birthday [next week]," Thompson said Wednesday. "I have to get back to the school Sunday, so I'll leave at the end of the week." It's been a hectic seven days for the 6-foot-2, 240-pound Thompson. Since March 12, he met with no fewer than five teams, including an early morning workout for New England on Monday. Among the other teams recently making Thompson's acquaintance were Washington, Green Bay and Houston, which asked for tape from 2001 so the Texans' staff could watch film of Thompson when he wasn't hobbled by a bum ankle. However, when West Texas had its Pro Day last week, Thompson felt a sense of isolationism -- even though coaches, scouts, media and well-wishing onlookers surrounded him. "When I got through with my workout, I went over and talked to the media for a while," Thompson said. "And there were other guys still to work out, but no one was really interested in watching them. I thought, 'Man, there's some talent here.' We are Division II, but we have some players. ... But no one wanted to watch [the other players]." Nonetheless, Thompson said he tries to keep his teammates focused on the dream of playing in the NFL. "It doesn't matter where you play," he said. "It's what you do," when you get the chance. "A lot of guys think, because it's D-II, the dream is over. I try to tell the guys, 'You've seen it happen to me.' It can happen for them, too." In fact, it's happened for Thompson without much fanfare; even D2Football.com didn't list him among its "pro hopeful" linebackers. Those honors went to Khalid Abdullah of Mars Hill, Carson-Newman's Steve Josue and Dontaye McCoy of Emporia State. Of that group, only Abdullah -- and Thompson -- attended the combine. Thompson, who had 58 tackles last season, was named the Lone Star Conference's linebacker of the year and was honored as an All-America choice. However, he remains steadfast in keeping his dream in focus. "I moved well," Thompson said of his workout for the Patriots on Monday. "I'm my own worst critic, and there were some things I could have done better. "But [the scouts] understood I wanted to do everything perfect. They basically told me when I make a mistake, get over it and go on with my business."
As his meteoric rise up the draft charts continues, many football insiders are learning to accept that we, too, made a mistake by overlooking the achieving Thompson.
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