Caught in the draft?
SLIPPERY ROCK — Wes Hills made quite an impact at Slippery Rock University last fall in his lone season as a running back there.
Now the 6-foot-2, 220-pound back hopes he made a big enough impact with NFL scouts to be selected in the league's draft this weekend.
“His agent is convinced Wes will get picked in the fifth or sixth round,” SRU sports information director Jon Holtz said. “Wes isn't quite that optimistic ... He's cautiously optimistic.”
After rushing for 1,849 yards and 14 touchdowns in an injury-plagued career at Delaware, Hills broke The Rock's single-season rushing record last fall by running for 1,714 yards and 17 TDs.
He ran for 509 yards and scored five touchdowns in SRU's three Division II playoff games.
After the playoffs, Hills competed in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., and was named the game's MVP after rushing for 78 yards and a touchdown.
He played in the Senior Bowl as well, but was forced from the game early with an ankle injury. That injury turned out to be a fractured bone.
“I was on crutches for four, six weeks or so,” Hills said. “I'm 100 percent now. I can do all the drills.”
Holtz said Hills has passed the NFL physical as well as physicals given to him by six NFL teams that flew him out to their facilities over the past few weeks. The Raiders, Chargers, Broncos and Eagles were among the teams who flew him in.
“He's a guy who's an unknown right now because of the injuries he's had,” SRU head coach Shawn Lutz said. “If he stayed healthy, I really think he'd be a third-round pick.
“You can't coach what he has. He's a big back who can run, catch passes out of the backfield, he can block ... He has a great chance to make an NFL roster.”
Lutz emphasized that each NFL team is only allowed to invite 30 players to their respective facilities in weeks leading up to the draft.
“Wes has visited five or six teams. That shows how highly he's thought of,” he said.
The Eagles have visited with Hills twice. He is from New Jersey.
“That would be the dream team for him,” Holtz said. “His family grew up as Philadelphia Eagle fans.
“Wes would have been invited to the NFL Combine had he been healthy, but he wasn't able to do any of the workouts then. He was still on crutches.
“If he isn't drafted, he'll get about 15 (non-drafted) free agent offers on Saturday. He's going to be in somebody's camp. It';s just a question of how he gets there,” Holtz added.
Hills knows how he wants to get there.
“It's every player's dream to hear his name called and to go up on that stage,” Hills said. “That's what I'm hoping for.
“Either way, I'm just looking for an opportunity. I'm going to be starting all over, from ground zero. It's all about football now and proving you belong.”
Hills added that his decision to transfer to SRU for his final year of eligibility paid dividends.
“I've met so many great people in that program, both coaches and players,” he said. “I'm still friends with a lot of those players and I learned a lot from the coaches.
“Slippery Rock helped put me in the position I'm in. I'll always be appreciative of that.”
