University of Colorado Athletics
Opportunistic Smart Lands A Shot With Cleveland
BOULDER - Jeff Smart is no stranger to proving himself. In fact, any other scenario might baffle him.
He walked on as a linebacker at the University of Colorado in 2005, wound up among the top three tacklers in each of the past three seasons and was elected a captain in his senior year.
Now, his proving ground shifts from Boulder to Cleveland. The Browns have invited him to Friday's minicamp for a tryout. If it goes well - and Smart is intent on making that happen - he hopes to sign a free agent contract.
"They want to take a look and see what I can offer," he said Tuesday. "I'm excited about it; it's a great opportunity."
Ask veteran CU linebacker coach Brian Cabral about Smart and opportunity. "He's probably the most opportunistic player I've ever coached," Cabral said. "He makes the most of everything he has, everything he does. He maximizes opportunities."
Smart's "make-good" arrangement with the Browns is similar to what the New York Jets have with Marcus Burton, who played alongside Smart at CU. Burton will participate in the Jets' minicamp on Thursday.
Former CU players who signed free agent contracts in the wake of last weekend's NFL Draft include tight ends Riar Geer (Denver) and Patrick Devenny (Seattle), long-snapper Justin Drescher (Atlanta) and defensive back Ben Burney, who will join Smart in the Cleveland camp.
"I'm really excited that we'll be there together," said Smart, who isn't sure at which inside spot the Browns want to see him. He played both the "Mike" and "Will" positions at CU, recording 80 total tackles in 2007 (third on the team), 118 in 2008 (first) and 93 in 2009 (second). He was a second-team All-Big 12 Conference selection as a junior and an honorable mention choice as a senior.
Cabral will remember Smart for his hard work, attention to detail and being a quick study: "He's very intelligent . . . a fast learner." But it took him a couple of seasons before he distinguished himself and showed Cabral he was no run-of-the-mill walk-on.
Once that happened, Smart earned a spot in a linebacker corps that included 2007 Big 12 defensive player-of-the- year Jordon Dizon. With Smart's CU career coming to a close last November, Cabral said the player "accomplished more than any walk-on I've ever had.
"For him to play almost every down for the last two years (2007-08) says a lot about him. He's played a lot of ball and made a lot of plays, a lot of tackles. He's exceeded anything I've every seen a walk-on do . . . he's always in the right place at the right time. Always."
Smart is a realist; he wasn't expecting to be drafted. He held out hope that a call might come late Saturday after the draft's final round, but Cleveland didn't contact him until Sunday morning. No matter; he was elated that the call came.
He's continued to work out since the Buffs' season ended. He weighed 222 pounds (he's a 6-footer) on Pro Timing Day, but is just under 230 now.
"I've been training hard since January," he said. "I feel like I'm in good shape."
On Thursday, Smart expects to travel to Cleveland with Burney, whose multiple surgeries during his CU career prompted this line on Sunday: "Humpty-Dumpty is back together again."
"I'm very excited and realize just how blessed I am," Burney said. "After all the surgeries, with me getting this chance, it's like a big sigh of relief. I'm ready to go."
Burney, of Lone Tree, Co., impressed scouts a couple of months ago on Pro Timing Day, turning in the day's best performances in three of the five categories - the vertical jump (39 inches), the 40-yard dash (4.38 seconds) and the short shuttle (4.10 seconds).
Cleveland had a scout there and showed interest, along with scouts from the Broncos, Redskins and Saints. But the best post-draft opportunity, Burney said, is with the Browns, who drafted corner Joe Haden (Florida) and safeties Larry Asante (Nebraska) and T.J. Ward (Oregon).
Burney (5-11, 195) will audition with Cleveland at free safety. He finished the 2009 season as CU's fourth-leading tackler (73 total, 45 solo) and tied for the interception lead (two, one for a touchdown) with three teammates. He also registered seven third-down stops, four tackles for zero yards, four passes broken up, two forced fumbles and two quarterback pressures.
Given the time he spent in operating rooms and in rehabilitation, it was natural for Burney to thank "everybody that helped me get back into shape . . . It just shows as long as you have enough faith and work hard enough, you can do it."
Burton (6-0, 260) will take that attitude into his tryout to the Jets: "I'm just going to lay it all out and see what happens."
Geer grew up a devout Broncos fan, but over the past couple of months he was given little indication that the love was reciprocal. That changed when the team of his childhood dreams called Saturday.
"I would have loved to be drafted, but that was more wishful thinking than anything else," Geer said. "I knew I wasn't a first- or second-rounder, probably a fifth-rounder at best.
"But with me going to the Broncos and staying in Colorado, everything worked out perfectly. I don't feel bad at all about not being drafted."
Geer (6-4, 258) will join former Buffs tight end Daniel Graham with the Broncos. In addition to Graham, a nine-year NFL veteran, Denver's roster includes Marquez Branson (one year) and Richard Quinn (two). The team traded Tony Scheffler to Detroit during the run up to the draft and didn't select a tight end through seven rounds.
Geer's only previous interaction with Graham has been shaking his hand at a couple of past CU spring games that Graham attended. But Geer noted, "I hope I can learn from Dan . . . he'd be a great player to learn from. He's won some Super Bowls and has done such a great job in the league. Your goal is to become a great player like he is."
Geer, who made 36 of his 87 career receptions last season (974 career receiving yards and 11 touchdowns), let it be known among his friends and family that playing for the Broncos was a lifelong dream. But he said no one from the team approached him at the East-West Shrine Game or the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
"I really thought they had no interest at all . . . but I guess I found out (Saturday) they did," he said, adding the confirmation came during a niece's birthday party.
"Being a free agent, I know every day, every time I go on the field, I've got to compete and work hard. It's not going to be easy, but I'm up to the challenge. I'll learn the playbook and prove to them they made a good choice."
Geer said his parents were "very excited" and his mother was "twice as nervous as I was . . . she was freaking out. They're a big part of me getting to where I'm at and they're happy to see me succeed. It's what I wanted since I was a little kid."
If Geer was taken aback by the Broncos' call, Drescher had more than a strong inkling the Falcons had his number - and were planning on using it. The team informed him prior to the draft that he was high on its list of potential free agents, and not long after the final round was in the books, his telephone was ringing.
"(Saturday) morning, they called and said, 'Be ready,'" Drescher said from his parents' home in Southlake, Texas. "When the draft was over, they called back and said, 'You want to be a Falcon?' I said, 'Yessir,' and then it was, 'Welcome to the Falcons.'"
"Four or five" other teams also had contacted him, Drescher said. "They were out there, but I know it's about finding the right spot and being lucky."
Drescher (6-1, 230) is a specialist who could find his NFL niche and enjoy a lengthy career. He was the Buffs' long snapper for the past four seasons - only the third player in school history to hold the job for his entire career. His competition in Atlanta is likely to be Joe Zelenka, an 11-year veteran from Wake Forest.
"They said for me to come in and compete," Drescher said. "All I can ask for is an opportunity. I'm pumped. It's nothing I ever thought of dreamed of and it still seems farfetched. But I'm going to give it all I've got."
Devenny (6-3, 240) promised to do the same for the Seahawks, now under the command of Pete Carroll. Devenny has a roundabout tie with the former Southern California coach. When he was a freshman at Granite Bay (Calif.) High School, he was mentored by senior linebacker Dallas Sartz, who was recruited by Carroll and signed with the Trojans.
"I heard a lot about (Carroll) from Dallas, good things like him being a players' coach . . . he was a guy I admired and always wanted to play for. USC was a little high on the chart for me coming out of high school, but it's weird the way this has worked out," said Devenny, who came to CU as a quarterback but switched positions in his first spring drills and wound up with 27 career receptions (270 yards, five TDs).
Within five minutes after the draft concluded, Seattle was in contact with Devenny. Before he was called, the Seahawks had used their sixth-round draft choice on tight end Anthony McCoy, who played for Carroll at USC. Seattle's roster also includes four other veteran tight ends.
"All I know is that they're all really good and I have a lot of respect for them," Devenny said. "I knew that my getting drafted was a long shot, but I'd heard before the draft that (Seattle) wanted to see film on me. So I was kind of following what they were doing in the draft.
"I'm really excited for the opportunity. I need to be in the best shape of my life and go in and prove myself."
(CUBuffs.com will update the list of former Buffs signing free agent contracts as needed.)
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU