INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — Adam Shaheen lived the dream of every high school and college football player in the country this weekend.
“The entire NFL was looking forward to watching Adam Shaheen this week,” noted Mike Mayock of the NFL Network.
With that sentence, Mayock informed the world of what many locals already knew: Adam Shaheen is a big man with a bright future.
In September, Curt Conrad reported that dozens of NFL Scouts had visited the Eagles facility, unofficially inquiring about Shaheen. Fast forward through Shaheen’s record-breaking junior campaign and here we are.
Even in a deep draft for his position, foregoing his senior season appears to have been the right move. ESPN’s Mel Kiper has Shaheen as a high fourth rounder. CBS Sports has him as the no. 4 tight end in the class. As for leaving early, this is actually Shaheen’s fourth year of college but only third of football.
In Indianapolis, he was measured, tested, and interviewed, running, lifting and talking to the decision makers he’s hoping to someday join.
Here’s Shaheen’s day by the numbers:
- Overall Grade: 5.59
- 40 Time: 4.79
- Bench Press: 24 reps
- Vertical Jump: 32.5
- Broad Jump: 121.0 inches
- Full Report on NFL.com
WATCH: Rich Eisen and Mike Mayock on Adam Shaheen.
The reactions from most pundits take this tone: that’s a good performance for his size.
The consensus on Shaheen is that he’s a smooth athlete with high potential. The negatives center on his blocking and some finer points of technique. Also, as with every Division II prospect: level of competition is a question mark.
Where will Shaheen land? That’s anybody’s guess for the simple fact that it’s barely March and no one can teach 6-foot-7, 277 pounds. Thus, he finds himself as a one of the more intriguing storylines of the 2017 NFL Draft.
There are numerous blog posts that outline his fit at almost every NFL team, including the possibility that he could join former Ashland Eagle Jamie Meder in Cleveland.
As Terry Pluto pointed noted at Cleveland.com, AU head coach Lee Owens has worked with numerous NFL prospects. Ashland’s support system offered a mix of playing time with enough competition to both challenge but also develop raw talent. Thus, locals could be witness to one of the draft’s neatest stories.
The NFL Draft will officially begin on April 27 in Philadelphia.
Things Worth Reading and Watching:
Pluto wrote about Shaheen this week. It’s worth your time.
Twitter was briefly abuzz after Shaheen credited Chipotle for his incredible offseason bulk. The real story has a lot to do with the weight room. But shoot, it makes for good clickbait.And it should be noted that adding 50 pounds in three years is quite a feat.
This is a skinner version of him lighting up opponents on the court at Big Walnut.
This is three minutes of him embarrassing opponents at AU.
Coverage of Ashland University Eagles athletics is produced in partnership with OhioHealth, the official sports medicine provider for Ashland University and dozens of high schools and universities throughout Ohio.
