His senior year of high school came and went and Jimmy Martin still did not have a scholarship offer to play football from a Division I school.
It was a bitter pill for Martin, who genuinely believed he could play at that level, but not uncommon in a sport where the sheer number of high school players ensuresome will slip under the radar.
Five years later, Martin, a Chantilly graduate who eventually became a four-year starter on Virginia Tech’s offensive line, is one of more than a dozen Washington, D.C. area players who will be glued to ESPN’s coverage of the NFL Draft this weekend to find out when and if they will be selected.
Unlike Maryland tight end Vernon Davis (Dunbar), a sure-fire high first-round choice, most prospective picks won’t travel to New York for the event. For them, the months-long draft process will end only after a phone call from their agent or a team representative moments before their selection. If they aren’t chosen, some players will still have the chance to sign free-agent contracts after the draft.
“I’ll definitely watch the early rounds on Saturday with my girlfriend and some of our friends in Blacksburg,” said the 6-foot-5, 311-pound Martin, an offensive tackle who could go anywhere from the fourth round or later if he is picked. “But I’m going to be a nervous wreck on Sunday. I probably don’t want to be near anyone at that point.”
Martin has plenty of company, including former high school rivals from Northern Virginia who became his teammates at Virginia Tech. Centreville graduate Will Montgomery, who played several positions on the offensive line for the Hokies, has been told he could go as high as the third round. The 6-3, 307-pound Montgomery is the sixth-ranked center by the Web site Scout.com, helped in large part by his versatility. He played both guard and center at Virginia Tech.
“My first agenda when I got to Tech was just to earn a scholarship, something I never thought would happen when I was a sophomore or junior in high school,” said Montgomery, who arrived in Blacksburg as a walk-on. “It wasn’t until I became a starter there that I realized I could have higher aspirations.”
Virginia Tech running back Mike Imoh is another of at least seven Hokies whocould be drafted. The 5-7, 195-pound Imoh, a Robinson graduate, is ranked No. 35 at running back.
Martin and Montgomery both spent several weeks this winter at training facilities in New Jersey and Atlanta, respectively, preparing for the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, where invited prospects perform in front of coaches, general managers and scouts in late February. Martin is fully recovered from a partial MCL tear in his knee suffered during Virginia Tech’s Gator Bowl victory over Louisville.
“I’ve always been a big fan of the draft, seeing where my teammates go and what happens to players we’ve gone against,” said Montgomery. “It’s going to be a long, boring day just watching everything. But I can’t wait.”
