Ivy League Football

Certain schools develop more NFL talent than others: the Alabama Crimson Tide, Ohio State Buckeyes, LSU Tigers, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, USC Trojans and...the Harvard Crimson?

Well, the Ivy League institution isn't on the same level as those traditional pipeline schools, but head coach Tim Murphy's program is well on its way to becoming a must-stop for team scouts each and every fall.

Last season, six former members of the Crimson were counted among NFL rosters. The other seven Ivy League programs combined to produce seven.

Four more Harvard products will join that previous number during draft weekend.

Tight end Ben Braunecker and right tackle Cole Toner are expected to be drafted at some point during the three-day event, while fellow offensive linemen Anthony Fabiano and Adam Redmond will likely sign contracts as undrafted free agents.

The increased level of talent shows consistent growth within the program.

During Murphy's first 19 seasons as head coach, only three players were selected in the NFL draft. Center Matt Birk went on to become one of the NFL's best offensive linemen during his 14-year career. Linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski played seven seasons after being a fourth-round selection by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2000 NFL draft. And quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick just posted the best season of his career with the New York Jets.

What Murphy successfully accomplished during his 22 years as head coach was build a consistent and winning program while operating within stringent standards at one of the nation's most recognizable academic institutions.

As a result, the program has experienced a recent surge in NFL-caliber talent.

"I won't say we've peaked," Murphy said, "but we've gotten to the point where the NFL is fairly familiar with us and vice versa."

With the recent influx of talent, the NFL is showing more interest in the program. The coach and his players certainly noticed a difference.

"We do," Murphy said. "It's not like we're discussing a 180-degree difference. The bottom line is we've done a very solid job evaluating, recruiting and developing Division I football players.

"If you look at a lot of these guys including the starters [from Harvard] in the NFL last year, they weren't highly recruited kids by Power Five conference standards. They developed to the point where they became NFL-caliber players. We're grateful those types of kids are interested in our program. We're grateful we're getting kids who are legitimate student-athletes, want to get a world-class education and, if they're good enough, have an opportunity to play at the next level."

It's part of a trend where traditional academic schools are drawing more interest from recruits. In recent years, programs such as the Stanford Cardinal, Duke Blue Devils and Northwestern Wildcats have experienced a resurgence.

The only major difference between those schools and Harvard is the Crimson play at the FCS level instead of FBS. High academic standards are no longer seen as a hindrance, though.

Old stereotypes aren't nearly as prevalent or perpetuated by pop culture. Thirty years ago, movies with the "dumb jock" running around yelling "Nerrrrds!" were popular. Today's young athlete sees other athletes and entertainers who are highly successful in business ventures and areas outside their chosen professions on a daily basis.

Most understand the chances of making it to the professional ranks aren't in their favor. Academics are important. The delineation between the student and athlete in student-athlete may be growing in certain areas of the sport, but the increased overall interest in programs with reputable academics can't be denied.

"I don't think there is any question about it," Murphy said. "In a perfect world, kids want to have their cake and eat it too, so to speak. It seems like a fair number of recruits have a strong interest in Harvard, because they feel if they're good enough, they can still pursue their sport's highest level.

"They realize the odds are against them. At best, they realize they'll be in their 30s and have to work 30 more years. Why not get a world-class education with a balanced collegiate experience? They try to have it all."

However, there's still a lingering stigma as it pertains to Harvard students who are trying to make it in the NFL.

The recent influx of Crimson talent started three years ago when the Baltimore Ravens selected tight end/fullback Kyle Juszczyk in the fourth round. Teammates labeled Juice—as his friends refer to him—as the "Harvard guy."

"It came up every day and still does," he admitted. "The name carries a certain weight behind it. It was more so as a rookie I became the 'Harvard guy' since Matt Birk recently left. It certainly came up pretty much every day.

"I don't think it was held against me. It's an easy target for a young player."

Juszczyk developed into one of the game's top fullbacks, but he started as the leader of a talented tight end room.

During his senior campaign, four future NFL players were sitting in the same positional meetings. Cameron Brate followed Juszczyk and currently plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tyler Ott doubled as Harvard's long snapper and continues to do so for the New York Giants. Braunecker will be the next to enter the professional ranks.

Harvard has become a true tight end factory.

"I take a lot of pride being the first guy to lead the way," Juszczyk said. "My former teammates reached out to me with questions as they went through the process. I'm happy to help them out."

The reason that tight end, in particular, has been so successful coming out of Murphy's program is that the head coach also serves as position coach, which gives the team's tight ends a better overall understanding of the entire offense.

"We're a tight end-heavy offense with two and sometimes three on the field," Juszczyk explained. "We don't ever take the tight ends off the field. We play all positions: on the line, in the backfield and out wide.

"With Coach Murphy as our position coach, we learned the entire offense. On film, we didn't just watch the offense. We had to know every position. This was huge in our development. It gave us the type of versatility to play in any spot."

Braunecker might be the first one drafted among his teammates this year, but it goes beyond the tight end position. Birk previously proved a Crimson lineman can have a long and successful NFL career. Nick Easton currently serves as a backup offensive lineman for the Minnesota Vikings.

The reason behind the success of these two particular positions is the coaching staff's ability to identify unearthed talent.

"Those positions include guys who can develop," Murphy said. "If you look at running backs, cornerbacks and wide receivers in the NFL, the skill level is so high. It's not unlike recruiting high-level basketball players. You see who the biggest and most explosive guys are in the ninth and 10th grades. That's not necessarily the case for offensive linemen, tight ends or H-backs. You take a good athlete, and those guys can be developed."

Clearly, the Crimson coaching staff has been successful at doing so, and it stays close with all of these players when they leave the program. According to Murphy, the entire group of athletes met last Friday in New York City for dinner.

This remains beneficial for those players who are still in the program. Braunecker explained how the success of those former teammates helped him through his predraft experience.

School	Number of prospects
Brown	3
Columbia	1
Cornell	4
Dartmouth	2
Harvard	4
Penn	3
Princeton	3
Yale	4

"As far as the transition to the NFL, Cam and Juice have made it easier, because it's now not as risky to pick an Ivy League or Harvard tight end for the NFL," the incoming tight end said. "Scouts and coaches know we can produce."

Harvard's NFL success extends beyond the gridiron into NFL boardrooms.

The Cleveland Browns have four prominent front-office executives who graduated from the school. Sashi Brown serves as the executive vice president of football operations. Kevin Meers heads up the analytics staff as the director of football research. Andrew Berry, who is only 28 years old, is the general manager. And former baseball executive Paul DePodesta was named the organization's chief strategy officer in January.

The latter two played for Murphy early in the coach's tenure.

"DePodesta was only with us a short period of time," Murphy said. "He was a great kid, really smart and a hard worker.

"I think anyone who came into contact with Andrew Berry really thought he was special. Not so much as a smart guy, even though he's an extraordinarily smart guy—he was arguably the best cornerback to ever play at Harvard. He was a tremendous football player and borderline NFL talent. He was the hardest-working kid we've ever seen. That says a lot, because our kids are tremendously hardworking. But his leadership, tenacity and humility really stood out."

With leaders on and off the field, Harvard graduates are now more likely to be considered by the NFL than at any point during the program's history.

With four potential draftees in this year's class, the Crimson could experience a couple of firsts in the program's history. At no point in the modern draft era have four Harvard products been selected in a three-year period. Also, the NFL has never selected more than two Harvard players in a single draft.

For a program that is geared toward academics, this is a special group of athletes.

Ben Braunecker

When the NFL combine officially arrived in late February, the Harvard product wasn't considered a top tight end prospect. Scouts noticed Braunecker once he took the field, though.

The 6'3", 250-pound target absolutely crushed his workout. He finished among the top five in every category for his position.

"Honestly, I wasn't necessarily pleased with my numbers, because none of them were personal bests," the Ferdinand, Indiana, native said of his effort in Indianapolis. "I think it was partly due to the sleep-deprived grind of the combine plus all of the media attention. I wasn't nervous on the field, per se, but I just had to wait around a lot to be on camera. It's just more of a media spectacle than an evaluation process on the final day."

Event	Result	Rank among TEs
40-yard dash	4.73	5th
Bench press	20	3rd
Vertical jump	35.5"	2nd
Broad jump	10'1"	2nd
3-cone	6.90	2nd
20-yard shuttle	4.20	2nd
60-yard shuttle	11.32	1st

He actually improved both his 40-yard dash to 4.66 seconds and vertical jump to 37.5 inches at Harvard's pro day, according to NFL.com's Gil Brandt.

His workouts only accentuated a solid collegiate career. During his senior campaign, Braunecker led the team with 48 receptions for 850 yards and eight touchdowns.

However, the high school wide receiver had to grown into the position before he really got a chance to shine.

"He was more of a projection," Murphy said. "He came out of a very small school in Indiana and wasn't highly recruited. We felt he was an undervalued kid. When you turned over the rocks to find information, you found out he was almost a 60-foot shot putter as a wide receiver. We put two and two together and thought he would grow into an H-back or tight end, which he did. He went from 215 pounds as a freshman to 250 pounds as a senior and became an explosive, really outstanding H-back.

Braunecker—or "Bronk" as he came to be known—is also a standout in the classroom. He has one more semester to complete to graduate with a degree in molecular and cellular biology with aspirations of one day studying infectious diseases. While this should be applauded, NFL organizations always question a prospect's commitment to the sport if other options are available.

"I get those questions," he admitted, "because the coaches and scouts want to make sure I'm committed to football. I got a feel for that when I was interviewed at the combine. As long as I can assure them I'm here to play in the NFL, be a dedicated player and put my academic career off until after football, they are then all business and know I'm ready to play in the NFL."

Teams such as the Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots are all business, since each organization sent its tight end coach to work out the versatile target.

In what's considered a weak tight end class overall, Braunecker should be counted among the top five prospects at his position and a mid-round possibility. And he might not be the only one from his program selected during the draft's third day.

Cole Toner

The Crimson's front five served as the strength of the offense last season.

"Our offensive line with the three stars we fielded were probably better than most—if not all—Big Ten offensive lines," Braunecker said. "I truly believe that, and I've heard as much from NFL scouts."

Toner is considered the top prospect from the talented front. The Greenwood, Indiana, native became a starter as a freshman when he played both right and left tackle before he secured a spot on the strong side over the next three seasons. The collegiate offensive tackle also worked out as a guard and prepared to play center during the predraft process.

The Patriots, Texans and Indianapolis Colts put the offensive lineman through workouts prior to the draft.

Category	Result
Height	6'5"
Weight	306
Arm length	33 1/8
Bench press	22
40-yard dash	5.32
Broad jump	8'7"
3-cone drill	7.88
20-yard shuttle	4.59

Toner came a long way after not receiving any scholarship offers from top schools in Big Ten country. Harvard benefited by envisioning his potential.

"We thought we had a steal," Murphy said. "He felt he was under-recruited to an extent. He was a relatively lean kid to be considered a Power Five conference lineman.

"But he developed just like we thought he would. He's a tough kid and a very good athlete—a high school basketball player. At 6'6", he became our prototypical offensive tackle."

Toner still isn't a finished product, but he reached the point where he could compete at the Reese's Senior Bowl with some of the best talent this year's draft class has to offer.

"Did I have the best week of anyone there? No," Toner said. "But [my performance] proved to a lot of teams and scouts that I deserved to be there. I proved to myself that as long as I keep working, getting stronger and honing my craft, I'll be a better football player and ready to go."

Some NFL organization will see the same potential in Toner as Murphy once did, and he's not the only Harvard offensive lineman with enough upside to be drafted. 

Anthony Fabiano

Depending on how teams view Fabiano's recent medical history, a third member of the Crimson could be selected on the final day of the draft. 

The guard dealt with severe turf toe during his senior campaign that required offseason surgery, according to DraftInsider.net's Tony Pauline.

"If Fabs didn't get hurt, he would have been a draftable player," Murphy said. "I still think he is. At 305 pounds, he can play multiple positions. If possible, he'll run a sub-five-second 40-yard dash. We think he has tremendous upside."

Fabiano didn't quite break five seconds in the 40-yard dash during Harvard's pro day. He was close, though. The economics major provided a 5.01-second effort, according to NFL.com.

The 6'3", 303-pound offensive lineman posted a 32.5-inch vertical and a 9-foot broad jump. Considering he recently required toe surgery, his performance in the change-of-direction drills is even more impressive. Fabiano registered a 7.41-second three-cone drill and a 4.42-second short shuttle. Both of those times would have finished among the top five combine performances among offensive linemen.

The Massachusetts native also participated in a workout with the Patriots alongside Braunecker, Toner and one more teammate. 

Adam Redmond

Redmond found himself in Foxborough trying to impress the Patriots' staff. It wasn't his only visit. 

The Ohio native discussed predraft obstacles with the Akron Beacon Journal's Nate Ulrich prior to a local workout with the Cleveland Browns:

I'm not getting written about, I'm not on draft blogs or anything like that, which is fine. But I need to take advantage of every opportunity. I think that is what separates those high-ranked guys and guys like me. I might only get one shot, so I need to take advantage of that. ...

It doesn't matter to me if I'm drafted or signed or offered a minicamp tryout spot. I feel like I can impress once I get there.

Redmond might not be drafted, but his versatility should provide him an opportunity to play in the NFL. The 6'6", 301-pound lineman became a starter at left tackle going into his sophomore campaign. By his senior season, the coaching staff moved him inside to center, where he captured first-team All-Ivy League honors.

Changing of the Guard

Imagine this possibility: Harvard could have more players selected in the 2016 NFL draft than traditional powerhouses such as the Texas Longhorns, Nebraska Cornhuskers and Wisconsin Badgers. Teams will strongly consider two or three members of the Crimson, while those other programs might only see one or two of their products drafted.

Now, this isn't to say Harvard will overtake those schools or any other program as one of the premier football factories in America. However, recruits who value a rich academic tradition and a strong football background no longer need to look beyond the Ivy League to have the best of both worlds.

"One thing we say to our kids all of the time: 'Do something you love in life, because your generation will work a long time. Do something you really enjoy,'" Murphy said. "For a lot of those guys, they have a passion for football. Everyone knows Harvard is a great school, but a lot of people are surprised to find out we have the largest Division I athletic program on the planet. We have 42 Division I varsity sports.

"Even though academics are by far the No. 1 priority, athletics are a really important part of our culture and community."

All quotes and visit information obtained firsthand by Brent Sobleski, who covers the NFL and NFL draft for Bleacher Report, unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @brentsobleski.

Two years after revealing to his teammates that he is gay, Princeton University offensive lineman Mason Darrow came out publicly Tuesday as part of a profile by Cyd Zeigler of OutSports.com.

According to Zeigler, Darrow made the decision to go public in an effort to empower other gay football players. After attempting to hide his sexual orientation for so long, he felt a great deal of relief after he came out to teammate Caleb Slate in 2013.

"Telling my teammates was the best decision I have ever made," Darrow said.

The Lake Barrington, Illinois, native essentially posed as a straight man for quite some time due to his fear that being gay didn't fit with the football culture, per Zeigler.

"I felt like I had to keep appearances up," Darrow said. "I didn't want to arouse suspicion that I might be gay, so I went along with the flow and did what I thought was expected of me."

Darrow, who is now a junior offensive tackle for the FCS school, was originally reluctant to tell anyone because he wasn't sure if he would be accepted, according to Zeigler.

"I felt trapped. I wasn't happy. I wanted to tell people, but I thought there would be a lot of animosity," Darrow said. "There are a lot of guys from the South on the team. I wasn't sure how people would react to it."

His teammates have been extremely supportive since he came out, with defensive back Dorian Williams among them:

Nothing but support for my fellow teammate! http://t.co/agJhwZzj3H via @outsports

— Dorian Williams (@DWilliamsPU) September 15, 2015

Former University of Missouri defensive end Michael Sam famously came out as gay following his time at Mizzou in 2014, but Darrow is currently the only openly gay player in Division I football, per Zach Barnett of College Football Talk.

Darrow showed a great deal of courage by deciding to live openly despite his previous reservations, and the fact that it has worked out so well for him could encourage anyone else considering doing the same thing.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

Going through the NFL draft process, from all-star games and workouts to meetings with teams, requires a busy schedule. Being a pre-med student, especially at an Ivy League university, does too.

Somehow, Yale running back Tyler Varga is doing both simultaneously.

A three-time All-Ivy League selection (first-team in 2012 and 2014, honorable mention in 2013) who participated in this year’s Senior Bowl and was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, Varga is well within the mix to be a Day 3 selection in this year’s draft. But pursuing his NFL dream has not stopped Varga from continuing his education at Yale, where he is on track to graduate with a degree in ecology and evolutionary biology this spring.

“It’s definitely challenging,” Varga said in an interview with Bleacher Report in early March. “You go to the Senior Bowl, you go to the combine, you talk amongst these guys and 99 percent of them are done with school. They’re focused on training, focused on getting ready for the draft and their testing and all their pro days…I’m training hard, trying to get ready for all that, but I’m at the same time trying to balance all this other stuff.”

That “other stuff” includes spending 10-15 hours per week in medical research labs and finishing up his senior thesis.

“I’m actually doing some insulin-based research: We’re investigating a gene in mice that plays a role in energy efficiency in the body, and hopefully that’ll have human application down the road and help us better understand Type II diabetes,” Varga said. “I’m doing some independent research on the shoulder actually as well, along with taking a couple classes just to tie up my degree.”

Prior to the Senior Bowl in January, he spent a week training at Athletic Edge Sports Performance Conditioning at Bradenton, Florida, and he has returned to Florida to train during Yale’s two-week spring recess.

For the rest of the semester, however, Varga has continued training at Yale. While most other NFL draft prospects have the privilege of working out in posh facilities and warm weather, Yale does not even have an indoor football complex, forcing him to micromanage his schedule during a cold, snowy winter in New Haven, Connecticut.

“There is an indoor bubble that we’ve been training at, I’ve been getting up at 5 a.m. to go and train some days during the week,” Varga said. “It’s a huge puzzle. It’s just a matter of fitting in all the workouts, all the speed training, all the field work and all that stuff into my schedule of classes and other stuff that I’ve got going on at Yale that isn’t as flexible.”

Juggling Yale academics and football, both now and during his collegiate career, has not left Varga much free time.

“If you want to have free time, you want to spend time with your friends, you better be pretty efficient with your schedule, and get your work when you need to get it done and not kind of lollygag around and wander on,” he said. “It’s definitely a challenge, definitely been something that I think will serve me well down the road.”

Varga was one of the first players Tony Reno recruited to New Haven after becoming Yale’s head coach in January of 2012. Reno said that his intangibles—specifically, his work ethic—stood out right away.

“He’s like a lot of guys we have that are very driven, very goal-oriented,” Reno told Bleacher Report. “He sets things out in front of himself and he sets them out with a logical way to accomplish his goals, and he goes and gets them.”

Despite his full plate, Varga has succeeded in all aspects. On the field, he ran for 2,985 yards and 31 touchdowns in his three-year Yale career.

Year	Games	Carries	Yards	Touchdowns
2014	10	233	1423	22
2013	6	125	627	1
2012	8	171	935	8

In the classroom, he carries a 3.56 GPA, according to his bio on Yale’s athletics website.

Varga has even found time to give back to the Yale community. He served on the executive board for the Mandi Schwartz Marrow Donor Registration Drive, which “organizes, promotes and conducts the largest bone marrow drive in the nation each spring,” according to the National Football Foundation.

For his impressive work in each of those aspects, Yale’s Council of Masters honored him with the F. Wilder Bellamy Jr. Memorial Prize, which is given to students “who best exemplify the qualities for which the alumnus is remembered, including personal integrity, loyalty to friends and high-spiritedness in athletics, academics and social life,” according to Yale’s athletics website.

“He’s got an infectious personality,” Reno said of him. “He’s positive in all situations and I think he’s one of those guys who’s able to really deal with any challenge that comes his way.”

Reno also noted that Varga has “been a member of [the Yale football team]’s leadership council since the moment he walked on campus.”

“He’s a vocal leader. He sets a great example,” the head coach said. “Tyler’s a team-first guy as well. I mean, you could have asked Tyler I think at any point in the season how many touchdowns he scored and how many yards he had, and he wouldn’t have had any idea.”

All of those qualities should enhance Varga’s appeal to NFL teams, at least among those who are confident his skills can translate to the next level.

 

From the Ivy League and from North of the Border

Getting a Division I football scholarship was not easy for Varga, in part because the Swedish-born tailback grew up in Canada.

At Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute in Kitchener, Ontario, Varga was a four-time team MVP who played five positions and scored more than 100 touchdowns. Still, Varga noted that it was tough to get noticed, despite those accolades, because he played his high school football north of the border.

“Being a Canadian player…I think that’s given me a different type of perspective to the game,” Varga said. “If you want to go to college and play football as a Canadian player, it’s getting better now but you really, really have to stand out. You really have to make a big splash. You have to make waves so that people notice you.”

Before transferring to Yale in 2012, Varga played his first year of college football at the University of Western Ontario, where he won the Peter Gorman Trophy as Canada’s national freshman football player of the year.

Now, Varga finds himself in a similar position to where he was in high school. In spite of his three years of excellence at Yale, some NFL teams could discount Varga’s production on the basis that he played against lower-level competition in the Ivy League than prospects who are coming out of Football Bowl Subdivision schools.

Since 2000, only 16 players have been drafted from the Ivy League, and only four from Yale. None of those players were top-100 draft picks, and only eight of those players—just one of the four from Yale—were selected before the seventh round.

Varga, personally, rebuffs the notion that his Ivy League competition was substandard. He believes that hailing from the Ivy League will be an advantage, not a disadvantage, in his transition to the NFL.

“Being an Ivy League student-athlete, I think that makes you even more draftable if you have the physical attributes and you showed you can play the game,” Varga said. “It trains you to be able to handle a lot of stress, a lot of stuff coming at you at once. There’s definitely not a lowered expectation for the athletes at Yale—and I’m sure all the other Ivy Leagues are the same—so you got to really learn how to balance.”

When Varga had a chance to play against prospects from the big schools in the Senior Bowl, he felt that “the level of play was not that much different” from that which he faced in the Ivy League.

“There was maybe a little bit of a difference in competition, but not as much as everyone claims there is,” Varga said. “I mean, we’ve got some great players in the Ivy League as well. We got great competition there as well.”

Varga certainly didn’t look to be in over his head at the Senior Bowl. To the contrary, Varga ran for 13- and seven-yard touchdowns, executed a lead block on a four-yard touchdown from teammate David Cobb and also caught three passes for 39 yards.

 

Raised to Be an Athlete

Beyond the game itself, another highlight of Varga’s Senior Bowl week came at the weigh-in, where the 5’10”, 227-pound running back’s chiseled physique drew oohs and aahs from the crowd of NFL scouts and media members in attendance.

#NFL Draft analyst Charles Davis (@CFD22) on @nflnetwork talking about Canadian RB Tyler Varga: "Boy did he look good at the weigh-in."

— Justin Dunk (@JDunk12) January 20, 2015

Walking across a stage in his underwear to have his musculature evaluated might have been a new experience for Varga, but it was certainly not an experience unfamiliar to his family. 

Varga’s parents, John Varga and Hannele Sundberg, were both competitive bodybuilders.

Growing up as the son of competitive athletes—Hannele actually still competes in alpine skiing, and she finished second in her age group of the slalom at the Winter World Masters Games this February—played a “huge role” in Varga achieving his own success in sports.

“They got me into sports at a young age…I was in gymnastics when I was less than a year old,” he said. “Sports has been a huge part of my life, thanks to them, since I’ve been little.”

Seeing what his parents endured in their own athletic endeavors helped ingrain an attention to detail in Varga that he said has served him well.

“Just being able to take a small chunk of that, of the bodybuilding world, and being able to bring that to like another sport, like football, I think has really helped me out,” he said. “Because you look at bodybuilding, you eat like one tablespoon too much salt or something like that, and you could screw up like two months worth of training. I think being able to be that detail-oriented in preparing for what I do on the football field gives me an advantage, so I credit my parents for passing all that down to me.”

Simply being born into a family of athletes helped put Varga on track to become a professional athlete.

“Genetic factor, definitely, I think helped me out a little bit,” he acknowledged.

In spite of that, Varga admitted that playing in the NFL seemed like a long shot when he was a child growing up in Canada.

“The NFL’s always been kind of a dream of mine since I’ve been a little kid,” he said. “Did I see myself playing in the NFL? I don’t think, if you take out the dream factor, probably not. I think it really became a reality probably midway through college…That hasn’t changed my work ethic whatsoever, it’s been there all along, but just that has kind of come up on the road map.”

Now less than two months away from the 2015 NFL draft, Varga is on the verge of making that dream a reality. But there are still obstacles that remain in his path to prove that he can be a successful NFL player.

 

Where Does Varga Fit on an NFL Offense?

A tailback throughout his career at Yale, Varga also has experienced playing quarterback and returning kickoffs. Some evaluators, however, believe his future in the NFL will require a transition to the fullback position.

Matt Miller, Bleacher Report’s NFL Draft Lead Writer, ranked Varga as the No. 4 fullback and No. 260 overall player on his post-combine big board. NFLDraftScout.com ranks him more favorably, at No. 169 overall, but likewise considers him to be a fullback, and the No. 2 prospect in this year’s draft class at that position.

If the team that drafts Varga or signs him as an undrafted free agent expects him to make that transition, Reno believes he will have to spend time “honing the skills that are required to be a fullback in the NFL,” but ultimately expects his pupil to succeed.

“In my opinion, what makes him so much of a commodity is that he can do both [playing running back or fullback] well,” Reno said. “I think his ability to adapt to different systems—it might be multiple positions—would be something that fits in well for him.”

While Varga feels as though he is most prepared to play as a tailback, he said he is more than willing to make the transition to fullback if asked to do so.

“I’m used to handling the ball a lot, so I’m definitely comfortable in that role. But to be honest with you, I think the position that would make me the happiest is the one that would allow me to help the team in the biggest way,” he said. “I went to the Senior Bowl as a fullback, obviously I have some things to learn but I feel like I’m athletic enough to do both.”

Viewed as a running back, Varga might face questions about his athleticism and explosiveness, but a projected position change brings about its own set of questions, including the idea that he, as NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein noted, is “small for a fullback.”

That suggestion is one that Varga takes exception to.

“The truth is, I never was a fullback, I was asked to play fullback and I more than gladly accepted the challenge and accepted that role at the Senior Bowl, because I just wanted the opportunity to play football,” he said. “But then people say, ‘Oh, well he’s undersized,’ as a fullback…I’ve been a tailback my whole career.

“Obviously if I’m going to play fullback, I’m totally capable of putting on weight if I need to,” he added. “Even despite the fact that they say I was undersized, I still think I held my own against much bigger opponents, 240-pound, 250-pound linebackers.”

One aspect that Varga does feel he needs to work on is that he can be “a little bit overaggressive sometimes.”

“You probably ask how you can be over-physical in football, well, there’s some things in football that require a little bit more of a passive approach,” he said. “Something like pass protection, instead of trying to go knock a head off or trying to knock the guy out, you got to sit back a little bit more. Sometimes I do get a little overaggressive in that type of a situation, and I need to learn how to tone that back a little bit more, and use my hands a little bit more, in some of those situations where you just use body positioning.”

With the exception of the bench press, in which he posted 23 repetitions of 225 pounds, Varga was unable to work out at the NFL Scouting Combine due to a bone spur in his ankle. He says he will be ready to go, however, for his pro day on March 31.

The pro day could be an opportunity for him to prove he is athletic enough to continue playing running back, and/or that he has learned the nuances of playing the fullback position. However, Varga said he is not putting any more pressure on himself to perform at the pro day just because he was unable to work out at the combine.

“I’m just going to go in there and do my best,” he said. “There’s lots on the line, but you just got to go out there and run fast, jump high, be athletic. I think it’s a good opportunity to showcase my ability.”

After the pro day, Varga will have one month to wait—though he certainly won’t sit around idling—before finding out whether he will be selected in this year’s draft, which will be held April 30-May 2 in Chicago.

Getting drafted, Varga told Bleacher Report, would be “a dream come true.”

“Whatever team I go to, it would be something that’s really cool,” he said. “I know it would mean a lot to my school, it would mean a lot to my family, it would mean a lot to my hometown, my high school, everybody who’s been supporting me and watching me growing up.

“Rest assured that if I do get picked up, if I do get drafted, that I’m going to pour everything I’ve got into this opportunity and make the most of it,” he added.

All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Dan Hope is an NFL/NFL Draft Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow @Dan_Hope

Princeton's Caraun Reid is a really intriguing NFL draft prospect, if only because the esteemed Ivy League University is not exactly known for churning out pro-caliber prospects.

I have already done a few scouting reports on some big names (Johnny Manziel, Eric Ebron, Shayne Skov), but now I'm going to switch gears a little bit and do a series on a few small-school players who have a chance to surprise some people and be good NFL players.

Because most of these prospects will be virtually unknowns, these breakdowns will be just as much about the player and his background as it will be about actually analyzing his film.

Reid is a dynamic interior defensive lineman who has been really impressing some people at the Senior Bowl this week. 

Let's take a look and find out what makes him such a good prospect.

Background

This article goes into further detail about Reid's personal history, but I'll try to summarize some of the key points that encompass his interesting background. Reid was born in the Bronx to a pastor father and minister mother.

He did not begin playing football until high school, when he began as a freshman at Mount St. Michael Academy. By his senior year, there were several Ivy League schools inquiring about his services.

Reid chose Princeton and has really immersed himself in a variety of school activities. He's part of an a cappella group on campus (and has an incredible voice) and is also on the executive board of the school's Christian Faith in Action group.

When he pulled out of school for a semester to preserve his eligibility, Reid took a job as a student aide at Princeton Day School's Lower School. Clearly, he's an interesting, intelligent, and well-rounded person.

But on top of all that, Reid is a football player. And a pretty darn good one.

Good enough that, despite playing against relatively weak competition at one of the world's most rigorous academic institutions, he became the second Princeton player ever to be invited to the Senior Bowl and is considered a potential mid-round pick in May's draft.

Why is Reid being considered an NFL prospect? Let's take a look at what makes this defensive tackle so special on the field.

Measurables

One of the big perks of playing in the Senior Bowl is the weigh-in and measurement process. Even though this happens again at the combine, the Senior Bowl events can give players some time to adjust themselves and try to cover their weaknesses while using their strengths that show up on the scale and/or ruler.

Just a few days ago, we got a look at how big Reid actually is. He measured in at 6'2 1/8", 301 pounds and apparently looked really stout and well-built for a 300-plus pound guy.

He also had 32 5/8" long arms, which is more than adequate, especially for a guy who is only about 6'2".

This is exactly the kind of frame that teams would have been hoping to see, and while it doesn't sway his draft stock dramatically, it certainly gave him another check mark on scouts' reports.

Reid utilizes this frame to be destructive in defending both the pass and run.

Run Stopping 

Reid is a force up the middle. He isn't big enough and does not play like a nose tackle in a 3-4 defense, but relies a little more on finesse, hand technique and sheer determination.

There's a lot of promise in Reid's ability to stuff the run despite him not being an enormous, immovable hole-filler like many NFL defensive tackles are.

Reid consistently shows the ability to diagnose a play and figure out his best point of attack. From that point, he uses great leverage and violent hands to win position and make the stop.

One flaw is that he at times can be slow off the snap and therefore doesn't get any push into the backfield. This is a correctable issue, however, and is not prevalent enough to be an extreme concern.

Reid's ability to stuff the middle is particularly impressive because of his lack of bulk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igeMVgO5CLw,374

On this play, he drives the guard into the middle of the field, keeping his eyes in the backfield, and then sheds the blocker right as he meets the running back.

Reid is strong enough to be able to absorb that contact and then hold his ground to help make the tackle, which isn't surprising given the impressive physique he showed at the Senior Bowl weigh-in.

He isn't overly consistent against the run, however, and we have to keep in mind that these offensive linemen he's facing are a lot smaller (and just not as good) as the guys in the NFL. But he still seems to have a lot of the fundamentals and abilities that teams look for in a defensive tackle.

So while he isn't perfect against the run, he's certainly adequate. But Reid's biggest asset is really his ability to rush the quarterback.

Pass Rush

Reid thrives when he's given the green light to get into the backfield and disrupt the passer. He's an absolute terror who utilizes a number of different moves to beat his blockers.

This talent has helped him be a three-time All-Ivy League selection and rack up 20.5 sacks over his collegiate career. There are a number of ways Reid makes an impact in the passing game.

On some plays, Reid is able to just get a great jump off the snap, use his strong lower body and bull rush. This works especially well when he lines up against a tackle.

While he does have the capability to use a traditional bull rush, where he gets underneath his blocker, stays low and churns his legs to drive the blocker backwards, Reid is also explosive enough to use a unique type of punch that helps him create separation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igeMVgO5CLw,107

On this play, Reid literally just shoves the tackle backwards and then showcases his athleticism (more on that later) to get after the quarterback.

His tenacity, along with his natural physical ability, is impressive. He also seems to have good awareness and knows when to employ certain moves and how to be as disruptive as possible.

His most effective move might be a type of rip to the inside, when he turns his outside shoulder in and bends through the inside of the offensive lineman.

These two plays show this move, one that Reid should try to develop and use even more in the NFL.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kq_uCXs8K0,88

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kq_uCXs8K0,315

When he executes it correctly, he has the quickness, hands and strength to get in and take a direct route to the quarterback. It's especially effective when he sees a hole and can catch the offensive lineman a bit off balance, which happens in that first play.

There are other plays, like this one below, that showcase Reid's explosiveness out of his stance, as well as his determination to get to the quarterback.

Reid gets going in a hurry, literally just bounces the running back off him and then closes in on the quarterback before the poor guy even knows what happened.

It's plays like these that will make NFL teams really intrigued. That's the type of quickness and athleticism that cannot be taught.

Athleticism

I don't think Reid gets enough credit for his ability to simply make plays. He isn't huge, doesn't have elite quickness or strength yet is able to sniff out opportunities and make the most of them.

Some of that ability comes from good awareness and an even better motor. Plays like this show Reid's relentless pursuit of the ball.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kq_uCXs8K0,76

Reid starts off in pass-rush mode, diagnoses the screen, changes direction, sheds a blocker and then makes a great tackle on the running back.

This combination of awareness, perseverance and quickness is on display throughout the game. This play is similar to the previous pass-rushing snap in which he gets a big push on the ball, but this one is even more impressive.

Not only does he drive the blocker (a guard this time) backwards with one big push, but then in the same motion gets his legs churning at the right angle to pursue the quarterback. 

While it's not a necessarily useful statistic on its own, seven blocked kicks shows Reid's explosiveness and ability to penetrate. More than just being a high number, it shows that Reid has some raw strength and the ability to use leverage to get near the holder quickly and get his hands up to block the kick.

Watch both of these two kicks (on successive plays) and marvel at Reid's sheer determination and power.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igeMVgO5CLw,204

While Reid's tape is impressive overall, perhaps no three consecutive plays encompasses his upside as a prospect as thoroughly as these three do.

In this game against Brown in 2012, Reid was an absolute animal and wreaked havoc on the offense all game. These three plays show three different facets of Reid's game and offer a good synopsis of what he can do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kq_uCXs8K0,150

On the first play, Reid uses flat-out quickness to get around the left tackle and hurry the quarterback. 

On the second play, Reid uses a variation of that punch, bull-rush move I mentioned earlier and then turns it up a gear and pursues the quarterback to make the play.

On the final one, Reid hurries the quarterback again, this time using great hand technique and then maintaining leverage while driving the lineman backwards into his own quarterback.

Reid is undoubtedly a fine prospect, but where will he end up? That's a difficult question to answer, and the next few months will better determine teams who might be interested in him.

Projection

Reid is versatile enough to play either defensive end in a 3-4 or as a defensive tackle in a 4-3. I think he's better suited as a 3-4 DE, however, and that's where he did most of his damage in college.

NFL teams will be enamored by Reid's pedigree. His Princeton degree and well-rounded, humble background will make him a hit at interviews. But it won't necessarily boost his stock as much as it will just prevent him from falling, which can happen to players with off-the-field issues.

Teams will also like his physique, and he has apparently played well at the Senior Bowl. He will also have to be impressive at the combine, because although "tape don't lie," people will definitely question the competition Reid faced in the Ivy League.

In the end, I think there's definitely a little risk in taking Reid because of his lack of experience against top college players. But he seems like the kind of person and player who will work hard and do whatever it takes to develop into an NFL defensive lineman.

Reid will never be an elite difference-maker, but if a team is patient with him he could become a regular starter. Unless he has a really bad combine (which I don't anticipate), I think he'll be a fringe top-100 prospect and deserves a fourth-round grade.

Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Mike Catapano will see his football career continue—on Sundays.

The young defensive end was taken by the Kansas City Chiefs with the first pick of the seventh round (207 overall)  in the NFL draft on Saturday, April 27, making him the first Princeton University player drafted in a dozen years.

Originally considered questionable to be picked, Catapano would likely have gotten an undrafted free agent invite to an NFL camp following the draft, but the Princeton graduate had a good showing in the East-West Shrine Game and began to turn the heads of some NFL general managers.

Catapano may have also received the benefit of geography, as playing in Princeton, N.J., put him close to Philadelphia where former Eagles head man (and now Chiefs coach) Andy Reid had been working.

“I can’t even put it into words what this feels like," beamed Catapano in an interview (per Reid Ferrin on KCChiefs.com). "It’s been such a long road and to be taken by such a historic franchise in Kansas City, I can’t even put it into words right now honestly, I’m on cloud nine.”

Catapano was the Ivy League leader in sacks, forced three fumbles and amassed 41 tackles in the 2012 season. While he played defensive end at Princeton, he is considered on the smaller side at 6'3" and 271 pounds.

The Chiefs plan to use Catapano as a linebacker. It's a role that Catapano says he will welcome.

“That’s such a fun position. What I do well is I pass-rush,” Catapano said regarding the change to LB (per Stephen Wood of The Daily Princetonian).

In addition to Catapano, two other Ivy League products were selected by NFL teams in this year's draft—J.C. Tretter of Cornell and Kyle Juszczyk of Harvard.

An otherwise upbeat season for the Princeton Tigers ended Saturday with a disappointing loss to the Dartmouth Big Green, 35-21, before a crowd of 8,327 at Princeton Stadium. It was the season-ending game for both clubs.

Princeton went up 7-0 in the second quarter on a four-yard touchdown run by QB Quinn Epperly. Three minutes later, the special teams put the Tigers ahead 14-0 when CB John Hill ran in a blocked punt.

But that's when Dartmouth took over the game, scoring five unanswered touchdowns, three on the arm of QB Dalyn Williams (20-of-35, 284 yards). Nine different receivers caught passes for the Big Green, who rolled up 338 yards passing in the contest.

Princeton's first-string QB Connor Michelsen did not play due to his shoulder injury, and while Quinn Epperly was 11-of-18 for 101 yards in the game, the Tigers' aerial attack clearly suffered. Dartmouth keyed on the Princeton rushers, holding them to 110 yards total. Epperly was Princeton's second-leading rusher with 32 yards, while leading rusher Will Powers ran the ball 10 times for 71 yards.

Wideouts Roman Wilson (4 receptions), Connor Kelley (3 receptions) and Seth DeValve (3 receptions) led Princeton receivers in the contest.

Princeton ends the season 5-5 overall and 4-3 in the Ivy League. For third-year head coach Bob Surace, the program took a significant step forward this year, as the Tigers had not won more than one game in each of the coach's first two seasons. Because of his efforts, Surace was named one of the 20 finalists for the prestigious Eddie Robinson Award, presented to the national coach of the year in FCS football.

"We absolutely made some dramatic improvements and I’m really proud of the guys,’’ said senior defensive captain Mike Catapano (as quoted by Paul Franklin of The Times on NJ.com). “We had some setbacks this year, some injuries, and this team never quit. This team really rallied together as a family and a brotherhood."

The 5-4 Dartmouth Big Green visit New Jersey on Saturday to close out their schedule against the 5-4 Princeton Tigers in the season-ending game for both clubs. The Tigers, who have shown marked progress this year under head coach Bob Surace, are currently in second place in the Ivy League with a conference record of 4-2. The Penn Quakers lead the Ivy League with a conference mark of 5-1.

Dartmouth has outscored its opponents 216 to 189 this season and has a red-zone scoring proficiency of 72 percent. Among their offensive weapons, the Big Green unleashes running back Dominick Pierre (805 yards, nine TDs), who has nearly four times as many yards as the next leading rusher on the team, QB Dalyn Williams.

In addition to his talent for running the football, Williams has been productive in the passing attack, having thrown four TDs this season without an interception. Starting QB Alex Park (112-of-179 for 1,370 yards and seven TDs) has an efficiency rating of 133.1 and averages an impressive 171.2 yards per game.

"Dartmouth is as good as any team in the league," said Princeton head coach Bob Surace (as quoted by Jay Greenberg on PrincetonTigersFootball.com). "They have only had the one league loss that wasn't in the final minutes.”

The Tigers may be without the services of starting quarterback Connor Michelsen on Saturday. Michelsen left the game last week with a shoulder injury, and his status for the game against Dartmouth remains questionable.

"If he can throw, he can play," concluded Surace about his quarterback (per Greenberg's column).

If their starter cannot go, the Tigers will turn to running QB Quinn Epperly, who has been most effective when utilized in the two-quarterback system with Michelsen this season. Dartmouth will no doubt key on the Princeton running attack in the game, forcing Epperly to throw the ball for a Tigers victory.

Game Time: Saturday, Nov. 17, 1:00pm, Princeton, N.J.

Yale's Grant Wallace pulled in a 14-yard touchdown pass from Henry Furman to take a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter, but that would be the last points the Bulldogs would see. The Princeton Tigers then took complete control of the game and pummeled the Bulldogs 29-7 at the Yale Bowl.

A crowd of 21,824 watched the Tigers (5-4) amass 376 total yards and four unanswered touchdowns as Princeton improved its record to 4-2 in the Ivy League.

Yale was undoubtedly handicapped by the absence of starting running back Tyler Varga, but Mordecai Cargill (24 carries, 101 yards) filled his shoes admirably. The Bulldogs collectively rushed for 164 yards in the game.

"We did not know that their running back wasn't going to play," said surprised Princeton head coach Bob Surace regarding Varga (as quoted in the Yale University Athletics game summary on YaleBulldogs.com). "We prepared all week for the Wildcat."

Princeton tied the game 7-7 midway through the second quarter when Roman Wilson scored on a one-yard run. The TD was the culmination of a 10-play, 77-yard drive that had started on the Tigers' own 23.

Yale threatened to take the lead as the first half neared completion, but Tigers DB Trocon Davis intercepted a Mordecai Cargill pass at the Princeton goal line and raced 100 yards to put the Tigers ahead to stay. The interception was one of three turnovers committed by the Bulldogs in the game.

"They came out, to their credit, and jumped us really good," said Surace (per Yale Athletics' website). We kept fighting and fighting and fighting."

Princeton continued to put up points in the game, as QB Quinn Epperly ran the ball in from one yard out in the third quarter and also threw a nine-yard TD pass to Matt Costello in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring.

Epperly (5-of-10, 66 yards) was effective as a passer, but he was more effective running the ball, leading all Princeton rushers with 91 yards and a TD.

Starting quarterback Connor Michelsen (12-of-18, 126 yards) again effectively split time with Epperly, and the two combined to spread the ball to seven different receivers as they carved up the Yale defense for 192 yards through the air. The passing attack helped Princeton go 9-of-17 on third-down conversions in the game.

Sophomore wide receivers Seth DeValve and Connor Kelley led Princeton pass catchers with four receptions apiece.

The Tigers conclude their season next week when they host Dartmouth. Yale moves on to play long-time rival Harvard, who was defeated 30-21 by Penn.

The Yale Bulldogs play host to a desperate Princeton squad this weekend, as the Tigers come off another tough loss in the see-saw season for head coach Bob Surace's team. Despite the fact that the Bulldogs are 2-6, an Ivy League opponent can never be taken lightly as the rivalries of the Ancient Eight are long and memorable.

Averaging about 16 points per game on offense, Yale will have a tough time against a stingy Princeton defense. The Bulldogs will no doubt look to run the ball against the Tigers, with RB Tyler Varga (839 yards), RB Mordecai Cargill (448 yards) and QB Eric Williams (179 yards) leading the way.

Besides figuring into the rushing offense, Eric Williams (112-of-184 for 1,056 yards) has had a good season throwing the ball, with a completion percentage of 60.9 with six TDs. Averaging nearly 151 yards a game passing, Williams' downfall this year has been the interception, having thrown 14 already in the 2012 campaign.

Williams' favorite receivers are Cameron Sandquist (40 receptions) and Grant Wallace (20 receptions), but Tyler Varga is an available option out of the backfield, as well. Varga is also a threat on special teams, where he averages nearly 24 yards per kickoff return.

On defense, the Tigers will need a game plan against Beau Palin (four sacks) and Chris Dooley (three sacks) in order to keep pressure off of QB Connor Michelsen. Last week, Michelsen's interceptions changed the tenor of the game with Penn, but not one of the defensive backfield for Yale has more than one interception this year.

Princeton may have given away a victory last week against the Quakers, but more importantly, may have given away their chance at the Ivy League crown. Princeton now trails Ivy League leader Harvard by two games with just two to play. The lack of a star running back this year has been a detriment to the club, but the team has shown the most progress under Bob Surace this season since his arrival. Combined, their four losses this year have been by a total of only 14 points.

Game Time: 12 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 10, Yale Bowl, New Haven, CT. Television: YES Network.

Princeton turned the football over four times in its game against Penn, which completely erased an otherwise dominant offensive performance in which the Tigers rolled up 29 first downs and 444 total yards. 

Penn quarterback Billy Ragone ran for one touchdown and also hit tight end Ryan O'Malley with a touchdown pass as the Quakers downed Princeton, 28-21.

Princeton again employed the two-quarterback system, with Quinn Epperly running the ball as many times as he completed passes, but Connor Michelsen's (28-of-46 for 272 yards) three interceptions gave the Quakers the opportunities they needed to score 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.

The Quakers relied heavily on their rushing attack, running the ball 47 times for 211 yards on the ground.

The game's three leading rushers were all Quakers, with running back Lyle Marsh (104 yards), quarterback Billy Ragone (61 yards) and running back Jeff Jack (50 yards) all outpacing any Princeton player.

Its running game ineffective, Princeton turned to the arm of Connor Michelsen as the Tigers utilized 10 different pass receivers. Wide receivers Matt Costello (seven receptions), Roman Wilson (five receptions) and Shane Wilkinson (five receptions) led the way.

With the loss, Princeton dropped to 4-4 on the season, but more importantly, it now has a 3-2 Ivy League record. The victory raised the Quakers to 4-4 overall, 4-1 in the Ivy League.

The Tigers must now look for help in order to take the Ivy Conference, but they will need to focus on their final two Ivy opponents. Princeton will travel to Yale on Nov. 10 and finish the season at home when it hosts Dartmouth on Nov. 17.