Former Rock O-lineman has sights, dreams, set on '08 NFL Draft
By Terry Rodgers
Rocket Contributor
Issue date: 3/28/08 Section: Sports
"They (also) like his athleticism and the way he moves."
Throughout the 2007 SRU season, 30 of the 32 NFL teams have visited the Rock, poring over game film of Butterworth and talking to coaches.
"He'll definitely be in somebody's camp," Mihalik said. "There is no doubt in my mind he will be with an NFL team come mid-May."
It was sometime during Butterworth's junior campaign that Mihalik realized he had a chance to play professionally.
"Size-wise, you knew from the day he came on campus, but it was a matter of would he ever develop the mental and physical toughness to play at the highest level," Mihalik said.
During Butterworth's junior season, all of these things started coming together, as he started began to elevate his game even further.
At the conclusion of the season, the accolades started pouring in, as Butterworth collected various awards for his work on the field and in the classroom.
Before the 2007 season he was named to the D2Football.com preseason All-America team, and at the conclusion of his senior year, Butterworth had established himself as a legitimate pro prospect.
It was somewhere in between that Butterworth himself realized he had a chance to play at the next level.
"During the year a lot of scouts came in and watched film, so after the season agents started calling," Butterworth said.
Butterworth has been training since December at Velocity Sports Performance in Jackson, Miss., to prepare himself for the rigors involved with the pre-draft workouts.
Prospects are put through both mental and physical tests so scouts can evaluate every aspect of their product.
With a $225,000 minimum salary for rookies in the NFL, there is plenty of motivation for both sides to get it right.
All of the work has paid off as Butterworth-who's listed on the SRU athletics Web site at 6-foot-7, 330 pounds-has transformed himself, scaling down to 305 pounds while adding even more muscle.
Mihalik said that the two-time Academic All American has taken care of business in the classroom, which has allowed him the chance to focus on his training and preparation for the upcoming draft.
Mihalik has offered Butterworth sound advice throughout the process as well.
"I told Mike, 'All you need is one team to like you,'" Mihalik said. "'Not two or three, just one.'"
Mihalik also said he told him, "'When you do get to camp, don't take a backseat to anybody.'"
As for Butterworth, he is still a little awestruck by his situation.
"I still find it hard to believe that it's happening," he said. "It is very exciting and hopefully it works out for the best."
Throughout the 2007 SRU season, 30 of the 32 NFL teams have visited the Rock, poring over game film of Butterworth and talking to coaches.
"He'll definitely be in somebody's camp," Mihalik said. "There is no doubt in my mind he will be with an NFL team come mid-May."
It was sometime during Butterworth's junior campaign that Mihalik realized he had a chance to play professionally.
"Size-wise, you knew from the day he came on campus, but it was a matter of would he ever develop the mental and physical toughness to play at the highest level," Mihalik said.
During Butterworth's junior season, all of these things started coming together, as he started began to elevate his game even further.
At the conclusion of the season, the accolades started pouring in, as Butterworth collected various awards for his work on the field and in the classroom.
Before the 2007 season he was named to the D2Football.com preseason All-America team, and at the conclusion of his senior year, Butterworth had established himself as a legitimate pro prospect.
It was somewhere in between that Butterworth himself realized he had a chance to play at the next level.
"During the year a lot of scouts came in and watched film, so after the season agents started calling," Butterworth said.
Butterworth has been training since December at Velocity Sports Performance in Jackson, Miss., to prepare himself for the rigors involved with the pre-draft workouts.
Prospects are put through both mental and physical tests so scouts can evaluate every aspect of their product.
With a $225,000 minimum salary for rookies in the NFL, there is plenty of motivation for both sides to get it right.
All of the work has paid off as Butterworth-who's listed on the SRU athletics Web site at 6-foot-7, 330 pounds-has transformed himself, scaling down to 305 pounds while adding even more muscle.
Mihalik said that the two-time Academic All American has taken care of business in the classroom, which has allowed him the chance to focus on his training and preparation for the upcoming draft.
Mihalik has offered Butterworth sound advice throughout the process as well.
"I told Mike, 'All you need is one team to like you,'" Mihalik said. "'Not two or three, just one.'"
Mihalik also said he told him, "'When you do get to camp, don't take a backseat to anybody.'"
As for Butterworth, he is still a little awestruck by his situation.
"I still find it hard to believe that it's happening," he said. "It is very exciting and hopefully it works out for the best."
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