Former Gophers Tyrone Carter and Thomas Hamner have no idea which NFL team will draft them or, for that matter, which round they will be selected. But one thing they are certain of is whichever team takes them is getting one heck of a deal.
'Whoever drafts me will be a lucky team,' Hamner said. 'In three or four years, the league is going to be mine. When they say running back, they'll say Thomas Hamner.'
Carter isn't as boastful, but is confident he can play at the next level despite his lack of size.
'Just get me there,' he said. 'Once I'm there, with my mindset and eagerness to be the best I can be, I'll be OK.'
Carter and Hamner are two of four former Gophers who could be picked during the NFL draft Saturday and Sunday in New York. Offensive tackle Josh Rawlings and long snapper/tight end Derek Rackley are considered late-round possibilities.
'Nobody really knows what will happen until they hear their name called,' Carter said. 'If a team told you they were definitely going to draft you, they'd be lying.'
Moreso than any of his former teammates, Carter has been poked and prodded by an army of NFL people, all of whom love Carter's resume, but are frightened by his stature.
In a league that wants its safeties to be 6-2 and more than 200 pounds, Carter was measured at 5-7 1/2, 189 pounds.
'It's been like a meat market,' Carter said. 'You know how you raise up some cattle and then you have to put them up for sale at market? Sometimes, I think I'm like one of those calves.'
Carter, however, isn't complaining.
'I don't look at the workouts as a hard task because I've been doing this stuff all of my life,' he said. 'I know there has to be a lot of work put in in order to get through the door. That's what it's all about, proving yourself. And I can prove myself to whoever I need to.'
Carter and Hamner were the only Gophers invited to Indianapolis for the NFL scouting combine in February. Both were impressive, raising their stock considerably.
Carter has since staged private workouts for Cincinnati, San Diego, Chicago, the Giants and Miami.
Pro Football Weekly's Joel Buchsbaum predicts Carter will be a third-round selection, and Hamner a sixth- or seventh-rounder.
Hamner hasn't had any private workouts, but feels his performance at the combine spoke for itself. He ran a 4.53 40-yard dash and did 17 repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench press.
Like Carter, Hamner doesn't believe his lack of size (6-foot, 197) should scare teams away.
'I hear some people say I can't take the pounding,' Hamner said. 'That's ridiculous. I averaged 25 carries a game in the Big Ten [last season] and I never got hurt in four years as a starter. All I know is I'll be a guy who makes plays and helps somebody get to the Super Bowl.'
Hamner was an All-Big Ten first-team pick last fall. He rushed for a career-high 1,426 yards and 10 touchdowns on 308 carries. Another strength of Hamner's is his pass-catching ability. He was third on the Gophers last season with 21 receptions for 305 yards and three touchdowns.
Carter had an even flashier season. He was All-Big Ten, All-America first-team and the Jim Thorpe Award winner as the nation's top collegiate defensive back. He also set unofficial NCAA Division I records for solo tackles (405) and total tackles by a defensive back (528).
Yet, there still are questions in the minds of all those NFL pokers and prodders.
Some of those questions were answered when Carter impressed scouts at the combine with a 4.48 40-yard dash and a 41-inch vertical leap, a jump that would put him in the top 5 percent in the NFL.
But not all of the questions were answered, and Carter understands.
'Hey, I know that making the transition from college to the pros will be a little different,' Carter said. 'I just need a little time, focus and reps.'
Neither Carter nor Hamner has a draft party planned for this weekend.
Hamner is with his family in Cincinnati. He is scheduled to graduate with a degree in sports studies. He's also experiencing the business side of the NFL draft as he works to finish an internship with his agent, Jim Gould of Management One in Cincinnati.
Carter, meanwhile, is with his family in Pompano Beach, Fla. He has spent most of the past two weeks working out in the morning and fishing in the afternoon with his brother, Tony Jr.; father, Tony Sr.; and son, Tyrone Jr. Carter's senior project is complete and he will graduate May 15 with a degree in sociology.
'I won't be tied to a TV on draft day,' Carter said. 'I'll be on a small lake fishing with my brother and my dad. I'll have my cell phone. I'll just wait for it to ring.'
DRAFT 2000
What: 65th annual NFL draft
Where: Madison Square Garden in New York
When: Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.#; Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.#
(# - ending time is approximate)
TV coverage:
Saturday - 11 a.m.-6 p.m. EPSN; 6 p.m.-conclusion, ESPN2.
Sunday - 10 a.m.-noon, ESPN; noon-conclusion, ESPN2.
