Auburn draft prospect offers glimpse into high-pressure world

By Robert Rousseau  |   Wednesday, March 18, 2009  |  Comments( 1 )

Auburn Tigers
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It's commonplace for the average worker to get stressed when his or her boss does a yearly evaluation of that person. There are also those who get amazingly angry and/or anxious when they hear that somebody talked about them when they weren’t around. And we’re not talking about youngsters here, either; rather, we're referring to mature adults.

This is perhaps something that we all forget about (writers included) when we discuss NFL draft prospects. After all, imagine the pressure that players feel when they strap on the helmet and pads on Saturdays to go out and represent the SEC team they play for, for example. Now realize, as early draft entrant Sen’Derrick Marks likely is right now, that the pressure they may have felt when playing is nothing compared to the scrutiny that the NFL puts players through when it comes to the draft.

Of course, you’d think that a player who made the coaches’ freshman All-America team in his first season and amassed 43 tackles, including nine for a loss, as a sophomore would have something going for him (as Marks did). Perhaps the fact that he made second-team All-SEC this past season while fighting injuries might weigh in his favor as well. But how someone has played is never enough when it comes to the draft. And recently at Auburn’s Pro Day, Marks left disappointed.

“I was expecting that my hamstring would hold up and maybe I could go out and put up some numbers that I know I could put up," he said.

Unfortunately, his hamstring, something that he tweaked during a 40-yard dash attempt in Indianapolis, did not allow him to run the 40 do the three-cone drill. Despite the rigorous training he’d been involved in between the two events, Marks failed to do what he set out to.

“I slipped during both cone drills and struggled to accelerate,” he said. “I knew my hamstring still wasn't back to normal and, really, I may have tried to come back to soon. I hope I haven't made the injury worse.”

Marks has the possibility of a great future, including from a financial sense. That said, most people take some time off when they’re sick or hurt. Right now, Marks doesn’t feel he can. Most people, many of whom are much older and more experienced in life, worry about one or two supervisors keeping an eye on them. How about every scout, personnel director and coach in the NFL, not to mention whatever pressures he puts on himself.

Guys like Marks have the potential for a great life. But with that comes a lot of stress.
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About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or...
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