When the Carolina Panthers’ turn came for the first of their two
fourth-round draft picks in the NFL draft last April, selection No. 103 was a
no-brainer for the team’s brass.
They took Oklahoma defensive end Frank Alexander, even though some teams
were put off by Alexander’s potential health issues and long-term
viability. It was only weeks earlier that the 6-foot-4, 271-pound
athlete was diagnosed with a hole in his heart at the NFL Scouting
Combine.
Alexander was later given a clean bill of health, however, and the Panthers
bought in. After all, Alexander was the Big 12 co-Defensive Player of
the Year last fall, a second-team All-American and likely would have
gone higher if not for the heart scare.
The Panthers saw him as a football player, not a risk.
“I like his ability to come in and be a part of the rotation,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. “He will play both sides of the
defense for you. He can play in critical pass rush situation, and he can
play on third downs. He has the kind of ability that lends to making
plays.”
Alexander registered 143 tackles in his college career — 44 of
which were behind the line of scrimmage. He had 20.5 sacks, forced six
fumbles, recovered four and had an interception.
He is an athlete who not only provides the Panthers depth, but could
develop into a high-level NFL player. He has all of the tools and already has impressed the boss.
“I’m very, very pleased with what Frank gave us,” Rivera said after
minicamp. “You saw the quickness, the explosiveness that led him to be
the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. He did some really nice
things.”
Getting to that point wasn’t so easy for Alexander. Imagine how his
world changed the day he was told about the hole in his heart.
“It was a hurting experience,” Alexander said. “Just to make it to the
combine and you’re just training for that six, seven weeks and have been
leading up to that point since I was younger coming up, and just to get
there and to be told that you can’t compete is kind of a hard deal. I
just stayed and prayed and I gave it to God, and I knew He was going to
work it out for me.”
The doctor who diagnosed Alexander admitted he wasn’t 100 percent
certain and suggested he get other opinions. Alexander saw four other
doctors, each of whom saw no hole and said Alexander’s heart was
healthy. He could play football again.
“It was just a misread test at the combine,” Alexander said. “But the
doctor told me at the combine they didn’t want to take any chances with
me because it was a liability if I got out there and hurt my heart or
passed out or anything.”
In addition to teams’ fears, not performing at the combine also may have
affected Alexander’s draft status. That didn’t derail his focus or
outlook.
“All I can do is move forward and be happy for what’s happening right now,” he said.
Given the injuries that afflicted an already young defensive line a year
ago, Alexander should see plenty of action as a rookie. He has loads of
experience after having played in 48 college contests and started 31,
including a national championship game. Playing for the national
powerhouse Sooners also carries some added weight.
Alexander says he’s as ready as possible for this next step, and with
this latest scare behind him, he’s ready to unleash himself. Only six teams had fewer sacks than Carolina’s 31 in the NFL last season. Alexander
is expected to help increase that figure, and, in time, could be one of
the anchors of a unit that also includes rookie linebacker Luke Kuechly,
the Panthers’ top pick in April.
Now that Alexander has overcome his potential health crisis, it is now
time to see if he can make those teams who passed over him regret that
decision.
