ALLIANCE, Ohio — What Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Pierre Garcon has done in the past two NFL seasons brought the scouts back to Mount Union.
Cecil Shorts believes he made the scouts' return engagements last fall and this spring worth the trip. And as the 2011 NFL draft continues into Friday and the weekend, Shorts hopes they'll remember their impressions.
"I'll be in a church somewhere, praying," Shorts joked last week.
Shorts would prefer to rely on unique athleticism rather than divine intervention in attempting to make the leap from Division III college football to the NFL, but he'll settle for whatever works. The Cleveland native enters this most exciting yet nerve-wracking weekend of his life feeling that he can play in the NFL and being anxious to see where he'll get his shot.
Mount Union, which is about 15 miles east of Canton, has long been a national football power at the Division III level. But it's essentially 1,000 miles from there to the NFL, and Shorts knows just about everything he did in his time there qualifies as a projection to the game's highest level.
What, exactly, is that projection?
Shorts seems fast and elusive enough, and he showed at the East-West Shrine Game in January that he won't be overwhelmed by tougher competition. One NFC scout said Shorts has been impressive in almost every aspect of the draft process and that teams see him as a player who can help as a backup receiver and kick returner.
"It would be a little bit of a reach to me, but I could see him going at the end of the third round," the NFC scout said. "He needs to get stronger, but I think when he does, he will make plays. He'll get yards after the catch in the NFL if he puts in the work in the weight room."
Said an AFC scout: "I think the bigger receivers will go before (Shorts), but a couple teams will like him as a slot guy at first. He's different than Garcon was, but he's fast and I think he'll get open. I don't think he'll be drafted until the fifth round, but he has a chance."
Garcon, who has 114 receptions and 10 touchdowns the past two seasons with the Colts, became the first Mount Union player ever drafted when he went in the sixth round in 2008.
"I certainly think it has helped me that teams have seen a Division III player succeed in the NFL," Shorts said. "But I didn't get here because of Pierre. I talk to him often and I definitely thank him, but it's about what I do from here on out."
Shorts measured a shade under 6-foot and 205 pounds at the NFL Combine in February, where he met with numerous teams and posted a 4.5-second 40-yard dash time. One of those formal interviews brought a Twitter endorsement from Ravens director of college scouting Eric DeCosta, who's regarded as one of the best draft evaluators in the business.
Shorts said he got similar "good vibes" from subsequent meetings with teams that resulted in about 10 workouts or visits, including a two-day visit to Dallas and a workout on Mount Union's campus in Alliance with the Saints last Friday. He estimated he has had multiple discussions with around two dozen teams.
"I've been busy," Shorts said, "but it's been a good kind of busy."
Shorts grew up playing in the same Cleveland MUNY League that has produced the likes of Troy Smith and Ted Ginn Jr. He was a quarterback at Collinwood High School who was receiving interest from Division I schools, but none offered. So he chose Mount Union, ultimately switched to wide receiver and by the end of his career last December was also returning kicks, getting snaps as a Wildcat quarterback and making a cameo at defensive back in dime packages.
He said the NFL folks he's spoken with have taken note of the various ways he produced at Mount Union as part of projecting his ultimate landing spot.
"The biggest difference is of course going to be the speed of the game," Shorts said. "But it's also with the interior linemen — the size, the athletes. Those linemen are so big and gifted. NFL teams feel like they can find good skill guys everywhere, so someone in my spot has to be really good.
"(Scouts) want to know why and how I ended up at Mount. They ask about my versatility, and I tell them I can play outside and in. I'll return punts and kicks. I always want to get better at everything, try to improve."
The unpredictability of the draft has made for some anxious moments in recent weeks, but Shorts said he has been able to stay focused on his workout regimen. He'll spend Friday at home in Cleveland watching the second and third rounds and, if necessary, watch the later rounds on Saturday.
"I think I proved that this stage isn't too big for me," Shorts said. "And now comes the exciting part. I'm pretty sure I'll get drafted, but anything can happen. I'm just excited to get to work."
