The NFL draft starts at 10 a.m. Saturday for likely top pick Reggie Bush. Except for Colorado tight end Joe Klopfenstein, Front Range college hopefuls can sleep through until Sunday.
Various mock drafts and ratings project several CU, Colorado State and Wyoming players as second-day picks or undrafted free agents.
“Except for Klopfenstein, they are all second day,” veteran Boulder-based agent Jack Mills said.
Still, NFL teams are calling, if just to test their phone lines.
“No one has brought me in (for interviews or workouts), but I get four or five calls a day,” said David Anderson, the most productive wide receiver in CSU history. “They ask if I have any questions, but the only question I really (have) is the one they won’t answer.”
Anderson’s agent, Peter Schaffer, says he expects the receiver to be selected in the fourth or fifth round and stick around the NFL for 10 years. Anderson knows from watching former teammates that predraft projections aren’t always accurate.
Last year CSU tight end Joel Dreessen slipped to the sixth round. The year before, quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt was chosen by the Broncos in the seventh round. Running back Cecil Sapp was not drafted in 2003 but was signed by the Broncos and remains on their roster.
“Anyone who can tell where and when you’re going is lying,” Anderson said. “You can’t tell who the second pick is, how can you know the 180th? That’s the way it is.
“Guys I know I’m better than will be picked ahead of me because of their size and speed. I just want to get into a camp. I’m prepared for the worst, but I believe I will get drafted.”
Anderson is listed as the draft’s 23rd-best wide receiver by The Sporting News, 33rd by ESPN. The Mountain West Conference was deep in senior receivers with five in the top 28 on The Sporting News list. The two most productive were Anderson and Wyoming’s Jovon Bouknight, a former Manual High School star, listed 28th.
Anderson draws raves for his precise routes, sure hands and ability to make defenders miss. But his height (5-feet-10 1/2) and 40-yard dash time (4.58 seconds) drop him to the second day.
CSU quarterback Justin Holland, projected to go in the late rounds or become an undrafted free agent, also is getting plenty of calls from NFL teams.
“They ask if I can be at a mini-camp on a certain date,” Holland said.
Holland has added the 15 pounds his CSU coaches had wanted on him for five years. His agent, San Diego-based David Caravantes, arranged a workout for his players at a golf resort. Holland said he heard he had the third-best Wonderlic intelligence score among quarterbacks, but he’s also smart enough to know “I don’t think the test proves anything.”
CSU’s other draft hopeful is offensive tackle Mike Brisiel.
Former CU players who are second-day hopefuls include fullback Lawrence Vickers, linebacker Brian Iwuh (projected as a safety), tight end Quinn Sypniewski and receiver/return specialist Jeremy Bloom.
CU quarterback Joel Klatt previously was drafted to play baseball, and is projected as a free agent in his bid to play in a second pro league. John Torp expects to join a lengthy list of CU punters in the NFL.
The first Wyoming player to be chosen this weekend could be cornerback Derrick Martin, a former Thomas Jefferson High School standout who left Laramie after his junior season.
Two former Air Force players, wide receiver Jason Brown and offensive tackle Ross Weaver, could attract interest from NFL teams pending a change in active duty requirements. The Department of the Air Force is working on a directive that would allow former AFA players to apply for reserve status after two years of active duty.
Brown caught 49 passes for 874 yards and five touchdowns last season. Weaver, a 6-7, 300- pound lineman, started two years for the Falcons.
Hard-hitting safety Reed Doughty, one of 10 finalists for the Draddy Trophy, awarded to the top student-athlete in college football, is a late-round hopeful from Northern Colorado.
Three prospects who began their college careers in the area are expected to be drafted. Former CU running back Brian Calhoun starred at Wisconsin and is ranked as high as No. 6 at his position. Ohio State linebacker Anthony Schlegel played his first two years at Air Force, and Southern California defensive end Frostee Rucker left CSU after his freshman redshirt year without playing for the Rams. Both are likely to be drafted.
Staff writer Irv Moss contributed to this report.
Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-820-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
