LARAMIE, Wyo.—Back home.
That’s where former Wyoming defensive standouts and Coloradans John Fletcher, of Erie, Mitch Unrein, of Eaton, and Weston Johnson, of Wray, will be this weekend during the 75th annual NFL Draft.
The draft takes place in New York Thursday evening through Saturday and will be televised by ESPN and the NFL Network.
All three former Cowboys graduated in December after helping their team to a 7-6 record and a win over Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl.
This past season, Fletcher, a defensive tackle, had 52 tackles, including seven sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss. He was first team All-Mountain West Conference.
Unrein, a defensive end, finished with 41 tackles, including four sacks and six tackles for loss in earning All-MWC honorable mention honors.
Johnson, an outside linebacker, had 106 tackles, including 2.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss.
The three took part in UW’s two pro days, and all three have agents in hopes of landing at least a free agent contract.
Although no NFL team has brought Fletcher in for a visit, he said he has talked with 12 to 14 teams while his agents have fielded calls from 15 to 18 teams.
“They are saying I could be anything from a late-round draft pick to a priority undrafted free agent,” he said. “They’re pretty confident that whether I’m drafted or signed as a free agent, I’ll get a shot to go somewhere and prove myself.”
Unrein has had calls from 15 teams, and he visited the New York Giants and Chicago Bears.
“They really don’t tell you that much,” Unrein said of the teams that contacted him. “They tell you that they are interested but that they never know how things will work out in the draft. They don’t give you any specifics.”
Johnson said he hasn’t dealt with any NFL teams directly; he has left that up to his agent.
“I know that I’m not a real high guy, and my agent tells me how it is,” he said. “He doesn’t try to blow a bunch of smoke up your tail. I just hope I get a chance. Hopefully, somebody out there likes me, and then I make it hard for them to cut me.”
Even though the three former Pokes will be at home, they won’t be glued to the TV set.
“I’m definitely not going to watch it,” Fletcher said. “That would be way too nerve-racking. The plan now is to go out and play golf with family members all three days.”
Unrein added: “My agent told me not to just sit there and watch it because it would drive me crazy if I did. So I’ll probably turn the TV on every once in a while, watch it a little bit and then turn it off and go do something. I’ll have my cell phone with me all the time, though.”
Although they have had their degrees since the end of the fall semester, Fletcher, Unrein and Johnson have been biding their time while working out in anticipation of the draft.
But if the NFL dream doesn’t present itself, they’re ready to move on.
“I’m going to stay in the Denver area and look for a job in sports,” Fletcher, who earned his degree in communications with a minor in criminal justice, said. “I’ve been around sports all of my life, and it is something I want to stay in one way or another.”
Unrein, whose degree is in criminal justice, said that if it doesn’t work out, he’ll work for a drilling company.
His father and his three brothers all work for the same firm.
“You can make good money to start, and in this economy, that seems like the wisest thing to do,” Unrein said.
Johnson, who has his degree in business marketing, plans to stay in school and pursue a master’s degree.
“Just where I will go to school is what I have yet to figure out,” he said. “I may need a little warmer climate for a while.”
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Information from: Laramie Daily Boomerang – Laramie,
