Indiana University Athletics
Spriggs Climbing National Draft Boards
2/8/2016 4:57:00 PM | Football
Jason Spriggs' NFL popularity is growing.
The 6-foot-7, 305-pound offensive tackle cracked the first round of ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay's latest mock draft just last week and continues to turn heads nationally.
But Spriggs isn't thinking about that. He can't.
Because he says the only opinions that matter belong to the NFL executives that he needs to convince to call his name in April's NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago.
"For the most part, I try to tune all that out because people who put out that draft stuff aren't the ones making the decisions," Spriggs said. "If anything, you look at it as almost like a challenge really to prove yourself to everybody making those mock drafts and draft boards even though they don't matter as much. You still want to prove yourself to everybody."
Spriggs made 47 starts in 48 possible games for the Hoosiers at left tackle after arriving in Bloomington as an undersized freshman thrusted into the Big Ten's spotlight. The Elkhart, Ind., native was named a first team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America after starting 13 times and allowing just two sacks in 475 called pass attempts to go along with 79 knockdowns in 1,074 snaps in 2015.
Spriggs is back in Indiana after spending a week in Mobile, Ala., training and playing in the Senior Bowl on Jan. 30. He started in the game after practicing in front of NFL scouts and other representatives looking to make a lasting impression on NFL front offices before turning his sights toward training for the NFL Scouting Combine.
"It was definitely one of the better experiences I've had," Spriggs said. "Being there and being able to make new relationships and meet new people was the biggest part of it, not just with the other players, but from some of the ballclubs in the NFL."
Building relationships was near the top of Spriggs' priority list alongside showing off his physical skillset.
When he wasn't on the field, he was networking with NFL scouts and trying to build his list of connections heading into a few weeks of training in private. Offensive linemen oftentimes have a difficult time standing out because they rely so heavily on the other linemen alongside them, but Spriggs thought he took advantage of the one-on-one opportunities he had.
"I'm not putting down anybody else, but my ability to get on the edge and kind of mirror some of those faster speed-rush guys and being able to absorb the power of some of the bigger defensive ends was really one of my strengths," Spriggs said. "I really wanted to show some physicality and that I'll play through the whistle."
Spriggs said the feedback he received from NFL personnel was mostly positive. He's still sharpening up some of the technical aspects of the game that he'll need to rely on if he wants to have success at the next level.
Spriggs is planning to remain in Bloomington for the next few weeks to train before the NFL Combine. He's turned his focus to training specifically for the combine-related activities like the 40-yard dash and vertical jump in order to get the most out of his tested time with NFL scouts.
"You still don't want to lose your football edge, so you're doing some drills to kind of keep your knives sharp and keep your blades sharpened, but I'm really making the transition into combine mode, getting a faster 40, a higher vertical—all those kinds of things."
At lunch the day before Spriggs made his college debut against Indiana State nearly four years ago, head coach Kevin Wilson noticed he was getting nervous before the game.
Wanting to calm him down, Wilson offered some prophetic advice that seems increasingly appropriate.
"I go, 'Four years from now when you're playing in the NFL you're going to go back and remember how bad you were crapping your pants before you played your first game,'"
Wilson remembered telling him.
Wilson's prediction hasn't come true quite yet.
But all signs say it's coming.
"Playing in the NFL has always been a dream," Spriggs said. "The fact that it's getting closer to coming true, it's hard to take in. But at the same time, you have to keep those feelings at a lull and continue to put your head down and grind through it. I'm still trying to get better, and I think that's what everybody's doing.
"We're trying to make our dreams a reality and we're still working toward that. It's not done yet."
The 6-foot-7, 305-pound offensive tackle cracked the first round of ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay's latest mock draft just last week and continues to turn heads nationally.
But Spriggs isn't thinking about that. He can't.
Because he says the only opinions that matter belong to the NFL executives that he needs to convince to call his name in April's NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago.
"For the most part, I try to tune all that out because people who put out that draft stuff aren't the ones making the decisions," Spriggs said. "If anything, you look at it as almost like a challenge really to prove yourself to everybody making those mock drafts and draft boards even though they don't matter as much. You still want to prove yourself to everybody."
Spriggs made 47 starts in 48 possible games for the Hoosiers at left tackle after arriving in Bloomington as an undersized freshman thrusted into the Big Ten's spotlight. The Elkhart, Ind., native was named a first team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America after starting 13 times and allowing just two sacks in 475 called pass attempts to go along with 79 knockdowns in 1,074 snaps in 2015.
Spriggs is back in Indiana after spending a week in Mobile, Ala., training and playing in the Senior Bowl on Jan. 30. He started in the game after practicing in front of NFL scouts and other representatives looking to make a lasting impression on NFL front offices before turning his sights toward training for the NFL Scouting Combine.
"It was definitely one of the better experiences I've had," Spriggs said. "Being there and being able to make new relationships and meet new people was the biggest part of it, not just with the other players, but from some of the ballclubs in the NFL."
Building relationships was near the top of Spriggs' priority list alongside showing off his physical skillset.
When he wasn't on the field, he was networking with NFL scouts and trying to build his list of connections heading into a few weeks of training in private. Offensive linemen oftentimes have a difficult time standing out because they rely so heavily on the other linemen alongside them, but Spriggs thought he took advantage of the one-on-one opportunities he had.
"I'm not putting down anybody else, but my ability to get on the edge and kind of mirror some of those faster speed-rush guys and being able to absorb the power of some of the bigger defensive ends was really one of my strengths," Spriggs said. "I really wanted to show some physicality and that I'll play through the whistle."
Spriggs said the feedback he received from NFL personnel was mostly positive. He's still sharpening up some of the technical aspects of the game that he'll need to rely on if he wants to have success at the next level.
Spriggs is planning to remain in Bloomington for the next few weeks to train before the NFL Combine. He's turned his focus to training specifically for the combine-related activities like the 40-yard dash and vertical jump in order to get the most out of his tested time with NFL scouts.
"You still don't want to lose your football edge, so you're doing some drills to kind of keep your knives sharp and keep your blades sharpened, but I'm really making the transition into combine mode, getting a faster 40, a higher vertical—all those kinds of things."
At lunch the day before Spriggs made his college debut against Indiana State nearly four years ago, head coach Kevin Wilson noticed he was getting nervous before the game.
Wanting to calm him down, Wilson offered some prophetic advice that seems increasingly appropriate.
"I go, 'Four years from now when you're playing in the NFL you're going to go back and remember how bad you were crapping your pants before you played your first game,'"
Wilson remembered telling him.
Wilson's prediction hasn't come true quite yet.
But all signs say it's coming.
"Playing in the NFL has always been a dream," Spriggs said. "The fact that it's getting closer to coming true, it's hard to take in. But at the same time, you have to keep those feelings at a lull and continue to put your head down and grind through it. I'm still trying to get better, and I think that's what everybody's doing.
"We're trying to make our dreams a reality and we're still working toward that. It's not done yet."
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