Boise state offensive tackle Ryan Clady knows a thing or two about being the underdog.
Maybe that's why it's strange to be considered a favorite.
Clady is one of two highly-ranked tackles to enter the NFL Draft after his junior season. He does so with plenty of experience, however, playing defensive tackle in high school and the freshman scout team and suiting up at both right and left tackle in college.
The 6-foot-6, 309-pounder is projected as the second-best offensive tackle by NFLDraftScout.com and could be one of four at his position taken in the first round.
And it all came with raw -- and largely unrecognized -- talent.
He was a freshman All-American and moved to left offensive tackle in 2006. He earned second-team All-American honors that season after 102 knockdowns and 11 touchdown-resulting blocks. That year the Broncos ranked sixth in the nation with more than 214 rushing yards per game (second in rushing touchdowns).
He struggled at the start of 2007 with penalties but he still finished the season with 122 knockdowns and a college-football-leading 21 touchdown-resulting blocks.
Clady announced his intentions to turn pro at Boise State's bowl-game festivities.
"I had a great career there and I sat down with family and coaches and made the decision to take my chances at the next level," he said at last month's Scouting Combine.
Clady gave up 3.5 sacks last season, but is hoping the 224 career knockdowns and 32-touchdowns to his credit stay fresh on NFL scouts' minds. There's also the matter of Boise State's rise to prominence thanks, in part, to the school's stunning upset of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl two seasons ago.
"After the Fiesta Bowl last year we had about six guys come to the Combine," he said. "I think that really was due in part from the Fiesta Bowl. It’s definitely a growing program."
Clady, who is a native of California, said he fought some "culture shock" when he arrived in Boise. That included his first extended experience with snow.
"That was pretty exciting," he said. "That might have been one of the reasons I went to Boise State, we had a huge snowball fight on my recruiting trip. That was fun."
Clady wasn't highly-recruited coming out of high school but he's in-line for to become a first-round pick in the NFL. It's something he's still getting used to.
"There’s definitely a lot of excitement," Clady said last month. "The first first-round pick, that’s something that doesn’t come around too often at Boise... Everyone in the NFL is bigger, stronger, faster. You’ve got to prepare mentally and physically and train harder."
Clady talked about several NFL teams when asked about interviews at the Combine and compared himself to a "Denver Broncos lineman" due to Boise State's liberal use of zone blocking. He's also made a name for himself on special teams for blocking kicks.
His experience on defense also made him concentrate more on technique. But that really only adds extra ink to the résumé when it comes to impressing NFL scouts. Clady knows he has to continue to work hard -- just like his Boise State teammates.
"I love playing the role of the underdog, coming to Boise State, being really young and working my butt off to try to get to where I am now," he said.
RELATED LINKS:
- O-LINE: Previewing the offensive line
- PHOTOS: Photos of some of the 2008 NFL Draft prospects
- NFL DRAFT: Draft coverage from AtlantaFalcons.com
- SCOUTING COMBINE: AF.com at the Scouting Combine
- SENIOR BOWL: AF.com at the Senior Bowl
