Rutgers’ Jones among those trained at Lavino Field House
By: Jim Green
Potential NFL Draft prospects have many hurdles to pass on the way to becoming successful pro players, not the least of which being those they must clear literally at the league’s scouting combine next week.
Hundreds of draft-eligible football players will gather in Indianapolis on Wednesday, when the NFL Scouting Combine commences. Once there, potential draftees will be faced with a complete range of physical and mental tests that are used to help teams determine each individual’s draft value.
Since moving up or down a handful of spots could mean the difference of thousands of dollars in signing bonus, a player’s performance at the combine is critical to his financial security. Therefore, the process of preparing for the combine has become nearly as important as the combine itself.
That’s where trainers such as The Lawrenceville School’s director of strength and conditioning, Duane Carlisle, come in. Carlisle, who moonlights as a speed development consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles and the president of Lightning Fast Training System, has been preparing NFL prospects for the league’s combines the last 13 years.
On Sunday, Carlisle opened his training session to the public for the first time, inviting anyone interested to watch him tutor 10 potential draftees at Lawrenceville’s Lavino Field House. Dozens of local athletes and parents accepted the invitation, spending part of their Sunday afternoon getting an idea of what it takes to compete for a spot in the ultra-competitive world of the NFL.
"This is our first year we’re opening it up to the public," Carlisle said. "We want to expose kids to what it takes to get to the next level."
Notre Dame strength and conditioning coach John McKenna assists Carlisle in training the prospects.
"If you have the athlete that doesn’t want to work hard, they can talk to these guys (the draft prospects), and they can tell them that this is what its takes to get to that next level," McKenna said. "It’s a major commitment. It’s important for kids to see this."
The younger athletes in attendance Sunday saw Carlisle teach the 10 NFL Draft hopefuls techniques aimed to help them maximize their potential in the 40-yard dash, agility tests such as the aforementioned hurdles and the vertical leap.
"These workouts are critical," Carlisle said. "Every hundredth of a second (in the 40-yard dash) could mean a higher draft position, which could turn into a higher signing bonus."
The 10 players hoping to improve their draft positions with Carlisle’s help Sunday included: Ernest Wilford (Virginia Tech University), Antwan Odom (Alabama), Chris Snee (Boston College), Jason Babin (Western Michigan), Alex Wade (Duke), Nate Jones (Rutgers), Michael Gaines (Central Florida), Sean McHugh (Penn State), Brandon Haw (Rutgers) and Chris McKelvy (Penn State).
Odom, Wilford and Snee are projected as possible first- or second-round picks. In past years, Carlisle has trained such NFL stars as the Chiefs’ Priest Holmes and the Eagles’ Brian Westbrook.
Jones, a former standout cornerback at Rutgers, believes he can receive more personal training from Carlisle and McKenna than he currently could from the Scarlet Knights staff.
"It’s hard to go back and work out at your school, because they have the whole team to train," Jones said. "You come here (to Carlisle’s training sessions) to get some more personal attention. All eyes are on you. It’s intense training, strictly for the combine workouts. It’s really good to get someone who knows what’s going on to guide you."
Jones, though, is quick to point out that he has complete confidence in the Rutgers football training staff.
"I completely trust the people who trained me at Rutgers," Jones said. " I can just get a more personal workout down here (with Carlisle)."
Lawrence High School junior linemen Anthony Herold and Mark Lenarski, who have been working out with McKenna since December, attended the training session in hopes that they, too, could learn something from Carlisle’s methods.
"I just want to see what I have to do to improve and to give myself the opportunity to do this (try out for the NFL) someday," Lenarski said.
Lenarski, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 330 pounds, has recently begun looking at colleges where he could continue his playing career following his senior season at LHS. On Sunday, he got a first-hand look at the types of athletes he would have to compete with in the college ranks.
"It’s kind of intimidating seeing these guys (the NFL prospects) and what they can do," he said. "It’s kind of hard to compare yourself to it."
Herold’s father, John Herold, is an assistant coach with the Lawrence Lightning. Through that position, he has come to know McKenna, who offered to train Anthony Herold following the 2003 football season. The younger Herold accepted McKenna’s offer and brought Lenarski along.
"You’re so tired mentally and physically after working out there (with McKenna)," Herold said. "At Lawrence High, we don’t have all the resources Notre Dame has. But we’re stepping up our program, and Mr. McKenna is helping us."
While training with McKenna in the Notre Dame weight room, Herold and Lenarski have often found themselves lifting with athletes such as Jones and Wade.
McKenna, who believes Herold and Lenarski can benefit from watching top-flight college athletes work out, invited the two Lawrence juniors to attend Carlisle’s training session Sunday. Herold, like Lenarski, was wowed by the experience.
"I came here to see what I can do to get better and what I’ll be dealing with if I’m in a position to do this in a couple of years," Herold said. "It’s a big learning experience. It’s great to see athletes at this level. These are the greatest physical specimens. The way they run is unbelievable. I’m amazed at how fast they are."
Therefore, McKenna believes the high school athletes could benefit from Carlisle’s session nearly as much as the NFL prospects.
"We thought it would be great to show these kids what it takes to get to the next level," McKenna said. "This (the Sunday workout) is the kind of training we get around here. These are the kinds of things you have to do to get to that next level. We want to expose the kids to those things."