Former Wyoming Kareem Jackson Authentic Jersey players Kareem Jackson Elite Jersey strive to continue football careers
FATEFUL CALL: Without much hope of getting drafted this weekend, former Wyoming football players Tedder Easton, Justin Bernthaler and Luke Anderson are still working to catch on with a professional team.KEEPING HOPE: Anderson, who played safety at Wyoming in 2011 and 2012, was recently contacted by the Dallas Cowboys and also worked out for the New York Giants.HE SAID IT: "If I signed somewhere, it would be a spark of hope for a lot of undrafted guys guys that got lost in the shuffle. I think it wouldn't just be an inspirational moment for me, but it would be a big deal for anybody else that fell through the cracks.These are the other guys.They are the ones you don't read about in press clippings. Their faces are anonymous, their work unheralded and largely unnoticed. You won't find them on ESPN, sporting wide grins and Armani suits as they strut across the Radio City Music Hall stage.This weekend, 256 names will be picked in the 2014 NFL Draft. Theirs likely won't be.Their moment won't involve draft parties and live streaming interviews from crowded family rooms or local restaurants. There is no spot in the "green room" for these folks.Instead, they'll wait for a phone call maybe on Saturday night, or next week, or even a month from now. They'll hope and pray for an opportunity that some say will never come.As the draft approached, the eyes of Wyoming focused on Brett Smith, Robert Herron and Marqueston Huff. Forty yard dash times were scrutinized, and game tape was examined and spread through NFL offices. But away from the spotlight, they weren't the only ones working.For Wyoming's lesser known Cowboys, the NFL Draft is little more than a pipe dream a virtual impossibility. They cling to hopes of a tryout, then maybe a practice squad, and somewhere down the line, one more game under the lights.For years, he was an afterthought. The 5 foot 11, 240 pound sledgehammer came to Laramie as a defensive tackle, then redshirted, then switched to running back and watched two seasons fly by from the cold end of a bench.He kept working for his teammates, and found success as a result."Deep down in my heart, for the first three years it was all about trying to get a scholarship and show that I belong," Easton said. "It looked like playing time wasn't an option. I almost thought about quitting, but I decided to be here with my teammates and be a leader for them, and be a positive role model for the guys who are playing."All that work led to me playing this year."After rushing for 44 yards in 2012, Easton broke away literally in his senior season. First, there was the 13 yard touchdown run at home against Idaho. He followed that up with a 67 yard scamper to the end zone in the Border War game, then a 79 yard rumble against Fresno State that ended inches shy of the goal line.In all, a running back who had received only 13 carries in the previous three seasons ran for Brooks Reed Texans Jersey 311 yards and 6.9 yards per carry, and scored five times.And then, just when Easton hit the dance floor, the music stopped.This begs the question: What's crueler, never tasting the limelight, or swallowing a few teasing drops only to have it ripped away?After five years but few opportunities, Easton doesn't plan to find out."I figured that I had a good year last year," he said. "I did everything I could with the year that I had."So, if there's an NFL team out there that needs a bigger running back/fullback type, with the kind of film that I have that shows that I can block a little bit and run the ball, if I put everything into it maybe I'll get a shot at this."And so, Easton went to work. He trained with some of www.texansonlineprostore.com/WOMENS-DEANDRE-HOPKINS-JERSEY.html Wyoming's staff this winter and spring, keeping himself in game shape. He competed in the team's pro day, even without his signature bleach blond mohawk, catching passes and running routes.He wondered if he was wasting his time. Then, he went back to work."There was definitely times where I was like, 'Well, is this right for me?'" Easton said. "'Should I be looking for a full time job, or finding a career or getting ready for grad school?' I decided that pro day went well, and I have good film. This is going to work out."