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New Jersey defensive end gives an update on what it's like preparing for the next level
BY MIKE VORKUNOV
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
With the college football season long over and the NFL Draft still several months away, now comes the most important part of the year for prospective draft picks. There are the All-Star games, the long days of training at prep facilities and the waiting while teams analyze if you are right for them. It's not easy being an NFL Draft prospect, but some of them have let us behind the curtain and agreed to be part of a journal series leading up to the Draft.
Jason Worilds is a native of Carteret, who played his college ball at Virginia Tech. As a defensive end he racked up 12.5 sacks in his last two season of play, being named to the second team All-ACC both years. Jason decided to forgo his senior year of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft. His journey from prospect to pick has already been fortunate as he received word last week that he was invited to the NFL Draft Combine in Indianapolis.
OTHER N.J. DRAFT PROSPECTS
Jason is deep in the midst of training at the Athletes' Performance Institute in Florida, along with players like Sam Bradford, Terrence Cody and George Selvie.
This weekend he will participate in the Combine. Here is Jason's experience so far in his own words.
On how he feels with the Combine being so close:
I'm excited. It's a great opportunity to go in there and put my abilities on display.
On whether he has any anxiety or nervousness:
No, I don't really get nervous too much. I'm really excited. I've been waiting for this weekend for a long time. This is years in the making so I'm just excited.
On how the last weeks of training have been going:
The last few weeks have been real good. I think I've been on schedule with everything. I've just been attacking my workouts and taking everything one day at a time and getting better every day. I have seen the progress I was looking for.
On whether he's seen the progress he was looking for:
I would hope so. I think that this weekend will be the telltale. I really haven't measured myself or went through the drills or seen any results from the first time I've been here. So this weekend we'll see if things worked out.
On whether he's gotten advice on what to expect at the Combine:
I've heard that the medical part is very extensive, the examinations and stuff. And I've heard that interviews are a pretty extensive process as far as going all day and all night. It's going to be pretty strenuous.
On whether there is any worry that all his years of playing football and workouts can be overshadowed by one weekend:
Yeah. That's the downside of what we do, but it's what we do. It's part of the game. You just have to understand that going into it. Go in there and give it your best. You can't do any more than your best. I'm going to go in there and give it my best and see what happens.
On whether teams have contacted him yet:
No I haven't had any interviews yet but I imagine I'll have a lot during the first few days [of the combine] being an underclassman and not getting the opportunity to go to some of these bowl games and having the chance to talk to teams prior to. I would imagine that I will be bombarded.
On whether he thinks this weekend can be his coming out party:
Yeah, definitely. I think it's a chance to show people what I'm all about. I think I made the right decision to come out. After this weekend it'll show everybody that I made the right decision to come out.
Mike Vorkunov can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
