Four years ago, Cameron Colvin was one of the elite prospects in the 2004 recruiting class, rated as one of the nation’s top receivers along with the likes of Early Doucet, Ted Ginn, Fred Davis, and Calvin Johnson.
While Johnson and Ginn went on to become first-round picks in the 2007 draft, and Doucet and Davis (who bulked up and became the nation’s best tight end) will be drafted in the first two rounds in less than two weeks, things have gone a little differently for Colvin, who committed to play for Mike Bellotti and Oregon.
The speedster battled injuries throughout his four years in Eugene, which derailed his chances to show that he was on par with the above names. And, just when things were looking up for him, what looked to be a promising senior season was ended in October by a broken ankle against Washington State.
However, he’s battled through worse in his life, from losing both of his parents to his best friend just before the two were set to start their collegiate careers together, so the injuries haven’t stopped his drive to show that he can still be a playmaker at the highest level, even though he won’t be a first-round pick, or maybe even drafted at all. He’s certainly someone to root for, and to watch out for in the future.
The former Duck has recovered from his ankle injury, and is in the midst of showcasing his skills for prospective future employers before April 26.
I spoke to Cameron shortly before he was set to leave for San Francisco, where he’ll work out with the 49ers.
EG: What have you been doing since your Pro Day to get prepared?
CC: Just continuing to work out, to stay focused, and not let myself think that everything’s done. I have a workout this Friday in San Francisco, so I’m trying to prepare for that and stay mentally ready for everything.
EG: How many teams do you have meetings scheduled with?
CC: I just got off the phone with the Raiders, and my agent is talking to a lot of teams right now. I’m not sure how many, but there’s a good number of them right now.
EG: Does it matter whether or not you get drafted, or will not getting drafted motivate you even more?
CC: Of course, not getting drafted will motivate me even more. Everyone works to get drafted; I would love to get drafted, just to know that I was high on someone’s list. If it happens, it happens, but if it doesn’t, I just keep working and keep going.
EG: Do you have any preferences about which team you’d like to play for?
CC: At this point, whoever wants me to play for them. I’m willing to play for anybody. I want to have my dream, to be in the NFL and play professional football, so it’s not really what team I want to play for, but just to be able to play in the NFL for whatever team decides to choose me.
EG: Is your ankle back to about 100%
CC: Yeah, just about. It’s a long process. My trainer said I was far ahead of the schedule. I was just three and a half, four months out of surgery, running and doing my shuttles and cone drills, things I wasn’t supposed to be doing.
I push myself beyond the limit, to prepare and show the teams that I want to play, and how determined I am, how hard of a worker I am.
EG: You ran in the 4.6 range at your Pro Day, but you’ve been timed in the 4.3s. Are you going to be able to run that fast when your ankle is 100%?
CC: Oh yeah, guaranteed. It’s just about stride length, putting pressure on your feet, those kinds of things come into play when you’re running. I went out there and did the best I could, and I ran just as good of a time as someone of the top guys in the draft injured. When it comes down to me being 100%, people will be able to see my fly.
EG: What tools do you have that will make you a weapon in an NFL team’s offense?
CC: I know how to read defenses, how to run routes from the slot and from the outside. When I get out on the field, I think I can lead by example, regardless of if I’m a rookie or not, and show people how determined I am. My background is as a winner, and I don’t want to settle for anything less.
EG: I’ve read a lot of comments from people that say you’re an underachieve, not taking into account that you had to deal with injuries pretty much every year. What do you have to say to those people?
CC: Watch out! That’s what fuels my fire right there. People say I’m an underachiever, but if they actually sat down and watched the film, they’ll say that ‘Okay, they were throwing him two or three balls a game, and he made the most of his opportunities.”. It’s not like I was catching 10 balls a game, but I made the most of the opportunities I was given.
EG: You were really getting it going last season until you broke your ankle? How devastating was that?
CC: I was finally getting the multiple opportunities; it wasn’t the two balls (laughs), but eight and ten, so I was getting more opportunities to help win games. So, it was pretty devastating, but again, it motivated me.
I don’t think anything can be worse than losing a parent, and I’ve lost both of my parents, so an ankle was minute. So, it was bad, but it motivated me even more to keep working.
EG: How did all of those adversities you’ve faced help you?
CC: Just waking up everyday and knowing I’m blessed. So many things have happened in my life happened for a reason, and have motivated me and allowed me to learn how to deal with day-to-day situations, not even on the football field, but in life, about making the right decisions, like ‘I’m not going to stay out late tonight, I have to get up early,’ little things like that.
From losing your parents, you don’t take anything for granted. So I’ve heard, ‘Okay, Cameron didn’t work hard,’ but I don’t take anything for granted. Every time I go into the weight room and get out on that field, I put my best foot forward. They’re just a motivating factor in everything I do.
EG: So what about those uniforms? Did you like them or they did bother you?
CC:: When I first saw Oregon on TV with the yellows, I was like ‘I don’t know about all that!’ (laughs), but when we got here, the people from Nike came together and picked a group of us to help design a new set of uniforms. It was myself, Dennis Dixon, Tim Day, we had a number of guys go in and help. We ended up liking them, and the yellow ended up being my favorite.
EG: Do you think you could have had a better career somewhere else?
CC: I don’t even think of that. I made my decision, and I have to live with it. Everything happens for a reason. I think I’ll be able to get into the NFL, and get the right offensive coaches and offensive system to use me and give me opportunities. I think my best football is ahead of me at this point.
