Hoops open training camp in Frisco

FRISCO, Texas -- FC Dallas officially kicked off their on-field preparations on Wednesday morning with the Hoops' first training session of 2009. While the cast was a bit depleted, it was still a spirited workout that lasted nearly two hours.

All told, FCD were missing 10 players from their roster. Forward Kenny Cooper is away with the U.S. national team until this weekend. Three players -- top draft pick Peri Marosevic, Brek Shea and Anthony Wallace, are in camp with the U.S. under-20 national team. Brazilian Andre Rocha is awaiting his visa while countryman Marcelo Saragosa awaits his green card.

Recent draft picks George John and Brian Shriver were also absent. John and recently signed center back Steve Purdy were both getting physicals and should be ready to practice Thursday. Shriver is still in school at North Carolina and his status will be further evaluated.

But there was one absence that piqued the interest of the media in attendance: midfielder Dax McCarty, who last fall requested a trade and remains back in his home state of Florida.

"It just wasn't a great situation for me last year with Dax and it wasn't a great situation for him with me," FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman admitted. "One of the things that Dax asked me is that he wanted to be traded. We are giving Dax the opportunity to be evaluated and be traded by someone. So he's not here mostly because of my request."

The Hoops' boss admitted that he still thinks highly of the member of last summer's U.S. Olympic team.

"He's a young player," Hyndman said. "He's a skillful player. I never want to say he's not a good player. I don't think we see things the same. I want the best for this young player because I think he does have a future in MLS soccer. I just don't know if his future will be here."

One new face who made his first appearance on the FCD training field was left-sided midfielder Dave van den Bergh, who was acquired from New York last week in a trade.

"It's good," van den Bergh said. "It's exciting, getting to know the players and coaching staff. It's a new start for everyone and for me as well. What happened in the past is in the past. We're just looking for this year and it's fresh. We've got the highest expectations for this year. We have to improve last year's results. That's the first goal. I just need to adapt myself to the style of play that they have here and just work hard in the preseason."

Some thought that Hyndman's first session might feature little or no ball work. That was definitely not the case.

"My philosophy is very simple," Hyndman said. "I think the players are all soccer players because they enjoy it. They enjoy playing, have a gift of being a pro and they need a ball. If you don't have a ball, you do take away the enjoyment. I think we have enough exercises we can do to get them involved in fitness but through chasing down a ball or controlling a ball. I don't think you'll ever see a training (session) out here where there's not a ball."

After taking the reins last June following the dismissal of Steve Morrow in mid-May, the FCD coach feels that he is still putting his stamp on the squad.

"This is becoming more my team," Hyndman said. "It's also my first practice with a new group for a season. I thought that the training we did today was very productive. There are six things that we're going to try and do in preseason. The first thing is we're going to try to become better individual defenders with pressure on the ball, coverage and balance. We want to become better individual attacking players. We're going to work a lot on attacking in the flanks and creating numbers up. The third thing you want to do is develop some style of play. I hope that our style of play is going to be an attractive style, a good defending style with winning balls, being able to counter and use transition."

"The fourth area we're going to work on is our structure, a complete team structure on defending and on attacking. The fifth area we want to work on is going to be on set pieces. The sixth and final thing we're going to try to do in preseason is fitness," Hyndman continued. "We want to play as many games as we can in preseason so we get players good opportunities. The roster has been cut from 28 to 24 and I have to get games so I can evaluate players. In the morning, we're going to train more on technical and tactical. In the evenings, we're going to do bigger numbers."

While FCD have addressed many of their needs in the offseason, one major one, finding an attacking central midfielder, remains unsatisfied.

"I don't know if this is the year that we have all of our players," Hyndman said. "I think it's still going to take another year. I think it's going to be another transition. That No. 10 position, we've yet to fill. Whether we can fill it this year, if we have to wait until June or until next year, we have to have those three pieces together to make the puzzle complete. It's not the end of the team if we don't get the No. 10 because I think we've got adequate players."

Hyndman added he still has some time to try to add that player and maybe a few others to his team but that window is drawing to a close. "I think right now, we may have a couple of weeks to do that," he said.

Petke returns home to New York

He's worn the colors of D.C. United and the Colorado Rapids in the seven years since last playing for the New York-based Major League Soccer club. But Mike Petke has always left a part of himself with his hometown team.

And while he might not be the same brash kid from Bohemia on Long Island with the dyed blonde hair he was in his first stint with the club, the 32-year-old Petke said he hasn't necessarily mellowed in his old age.

"Coming back here and getting ready for the preseason, I felt that spark in me again and that desire," he said in a conference call Wednesday. "It's great. I'm looking forward to getting my bite back, kissing the soccer ball and handing it back to the ref, getting a couple of yellow cards."

Petke, who is the Red Bulls all-time leader in games played (134) and games started (129), was picked up off waivers on Nov. 26 and signed a three-year contract with the Red Bulls on Wednesday.

Petke will likely fill the void left by Jeff Parke, who was second in all-time appearances and selected by Seattle Sounders FC in the expansion draft.

"We are pleased to bring Mike back to New York, the place where he grew up and began his professional career," Red Bull New York sporting director Jeff Agoos said in a statement. "He is a proven commodity and will help solidify our back line. Mike will bring a veteran presence, leadership, and toughness that can only help the club. We are looking forward to his contributions during the 2009 season."

Petke was selected eighth overall in the 1998 College Draft and helped lead the MetroStars to the 2000 Eastern Division title. The fan-favorite was traded to rival D.C. United on Dec. 23, 2002 along with the fifth overall pick in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft and an allocation for defender Eddie Pope, forward Jaime Moreno and midfielder and current Red Bulls assistant coach Richie Williams.

While Petke spent three productive years in D.C., winning the MLS Cup in 2004, he said it broke his heart to be traded from New York.

"Leaving New York, I lost a little bit of the edge at first," he said. "I was very comfortable in New York. It was where I was from, my people [...] Going to D.C. it took a while to get that passion back because it was like I was a rookie again in a way. I was very upset, to be honest with you, when I first left New York."

Petke was traded to Colorado on May 23, 2005 for midfielder Chris Henderson. In 2008, Petke missed time after early-season foot surgery, but made 11 appearances and 10 starts while scoring two goals. One of those goals came against the Red Bulls in a 5-4 Rapids win on Sept. 27 at Giants Stadium.

"Without getting into detail too much, I was not very happy in Colorado," Petke said. "I played a lot of games for them, played my heart out. For many reasons I was not very happy there at all."

But now that he's back home, back playing for a team that reached the MLS Cup Final a year ago, Petke couldn't be any happier.

"It is something since 2002 when I left I've always thought about and always looked forward to, hopefully coming back," Petke said. "My family and I are very excited. Watching the way the Red Bulls finished last season, I'm dying to jump in there and get involved with the team and hopefully we can take it one step forward this year."

First XI: Heating up winter

Sure, it's cold outside here in the Northeast. Sure, it's a while before MLS camps open and preseason gets under way in earnest. But, we've got some soccer involving a lot of MLS players on TV this weekend, and First XI is fired up for the 2009 season.

11. Seattle Sounders FC. Expansion teams always excite me, even though the "modern era" expansion teams in MLS have taken their lumps. There's a lot to like about a team in Seattle, including the cool, often-damp weather, which should make games in the Pacific Northwest up-tempo affairs. I am excited to see Kasey Keller in MLS, and I'm fired up that so many tickets have been sold. Not crazy about that Tampa Bay Mutiny '96 green, but I'll get past it.

10. Tinkering in LA. When a team that considers itself one of the league's flagship clubs misses the playoffs for three straight seasons, it creates the kind of tension that has to get you excited. Already we see Bruce Arena moving some pieces around. And while additions like Dema Kovalenko and Mike Magee may not make headlines, sometimes it's the under-the-radar moves that can get MLS teams turned around. Kovalenko will certainly get under some people's skin and Magee, still only 24, is fighting for his MLS life. I still believe Magee can be a 10-goal scorer in MLS if he stays healthy and earns his minutes.

9. Red Bull Fever. Ninety minutes can change everything. The 90 minutes that the Red Bulls played on the road in the playoffs, defeating Houston 3-0, has changed everything in New York. Even more than the Western Conference final at Real Salt Lake, where you figured the Red Bulls had a 50-50 shot to get a result, it was the big win against the defending champions that should have Red Bulls fans expecting the best when the 2009 season opens up. In their final season at Giants Stadium, the Red Bulls have a chance, with a great season, to set a nice table for the opening of Red Bull Arena in 2010.

8. The Polish Rifle. From start to finish, the Columbus Crew were the best team in MLS a year ago. And then, as soon as they'd finished taking their victory lap with the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy, Sigi Schmid was on his way to Seattle and the Crew were dealing with change. I believe Crew fans have nothing to fear with long-time assistant, and former Crew star, Robert Warzycha ready to take the helm. Part of me thinks the players who form the 2008 championship club will also want to prove they can repeat, no matter who's coaching.

7. Shaking up Dallas. When the Red Bulls (MetroStars) made it to a Cup final, it left FC Dallas (Burn) as the lone remaining team from the inaugural MLS season who has not made it to an MLS Cup Final. And while it's a longshot that FCD can make it this year -- as they're rebuilding -- that stigma is enough to get me excited for what's going on in Dallas. Picking up Dave van den Bergh is a good move, but the Hoops need to hope VDB is not past his sell-by date, and can still be a contributor when they're ready to seriously contend.

6. Yura. I've been wrong many times before, but when I watched Yura Movsisyan terrorizing MLS defenses at the end of last season, I felt like I was watching the league's next impact striker. Yura is, quite simply, too much for one defender to contain. That is, too much for one contender to contain, when it comes to getting chances. Yura's ability to put those chances away is what needs to improve. If he improves his finishing, watch out MLS.

5. D.C. redemption. Quite simply, too good a team to have not been in the playoffs last year. What does the future hold for D.C. United? They captured the U.S. Open Cup last year, but do United have a good enough roster to challenge for an MLS Cup this year? Does Jaime Moreno have anything left in the tank? His career looked to be over once, already. Does he have another comeback story to write? And what about Emilio? Lots of questions, and you know coach Tom Soehn is going to be desperate to get off to a good start in 2009.

4. New England. Transition? The team that has stood for stability for so long, looks like they're finally in a transitional period. Or are they? The Revolution still made the playoffs a year ago, but did not seem to walk with the same swagger as in years past. Can they regain their confidence? A lot depends on the health and form of Taylor Twellman, who only started 12 games a year ago. I'll be watching the Revs closely at the start.

3. Quake II. A year ago, I said the San Jose Earthquakes would be the best MLS expansion team since the '98 Fire, and I think I was right. Still, I also thought Frank Yallop would get the Quakes to the playoffs, so I was wrong there. I think there's a lot to like about San Jose, from the home-field advantage their fans provide, to the demands Yallop places on the team to play exciting, high-pressure soccer. A full season from Darren Huckerby and continued improvement from the likes of Jason Hernandez and Ryan Johnson and the Earthquakes will work their way up the Western ladder quickly.

2. Angry Dynamo. After a 1-1 draw with the Red Bulls at Giants Stadium, who thought the Dynamo would bow out so quickly? Not me. Even though Houston did not dominate the regular season, when they closed things down by going without a defeat in their final nine league games, I figured they'd cruise past New York. Wrong. Now, I wonder how the Orange will resp ond, especially with one of their all-time legends (see No. 1) moving on.

1. DeRo goes home. Yes, of all the stories that have me antsy to get camps open and the '09 season under way, none get the juices flowing quite as much as the story of Dwayne DeRosario heading home to Toronto to try and lead the best-supported team in MLS to the playoffs.

Crew select Gerstenberger in SuperDraft

COLUMBUS -- The defending MLS Cup champions don't believe there are any holes in the lineup entering the 2009 season but there are a few areas that could using shoring up and the Columbus Crew's first pick in the SuperDraft could fill one of them.

Paul Gerstenberger was a steady, defense-first left back for Boston College in his four-year career and he'll get an opportunity to back up veteran Gino Padula.

"We're a little thin on the left side, whether it's on the flank with Robbie Rogers or in the back with Gino," Crew technical director Brian Bliss said.

  • Draft Tracker >
  • Full coverage >NEWS • Seattle makes Zakuani No. 1
• Zakuani embracing Seattle
• SuperDraft notebook
• Davis: No surprises
• Zakuani hails Gen. adidas
• RSL get athletic Alexandre
• Husidic goes home
• Rapids, Revs take big hauls
• Quiet Quakes add value
• Sounders attack two fronts
• St. Louis fans stay vocal
• Draft deals roundup
• Galaxy turn to Terrapins
• United flesh out roster
• Wizards accomplish mission
• Crew select Gerstenberger
• Cruz falls to round three
• Hoops address needs
• Chivas deal for LA's Jazic
• Prospect bios, stats
VIDEO • SuperDraft first round

• Zakuani on Seattle

• Garber on SuperDraft

• Zakuani taken at No. 1

• Cronin to TFC at No. 2

• Gonzalez to LA at No. 3

• Reds add White at No. 4

• Hoops nab Marosevic

• Wallace to D.C. at No. 6

• United select Pontius

• Besler goes to Wizards

• Lahoud goes to Chivas

• Revs get Alston at 10

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Gerstenberger had four goals and 10 assists in 66 games for the Golden Eagles.

"I'm a two-way player. Obviously, I have to be strong defensively but I'm willing to take risks to get into the attack when needed," he said.

If he makes the squad he won't be asked to do much of that. The savvy Padula stabilized the backline with his hard-nosed defending and quickness in starting the transition game, especially to the speedy Rogers. Gerstenberger would take a similar role.

"He's a very talented player. He has good size (6-0, 180) and has good speed," Crew first-year coach Robert Warzycha said. "His first priority is defending. He's smart enough to understand that."

The Crew did not have a selection until the 30th position and Warzycha said Gerstenberger was the best option available.

"We have a championship team. If we had been picking at No. 1 he wouldn't have been our pick," he said.

Still, Warzycha said Gerstenberger, who turns 22 on Jan. 26, has a good chance of making the team because he is a true left back.

"He's a very good addition," he said.

With retirement of Ezra Hendrickson, Warzycha would have had only Danny O'Rourke, Andy Iro and developmental player Jed Zayner as options on the left side barring signing a discovery player. Zayner has seen limited duty; O'Rourke can play any of the back positions but is more comfortable at right back or in the middle and Iro is better suited for the center back spot.

Gerstenberger will have to battle to make the team. There will likely be only one senior spot left on the 20-player roster and just two of four developmental openings left.

"We were looking for another player on the left side," Warzycha said. "I saw him at BC and at the combine. After seeing him at the combine we decided he was the player we were looking for."

Gerstenberger called being chosen "crazy." He had hoped to be picked but wasn't sure and was sitting at home in Schenectady, N.Y, with his family and friends when his named popped up on the computer.

"My mom was in the kitchen and somebody yelled, 'You've just been drafted.' Someone from Columbus called me a few minutes later," he said. "To be drafted by the championship team is unbelievable. I watched them win the final over New York. They've got a very good team. They score goals and play really sound defensively."

He didn't follow one MLS team growing up but he did have a favorite player. "It's pretty ironic. It was Brian McBride and he played for the Crew before he went to Europe."

Gerstenberger doesn't know much about Columbus or Ohio although several of his relatives are big Cleveland Browns fans. The only player on the Crew roster he knows is Rogers, a teammate on the U.S. national U-18 squad. Gerstenberger played two friendlies for the team in April 2005.

With the 45th pick, the Crew chose University of Pennsylvania midfielder Alex Grendi (5-11, 175). The native of Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., had eight goals and 20 assists in 65 career games. He's third on the school's career assist list.

Columbus selected Tulsa defender Chris Clements (6-2, 185) from the University of Tulsa. He had three goals in 78 games and was chosen for the U.S. U-20 national team in 2006. He is from Allen, Texas.

History has shown late picks have seldom contributed to the Crew. The most notable was forward Edson Buddle, the 27th selection in the third round of the 2001 SuperDraft. Last season, forward Steven Lenhart was the 48th pick and scored some important goals for the Crew in a reserve role, including a stoppage time equalizer against Kansas City in the first game of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

Red Bulls ecstatic to land Terp Hall

ST. LOUIS -- When Chivas USA selected Michael Lahoud with the ninth overall pick of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, one of the happiest people in the St. Louis Convention Center Thursday afternoon was Juan Carlos Osorio.

That's because the New York Red Bulls coach would be able to pick up one of the two players he targeted with the club's first-round pick -- Indiana outside back Kevin Alston or Maryland outside midfielder Jeremy Hall.

Alston went with the next pick to the New England Revolution and the Red Bulls got Hall, who will immediately compete for the left-sided midfield slot vacated when Dave van den Bergh was traded to FC Dallas earlier this week.

  • Draft Tracker >
  • Full coverage >NEWS • Seattle makes Zakuani No. 1
• Zakuani embracing Seattle
• SuperDraft notebook
• Davis: No surprises
• Zakuani hails Gen. adidas
• RSL get athletic Alexandre
• Husidic goes home
• Rapids, Revs take big hauls
• Quiet Quakes add value
• Sounders attack two fronts
• St. Louis fans stay vocal
• Draft deals roundup
• Galaxy turn to Terrapins
• United flesh out roster
• Wizards accomplish mission
• Crew select Gerstenberger
• Cruz falls to round three
• Hoops address needs
• Chivas deal for LA's Jazic
• Prospect bios, stats
VIDEO • SuperDraft first round

• Zakuani on Seattle

• Garber on SuperDraft

• Zakuani taken at No. 1

• Cronin to TFC at No. 2

• Gonzalez to LA at No. 3

• Reds add White at No. 4

• Hoops nab Marosevic

• Wallace to D.C. at No. 6

• United select Pontius

• Besler goes to Wizards

• Lahoud goes to Chivas

• Revs get Alston at 10

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"It's a dream come true," Hall said. "I didn't know where I was going to go and to be selected by New York, it's a great team and I'm looking so forward to playing there and being a part of that great franchise."

That trade also allowed the Red Bulls to move up to the 11th overall pick and have a better chance at getting one of the players they valued.

"We needed to move from 14 to 11 to get one of those two players," Osorio said.

Osorio and Hall have a long history that dates back to their flight from Fort Lauderdale to St. Louis.

"I got to meet with him a little bit on the flight here to St. Louis from the Combine, we actually sat next to each other so we talked a little bit," Hall said. "I know he's a great coach, he's very experienced."

Hall is a pacy outside midfielder who scored 14 goals and had seven assists for Maryland, helping lead the Terrapins to the national championship. He was one of nine players to sign a Generation adidas contract, but struggled at bit at the MLS Player Combine and dropped a bit further down the draft list than expected.

That proved to be perfect, though, for the Red Bulls.

"We've been tracking him for a couple of years and we've seen his talent in college and we thought he was a phenomenal player," Red Bulls technical director Jeff Agoos said. "We're really looking forwarding to seeing how he makes the transition to MLS."

Also, as part of the van den Bergh trade, the Red Bulls received the 18th overall pick and selected 6-foot-4, 215 pound center back Babajide Ogunbiyi from Santa Clara, who has also played for the Nigerian under-23 national team.

"He is an imposing figure in the back," Osorio said. "If I'm honest there were four center backs in this Combine, two were already taken. I think he has those physical attributes we can work with and hope to develop him and make him more comfortable on the play."

With the 29th overall selection, the Red Bulls picked left fullback Jack Traynor out of Notre Dame. He was preceded in South Bend, Ind., by Kevin Goldthwaite and now might battle for a starting spot with the Red Bulls.

"We'll see what happens there, some friendly competition," Traynor said.

But according to Osorio, the two could still play on the field together because Goldthwaite can move over centrally.

With their final pick, the Red Bulls picked Nick Zimmerman out of James Madison, who can not only play right midfield, but is also versatile enough to see time at right back.

While the draft might be over, the building of the 2009 Red Bulls is far from done. While Hall could start immediately, Osorio said the No. 1 priority is to find a natural left-sided midfielder.

"We need to have competition for places and I would like a natural left-footed player in that position," Osorio said. "We now have to concentrate all our efforts in trying to get the identified targets that we have already. I'm confident we'll get one of them."

Hoops continue to address needs

FRISCO, Texas -- Earlier in the week, FC Dallas satisfied one area of need when the club acquired left-sided midfielder Dave van den Bergh from New York. In the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, the Hoops looked to address other issues, specifically adding some depth to their front and backlines. With their three picks, FCD accomplished both goals.

With the fifth overall pick, the Hoops chose Michigan striker Peri Marosevic, a Generation adidas player. Nine choices later at No. 14, FCD selected George John, a defender from Washington who spent much of his collegiate career in the midfield before switching to center back at the combine. And with the 27th overall pick, the Hoops made their final pick of the day, taking another striker in North Carolina's Brian Shriver.

"We entered the draft knowing exactly what we wanted," said FCD president/general manager Michael Hitchcock. "The coaches had done a lot of scouting during the year. The combine is the last opportunity to take a look at those players that you identified during the year. We went in knowing that we wanted to add a top-notch striker with a ton of potential, strengthen the back line by bringing in one of the top center backs and then just trying to add some additional depth up top."

  • Draft Tracker >
  • Full coverage >NEWS • Seattle makes Zakuani No. 1
• Zakuani embracing Seattle
• SuperDraft notebook
• Davis: No surprises
• Zakuani hails Gen. adidas
• RSL get athletic Alexandre
• Husidic goes home
• Rapids, Revs take big hauls
• Quiet Quakes add value
• Sounders attack two fronts
• St. Louis fans stay vocal
• Draft deals roundup
• Galaxy turn to Terrapins
• United flesh out roster
• Wizards accomplish mission
• Crew select Gerstenberger
• Cruz falls to round three
• Hoops address needs
• Chivas deal for LA's Jazic
• Prospect bios, stats
VIDEO • SuperDraft first round

• Zakuani on Seattle

• Garber on SuperDraft

• Zakuani taken at No. 1

• Cronin to TFC at No. 2

• Gonzalez to LA at No. 3

• Reds add White at No. 4

• Hoops nab Marosevic

• Wallace to D.C. at No. 6

• United select Pontius

• Besler goes to Wizards

• Lahoud goes to Chivas

• Revs get Alston at 10

GEAR • Buy team jerseys

Marosevic is a 19-year-old forward, who in his final season with the Wolverines earned First-Team All-Big 10 Conference honors after leading his team in scoring for the third consecutive year, scoring 13 goals.

"With the first pick, Peri was the guy," Hitchcock said. "We went, analyzed all the strikers coming out, ranked them and he was No. 1 on our list. We're very happy that we got him at the No. 5 pick. Because of the great combine that he had, we weren't sure he was going to be there at five. So we were discussing moving up to ensure that we could get him because he meant that much to us. Fortunately, we read the draft right, we didn't have to give anything up and got our player. So we're very happy with that."

Hitchcock feels that there isn't any reason why Marosevic can't contribute to the FCD attack immediately.

"I think he's a player with the experience of playing for the Under-20 team, which he's been called up to," he said. "He's a player that certainly can come in and contribute right away. He's got two great strikers that he's going to be able to learn from in Kenny Cooper and Jeff Cunningham. We think it's the perfect place to take the next step in his career and to learn and develop. We certainly expect him to contribute and are going to need him to contribute. He's got a ton of upside and will just keep getting better and better."

FCD's second pick, John, is a 6-foot-4 former holding midfielder who earned first-team All-Pacific-10 Conference honors in his last two seasons with the Huskies.

"At the No. 14 pick, George John is one of the players that we identified as a top center back coming out for our team," Hitchcock said. "Once again, we were very excited that he was still there at 14 and we were able to pick him up. We look at the first round and think we got exactly what we were looking for."

One concern with John was a recent knee injury that limited him as a senior at Washington. However, that ailment is of no concern for FCD.

"We had done our homework," Hitchcock said. "He did have an injury and that's something that you have to look into. But at the combine, he probably wasn't 100 percent but was still the best center back there. He's played in the middle of the field, so he's got good feet, good vision and is a good passer. But he's absolutely dominant in the air because of his size, reads the game well and is a good organizer. We feel like he's got all the tools to be a successful center back."

Shriver was a player who helped lead the Tar Heels to the 2008 NCAA Men's College Cup. He had the only goal in UNC's upset win against defending national champion and ACC rival Wake Forest in the national semifinal to send Carolina to the championship game, where they lost to Maryland.

"In the second round, we were able to add Brian Shriver, a great striker who just played at Pizza Hut Park with UNC," Hitchcock said. "He can play on the flank and is a player who will add some depth to our team."

Even though Shriver wasn't among those invited to the MLS Player Combine, Hitchcock and the FCD brass still liked what they had seen and drafted him any way.

"In our scouting of Division I college soccer, he was a player that we had identified," he said. "We were surprised that he wasn't invited to the combine and aren't sure of exactly why he wasn't invited in. He had a good year and his team had a lot of success. We got a chance to see him quite a bit. If he was in the combine, we wouldn't have been able to pick him up at No. 27. We think there's a ton of potential there and he would have gone much higher. We're lucky that he didn't come out to the combine. I know he was frustrated with that but he's ecstatic that we used our second-round pick on him."