Chaney’s Dykes signs with Arizona

By Joe Scalzo

Warren Harding’s Mike Phillips has a tryout with the Browns.

As final choices — and the final minutes — of Sunday’s NFL draft wound down, Keilen Dykes’ cell phone lit up.

The Chaney High graduate, who was one of the top undrafted defensive linemen remaining, got about 20 offers from NFL teams wanting him to sign as a free agent.

But one stood out.

“Arizona kept calling,” said Dykes, a four-year starter at West Virginia. “The head coach called, the defensive coordinator called, the D-line [defensive line] coach called. Every time a new team called, they’d check back five minutes later and say, ‘What are you gonna do?’

“It was like getting recruited for college. I thought, ‘Man, they must really want me.’ ”

Dykes had visited the Cardinals before the draft and was comfortable with the coaching staff, the team’s defensive scheme and the organization. When it came time to make the decision, it was an easy choice, he said.

“It’s the right fit for me,” he said. “It’s a team that’s coming up, that’s got a lot of young players. It’s a great place to be.”

Dykes, who was twice named first team All-Big East, was hoping to be drafted last weekend and many draft boards projected him as a fifth-round choice. Only one team, Jacksonville, showed serious interest in the draft’s latter stages.

“They said they were going to try to get me, but I didn’t put much into it,” he said. “I was like, ‘Let me see my name.’

“I was down and out about not getting drafted,” Dykes said. “It was a disgusting feeling in my stomach, like losing a game. But it’s going away now. I can’t dwell on the past. What’s done is done. I’ve gotta move forward.”

Like he did when he wasn’t invited to the NFL combine in February, Dykes plans on using the snub as motivation.

“I can’t wait to get out there on that field,” he said. “I’ve got to prove everyone wrong again.”

Another local Big East player, Pitt cornerback Mike Phillips, was bypassed but the Warren Harding High graduate has a tryout scheduled with the Browns.

Boardman High’s John Greco was the first of four area players selected Sunday and his call came earlier than he expected. His agent had warned him not to watch the first two rounds of the draft Saturday — “He said if I get a call, great, but don’t watch,” Greco said — but to be ready Sunday morning because he had a good feeling Greco would be chosen early.

The third round started at 10 a.m. At 9:59, Greco was driving on South Avenue to hang out with some friends and family when he got a call on his cell phone from a restricted number.

“I thought, ‘This might be it,’ ” said Greco, a four-year starter at tackle for Toledo. “It was a young woman’s voice and I was like, ‘Oh geez, this lady doesn’t sound like a coach.’ ”

She asked to speak with John Greco.

“I said, ‘This is John Greco,’ ” he said. “She said, “Coach [Scott] Linehan would like to speak with you.’ He got on the phone and told me, ‘Welcome to the Rams.’ ”

Greco had a few friends in the car at the time — he pulled into a parking lot when he discovered the call was from the Rams — and was on the phone for about 10 minutes before he told them which team had called.

“It was pretty funny,” he said. “I made them wait a little bit.”

His family saw the pick live on TV, although he didn’t get to talk to them for about an hour because he was on the phone with the Rams.

But he made it to the party and, in between interviews with the St. Louis media, had time to watch some of the draft, keeping track of local guys like Mike McGlynn, a Fitch High graduate who went to the Eagles in the fourth round.

“I was happy about that and I’m sure he’s happy about that,” Greco said.

Greco has only been to St. Louis once and that came during a pre-draft visit. He’ll leave for minicamp on May 8 and plans to spend the next few days golfing and working out.

“It’s kind of a relief that it’s over and everything I was working for came to completion,” Greco said. “Now it’s a new chapter and it’s time to go back to work and help a team win. I’m excited about the opportunity.”

scalzo@vindy.com