Gateway to the Big Show

By Joe Scalzo

Third-round pick Bradley Fletcher became the first Liberty grad to get drafted.

LIBERTY — Just after 10 a.m. on Sunday, as Vicki Fletcher was heading home to change for church after driving the van for Sunday School, she got a frantic call from her sister in Georgia.

“She was screaming,” she said.

Vicki Fletcher had expected an exciting afternoon but it’s telling that she planned to spend Sunday morning watching a slightly more inspirational speaker than, say, Mel Kiper.

Her son, Bradley, had the same feeling. The Liberty High graduate knew he was a near-lock to be chosen on the second day of the NFL draft, but he was bracing himself to wait a round or two.

“I was going into the day with an open mind,” said Fletcher, who played cornerback at the University of Iowa. “I was ready to sit and wait for the opportunity.”

He didn’t wait long. Right after the New York Jets traded up to draft Iowa running back Shonn Green with the first pick of Sunday’s third round, Fletcher heard his cell phone ring.

It was the Rams, who had the second pick of the third round. They wanted to know if he was ready to go to St. Louis.

He was. He saw his name pop up on the TV screen, and his uncle quickly drove to a sporting goods store to buy a black Rams T-shirt.

Vicki, meanwhile, never made it back to church. But while she missed the Gospel, she still got the good news.

“I was surprised, but it was wonderful,” said Vicki on Sunday afternoon. “Wonderful.

“I know he’s probably wanting to bust a grin like all get out.”

Fletcher’s meteoric rise up the NFL draft charts was unimaginable at this time last year.

He was coming off two so-so seasons in which he was a part-time starter and a strong special teams player.

But he blossomed last fall, emerging as a full-time starter who had three interceptions, a team-leading 10 pass breakups.

He also saved his best football for last, intercepting a pass and forcing a fumble in the Outback Bowl, then emerging as the best defensive back at the East-West Shrine Game.

Fletcher (6-1, 196) put up good numbers at the NFL combine in February, where he also met with Rams representatives for about 15 minutes. But he didn’t travel to St. Louis for a private workout, and when he didn’t hear from them in recent weeks, figured to be selected by either the Falcons, Cowboys, Eagles, Patriots or Jets (who had all worked him out over the last month).

Turns out, they were interested. They just didn’t want anyone to know.

“I’m excited to play for the Rams,” said Fletcher, who will attend a minicamp Thursday. “I’m ready to get started.”

Ironically, Fletcher becomes the second Valley native in as many years to get selected by the Rams with the second pick of the third round, joining Boardman High graduate John Greco, who was taken in that spot April 28 last year.

Fletcher is also the first Liberty graduate to get drafted, although with close to a dozen Leopards playing at Division I colleges, including his younger brother Donovan (Ohio University), that number could grow over the next few years.

“I’m happy for the program,” said Fletcher, who moved to Liberty from Cleveland just before the eighth grade. “I have a lot of great memories playing at Liberty.”

Fletcher’s former coaches speak glowingly of Fletcher, who graduated last May with a degree in health and sports studies and added a minor in African-American studies last fall.

He’s known for his soft-spoken, humble attitude, his strong work ethic and his willingness to be coached. The one blemish on his record is a DUI arrest in 2007. The topic came up quickly in his conference call with St. Louis reporters, and Fletcher said it was an isolated incident.

“That situation is something that I learned from,” Fletcher said. “I made a mistake and I learned from it and I’m ready to move forward.”

Rams GM Billy Devaney said he was aware of the arrest and was confident it was in the past.

“Just because a 19- or 20-year-old kid makes a mistake doesn’t mean we are going to take him off our draft board,” he told reporters.

Although Fletcher has experience at corner, he also has the size and strength to play safety in the NFL.

He was an All-Ohioan in football and basketball at Liberty, and his long arms and leaping ability will be huge assets at the next level.

So will his attitude.

“He’s a good kid,” said Vicki. “He’s never been a problem and he’s real responsible.

“I just told him, ‘Not everyone gets this opportunity. Enjoy it.’”

scalzo@vindy.com