Gerberry, Davis among NFL signees

Five players from the area have signed over the last two days, and YSU’s Marcus Mason re-signed with the Redskins.

By JOE SCALZO

Vindicator staff writer

In a matter of minutes on Sunday, Dan Gerberry went from a man preparing himself for his coaching career to a member of the Detroit Lions.

Gerberry, a Fitch High graduate who recently finished his football career at Ball State, spent Sunday watching the NFL Draft with his brother.

He was a center in a draft deep in talent at that position. Even worse, teams weren’t taking them, as only five were selected over the first sixth rounds.

“I wasn’t confident; in fact, I was overly pessimistic about the whole thing,” he admitted. “I didn’t think I had much of a chance to get drafted.”

Two more centers were picked in the seventh — and final — round but Gerberry wasn’t one of them. But as a graduate assistant at Ball State, he already had a jump on his coaching career, so he vowed not to worry about it.

Then, about 20 minutes after the draft ended, he got an urgent call from his agent.

“He told me he was in a hurry, but that the Lions were looking like the best fit,” Gerberry said. “He told me he needed a decision quick because things happen fast.”

Gerberry took a second to think about it, then gave the go-ahead.

“When I broke down the situation, it looked like the best fit for me,” he said. “I told him not to let the opportunity pass us by.

“Within five or 10 minutes, I was on the phone with the Lions.”

Gerberry (6-foot-3, 285 pounds) was one of five Valley natives to catch on with NFL teams after the draft, joining Oklahoma lineman Branndon Braxton (an Ursuline High graduate who was picked up by the Browns), Penn State defensive back Tony Davis (Howland, Arizona Cardinals), Minnesota punter Justin Kucek (Canfield, Minnesota Vikings) and Cincinnati DT Adam Hoppel (Beaver Local, Browns).

Also, former YSU running back Marcus Mason was released by the Jets and signed with Washington, and Tyler Booth (6-51‚Ñ2, 312) of Youngstown State was invited to a weekend tryout with the Green Bay Packers.

As an undrafted free agent, Gerberry knows he’s in an uphill battle to make the team. But since the Lions have only two centers on their roster, and since they’re coming off an 0-16 season that prompted a regime change, he knows he has a chance.

“It’s more important that somebody wanted me,” said Gerberry, who started every game of his four-year career. “It feels like a good situation and my goal is to go in and make the team.”

Unlike a lot of Division I players, Gerberry never focused on a NFL career. Sure, he had dreams as a kid, but only one school offered him a scholarship coming out of Fitch and he went to Ball State hoping to get a degree, not a signing bonus.

A physical education major, Gerberry made the Mid-American Conference’s All-Academic team in December and has enough credits to graduate. He said he’s spent the last three days on the phone — “Originally I was real excited [about signing], but then it got really old,” he quipped — and he’s just trying to get focused and ready.

“I still haven’t made the team,” he said.

Davis is in the same situation, although he’s looking to join a team that played in the Super Bowl in February. Chaney High graduate Keilen Dykes, a defensive lineman from West Virginia, signed with the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent last April and spent last fall on the practice squad.

“Arizona has a great DB coach and a great team and they considered me a good fit,” said Davis, a three-year starter who played cornerback and safety for Penn State. “It’s just a dream come true.”

Davis graduated in December with a dual degree in kinesiology and recreational parks management. He hopes to use the kinesiology degree, which focuses on how the body functions and moves, to work with kids. He’s also interested in coaching.

As for his other degree, “it’s extra,” he said. “A backup.”

Of course, Davis is hoping both degrees can serve as a backup for now.

“Ever since I was 6 or 7 years old playing for the Little Tigers, I was wishing I could one day play in the NFL,” he said. “At least I get a shot.”

scalzo@vindy.com