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Boardman’s Linsley has NFL aspirations
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
Over the last few months, Corey Linsley has done everything he can to impress NFL teams, while doing everything he can not to worry about NFL draft analysts.
His girlfriend is a different story.
“My girlfriend gets the alerts whenever my name pops up on Google,” said Linsley, a Boardman High graduate who started at center the past two years at Ohio State. “I read a few of those guys and it’s kind of funny. I’m like, ‘What game are you watching?’
“No disrespect to them, but it doesn’t really matter what they think. That’s not who I’m trying to impress.”
When Linsley was told that one of those analysts, Warren JFK High graduate Dane Brugler, is actually a big fan of his ability, Linsley laughed and said, “I’m all for him, then. I love him.”
Since earning first team All-Big Ten honors last season, Linsley has performed in front of scouts at both the NFL combine and Ohio State’s Pro Day, as well as individual workouts for several teams.
“I’m not really sure I can say who with,” he said. “I’ve had a few teams specifically tell me not to say anything to other teams after I worked out for them.”
Linsley (6-foot-3) was sick at the combine and weighed just 296 pounds — “I was extremely dehydrated,” he said — but said he’s up around 302 now. And while he’s always been a good run blocker with terrific strength, he believes his workouts have some of the questions about his overall ability.
“I felt that I showcased some things that other teams thought I was lacking,” he said. “At least, as much as you can in a shorts workout.
“The other thing that you don’t necessarily see on film is how football smart you are. I feel that I’ve proved in the classroom that I have a good understanding of the game and can adapt to a new offense very quickly.”
Brugler, a draft analyst for CBS Sports and NFLDraftScout.com, believes Linsley is worthy of a mid-round draft pick.
“You watch him and it’s hard to poke holes in his game,” said Brugler, who graduated from JFK in 2004. “He’s not elite in a lot of areas, but he’s not lacking in a lot of areas. He sets up quickly, he gets position, he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes and he has good awareness.
“He doesn’t have a lot of natural explosion or burst, but he’s got good core strength. I think he’ll be a sticky blocker in the NFL, a guy who will push for a starting job at some point in the first two years. He’s a guy who has all the tools to be a long-term starter and I think he’ll get more consistent with NFL coaching.”
Linsley graduated from OSU in December, so he’s spent the past few months focusing on football only.
“I spend four or five hours a day on football and the rest of the time I’m just hanging around, doing nothing,” he said. “I need a lot of rest because they’re hard workouts.”
Although he’s likely to stay in Columbus during this weekend’s draft, he’s been back to Youngstown several times in the past few months. (His must-haves when he’s back home: gyros from Jay’s Famous Hot Dogs, cookie dough ice cream from Handel’s and a hot dog from the downtown Suzie’s Dogs & Drafts.)
Boardman has two linemen in the NFL — Browns guard John Greco and Broncos center Steve Vallos — and Linsley said he wants to continue Youngstown’s strong NFL tradition.
“We’re known for toughness and to be considered with those guys and have the opportunity to continue that is awesome,” he said. “It’s also a huge pressure. I’m just trying to be the best player I can be and do all I can do. You can’t live up to something that you’re not.
“I’m just hoping and praying everything works out and I can go to a good organization and prove my worth.”