By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Sunday, Apr. 13 2008
Fear not, Rams fans, Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston says he can cure
what ails the St. Louis pass rush.
"If you guys had 5 1/2 sacks last year, I'm definitely going to add to that,"
Gholston said.
Sadly, 5 1/2 sacks was the combined total for all the defensive ends on the
team's roster last season.
"I had 14 this past year, and I'm looking to increase that," he said.
Gholston's sack total tied for third in the nation last season and set a school
record. The Detroit native then turned pro a year early, and he arrives Sunday
in St. Louis for a pre-draft visit with the Rams.
He will be joined Sunday by Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long, Virginia
defensive end Chris Long, and Louisiana State defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey.
Unlike that trio, Gholston wasn't considered a consensus top five pick in
January after the college season ended. He is now.
Gholston's impressive workouts have helped vault him from top 15 status to a
player who conceivably could be taken No. 1 overall by the Miami Dolphins.
Gholston always has liked working out, from his teenage days at Cass Tech in
Detroit.
"I'm big on being physical, being strong and being tough," Gholston said.
"That's what kind of brought me into football."
More specifically, Gholston was walking down the halls of Cass Tech between
classes one day when football coach Thomas Wilcher approached.
"He thought I was a parent at the school, trying to pick up one of my kids,"
Gholston recalled. "I don't know if he was serious or not. I told him I was
actually a student, and he had a shocked look on his face. He asked me if I
ever thought about playing football, and I told him not really."
Then a freshman, Gholston had never played organized football. But one thing
led to another, and he was on the team as a sophomore. Now, after just three
seasons of high school ball and three seasons of college ball (not counting a
redshirt year in 2005 because of a broken hand), Gholston finds himself near
the top of the NFL draft list.
"I started kind of late (in football) compared to everybody else, some would
say," he said. "The biggest thing about me is once I put my mind to something,
I fully commit to it. That's part of the reason I took this quarter off (at
Ohio State), because I really wanted to focus on football."
Make no mistake, Gholston has been on a whirlwind pace since the Buckeyes' BCS
championship game loss to Louisiana State. He took a few days off, deciding
whether to enter the NFL draft. Once that decision was made and he hired an
agent, it was off to the Phoenix area to train at the Athletes' Performance
Institute.
"I spent six weeks out there getting ready, preparing, eating right and taking
care of everything," Gholston said.
The next stop was the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, where he ran an
eye-opening 4.65 seconds in the 40-yard dash at 6 feet 3, 266 pounds. He also
pumped out 37 repetitions in the 225-pound bench press, tying Jake Long for the
Combine high.
Less than two weeks later, he was even more impressive at Ohio State's pro day.
Despite a tight hamstring, which he had tweaked just a few days earlier,
Gholston was even better in the 40 — running in the high 4.5-second range.
Granted, the Astroturf-style surface Ohio State uses to run 40s at pro days is
considered a fast track.
Unhappy with his Combine time, Gholston decided to prove a point. He ran on an
adjacent FieldTurf surface, supposedly a slower track.
"To show them that I have legit speed, I actually ran on the same surface that
was at the Combine," Gholston said.
Most of the discussion and speculation regarding the Rams' No. 2 overall pick
has centered on the Longs and Dorsey. But Gholston shouldn't be overlooked.
Coach Scott Linehan had planned to attend his pro day at Ohio State but
couldn't because of a conflict.
Nonetheless, Rams defensive line coach Brian Baker and vice president of player
personnel Tony Softli went into Columbus a day early and spent extra time with
Gholston.
"Both those guys sat down and had dinner with me," Gholston said. "We talked
quite a bit — just about football, about me in general."
The following day, Gholston said Baker was "one of the main guys" directing his
pro day drills.
Gholston has kept busy since then. He has had private workouts in Columbus for
Atlanta, Miami, New England and the New York Jets. He has paid pre-draft visits
to New England, New Orleans and Oakland.
And now St. Louis.
"It's part of the process," Gholston said. "And it's necessary. You just try to
enjoy it at the same time. You only go through this once in life. The biggest
thing is, you're getting a chance or opportunity to show what you're about for
these teams. I just try to make the best of it."
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Sunday, Apr. 13 2008
Fear not, Rams fans, Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston says he can cure
what ails the St. Louis pass rush.
"If you guys had 5 1/2 sacks last year, I'm definitely going to add to that,"
Gholston said.
Sadly, 5 1/2 sacks was the combined total for all the defensive ends on the
team's roster last season.
"I had 14 this past year, and I'm looking to increase that," he said.
Gholston's sack total tied for third in the nation last season and set a school
record. The Detroit native then turned pro a year early, and he arrives Sunday
in St. Louis for a pre-draft visit with the Rams.
He will be joined Sunday by Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long, Virginia
defensive end Chris Long, and Louisiana State defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey.
Unlike that trio, Gholston wasn't considered a consensus top five pick in
January after the college season ended. He is now.
Gholston's impressive workouts have helped vault him from top 15 status to a
player who conceivably could be taken No. 1 overall by the Miami Dolphins.
Gholston always has liked working out, from his teenage days at Cass Tech in
Detroit.
"I'm big on being physical, being strong and being tough," Gholston said.
"That's what kind of brought me into football."
More specifically, Gholston was walking down the halls of Cass Tech between
classes one day when football coach Thomas Wilcher approached.
"He thought I was a parent at the school, trying to pick up one of my kids,"
Gholston recalled. "I don't know if he was serious or not. I told him I was
actually a student, and he had a shocked look on his face. He asked me if I
ever thought about playing football, and I told him not really."
Then a freshman, Gholston had never played organized football. But one thing
led to another, and he was on the team as a sophomore. Now, after just three
seasons of high school ball and three seasons of college ball (not counting a
redshirt year in 2005 because of a broken hand), Gholston finds himself near
the top of the NFL draft list.
"I started kind of late (in football) compared to everybody else, some would
say," he said. "The biggest thing about me is once I put my mind to something,
I fully commit to it. That's part of the reason I took this quarter off (at
Ohio State), because I really wanted to focus on football."
Make no mistake, Gholston has been on a whirlwind pace since the Buckeyes' BCS
championship game loss to Louisiana State. He took a few days off, deciding
whether to enter the NFL draft. Once that decision was made and he hired an
agent, it was off to the Phoenix area to train at the Athletes' Performance
Institute.
"I spent six weeks out there getting ready, preparing, eating right and taking
care of everything," Gholston said.
The next stop was the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, where he ran an
eye-opening 4.65 seconds in the 40-yard dash at 6 feet 3, 266 pounds. He also
pumped out 37 repetitions in the 225-pound bench press, tying Jake Long for the
Combine high.
Less than two weeks later, he was even more impressive at Ohio State's pro day.
Despite a tight hamstring, which he had tweaked just a few days earlier,
Gholston was even better in the 40 — running in the high 4.5-second range.
Granted, the Astroturf-style surface Ohio State uses to run 40s at pro days is
considered a fast track.
Unhappy with his Combine time, Gholston decided to prove a point. He ran on an
adjacent FieldTurf surface, supposedly a slower track.
"To show them that I have legit speed, I actually ran on the same surface that
was at the Combine," Gholston said.
Most of the discussion and speculation regarding the Rams' No. 2 overall pick
has centered on the Longs and Dorsey. But Gholston shouldn't be overlooked.
Coach Scott Linehan had planned to attend his pro day at Ohio State but
couldn't because of a conflict.
Nonetheless, Rams defensive line coach Brian Baker and vice president of player
personnel Tony Softli went into Columbus a day early and spent extra time with
Gholston.
"Both those guys sat down and had dinner with me," Gholston said. "We talked
quite a bit — just about football, about me in general."
The following day, Gholston said Baker was "one of the main guys" directing his
pro day drills.
Gholston has kept busy since then. He has had private workouts in Columbus for
Atlanta, Miami, New England and the New York Jets. He has paid pre-draft visits
to New England, New Orleans and Oakland.
And now St. Louis.
"It's part of the process," Gholston said. "And it's necessary. You just try to
enjoy it at the same time. You only go through this once in life. The biggest
thing is, you're getting a chance or opportunity to show what you're about for
these teams. I just try to make the best of it."