In the second of a three-part series, former Ohio State punter Andy Groom discusses how he is preparing for the NFL draft, which takes place April 26-27 in New York City.
Although the NFL draft is still a month away, Andy Groom isn’t using his time off to just sit and relax.
“I’ve been getting up at about 7:30 a.m. and going to work out at 8:30 a.m.,” Groom said. “I do my lifting and kicking and then go home and take naps. I just try to keep my routine going.”
But along with his training, Groom is ready to hit the books again. He took winter quarter off to concentrate on preparing for the draft. But now, with most of his preparation behind him and the draft just weeks away, Groom hopes to complete his course work and finish his double major in transportation and logistics and marketing.
“I knew last quarter I would be deprived of the time both needed,” Groom said. “I have a 3.09 GPA right now and I don’t want to sacrifice school, but I wanted to fully prepare for a chance of a lifetime in the NFL.”
Along with his own personal workouts at the Woody Hayes Athletic Complex, Groom has also had a chance to showcase his talents in front of scouts from all 32 NFL teams.
After an appearance in the East/West Shrine Game, Groom’s next opportunity to impress prospective employers came last month at the NFL combine in Indianapolis. The combine is an invitation-only week-long training session for potential draftees. Representatives from all teams were in attendance, including a number of coaches and coordinators.
But because almost every prospective rookie shows up at the combine, it is often hard for players to make lasting impressions on pro scouts.
“I didn’t get to show too much,” Groom said. “No one really did great at the combine, but I was happy with it.”
Although the combine might not have gone as well he planned, Groom quickly made up for it in his workout at OSU. During this day, Groom worked out individually in front of interested teams. Without the added pressure of having other athletes around, Groom was able to concentrate and make an impression.
“They had me do almost everything – run the 40 (yard dash), jump, lift weights, kick and run,” Groom said. “I just wanted to show them I’m not just a punter, but an all-around athlete.”
Groom must have made an impression. A number of officials who were at the workout believed Groom put on his best performance.
“Andy showed a lot in his workout,” said one team official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “He really impressed me and he showed that he is ready to make the jump.”
Groom himself was ecstatic about his performance in front of the scouts.
“I think it was one of the best days I’ve ever had,” Groom said. “I just needed that good day, and I got it.”
Groom’s best performance came when the teams asked him to punt. Whether it was directional or yardage punting, Groom believed he had a good rhythm.
“I think I kicked 18 balls, and 15 were as good as I could have,” he said. “It was just a great workout.”
While almost all 32 teams were represented at Groom’s workout, he has already started to get a good idea of interested teams. Groom said eight teams, including Cleveland and Tampa Bay, have expressed a lot of interest in his skills.
“The scouts told me after the workout that they were very happy with what they saw,” Groom said. “I couldn’t have really asked for much better.”
While Groom won’t officially find out if he is drafted into the NFL until his name is called in New York, he has a good idea when he’ll be going.
“If I get drafted, it’s going to be on the second day (in rounds four through seven),” he said. “We have rough estimates right now, but I talked with the Pittsburgh special teams coach and they know they aren’t going to take a punter in the draft. He said they were interested, but he told me that I wasn’t going to be around for them.”
Groom said he believes he’ll be one of the three or four punters taken in the draft.
The past month has been hectic for Groom, but it has not been all work and no play. Over OSU’s spring break, Groom and Buckeye kicker Josh Huston went to Texas to kick and enjoy some time off.
“Me, Josh and (OSU fullback) Brandon Joe have been going golfing a lot,” Groom said. “It’s something I enjoy doing. Now, after I did a commercial for the Bowling Palace, me and my buddies have been going bowling a lot. This has just been a fun time for me, and it’s only going to get better.”
In the final part of the series, The Lantern will take a look at how Groom fared in the draft, what his expectations are and how he plans on spending his time before training camp opens up.
