NFL: Ex-Husker Dillard giving it his best shot at combine

LINCOLN — Ndamukong Suh will be a marquee name at the NFL Combine, which starts this week. Larry Asante already has built some pre-combine buzz.

Phillip Dillard? Of the three former Huskers invited, Dillard is the darkhorse, the one who could surprise or fizzle — it's impossible to say for sure.

Still, heading into the mentally taxing and stressful testing, examinations and interviews before NFL Draft decision-makers in Indianapolis, Dillard has found an inner peace. He's done the work. Put in the time. He's lifted and ran with a purpose ever since receiving his combine invitation.

The last thing on his mind right now is where it takes him or what people think of him — a strange serenity in the face of his football livelihood possibly being at stake.

“I feel pretty prepared, as far as everything — the physical part, the interviewing process,'' Dillard said. “I feel pretty comfortable. I don't know if there is any hesitance or unknowns. I just feel good about going there.''

Dillard might be the afterthought of the three former Huskers, but he has no less riding on his time at Lucas Oil Stadium. Players and NFL personnel begin arriving today, with workouts scheduled to begin Saturday. The NFL Network will provide coverage.

Suh will command attention as the defensive tackle tries to firm up his status as the potential No. 1 overall pick. Although Suh mostly has been locked down in Dallas for workouts, his name has stayed front and center since his last game in the Holiday Bowl.

Asante will try to sustain some of the momentum that he built at safety during his final season, his week at the Senior Bowl and his workouts at the PLEX training facility in Houston. Asante is ranked as high as the No. 3 strong safety by NFL Draft Scout and potentially could be a mid-round draft pick in April.

Suh has raised eyebrows by insisting all along that he will do everything at the combine, rather than sit on his already golden credentials. That attitude didn't change after Suh signed with Maximum Sports Management last month, and agent Eugene Parker said he respects both that philosophy and how Suh has quietly prepared for his time in Indianapolis.

“He has a tremendous amount of focus,'' Parker said. “You know where his priorities are. And right now he's preparing for the pre-draft scrutiny that you have to go through. It's a process that the NFL set in place, and he wants to show them that he respects their process and he will go through it all.''

Dillard, by contrast, has no other choice.

Yes, he came on strong during the final 12 games of his senior season at NU. The 6-foot-1, 241-pounder from Tulsa, Okla., hopes what he has on film speaks for itself.

But he lacks the hype of other middle linebackers like Rolando McClain of Alabama or Brandon Spikes of Florida, and won't go out and run a sub-4.6 40 like Pat Angerer of Iowa or Daryl Washington of Texas Christian.

He's ready for the post-combine critiques that will point out all of his deficiencies.

“I know I've got to have thick skin, but I don't think there's anything anybody can say to me that's going to break me down,'' Dillard said. “Whatever they say I can't do, then I'll make sure I work on it so it becomes something I can do and do well.''

Some of that started at the Senior Bowl, although Dillard still considered the last-minute trip invaluable as far as exposure and experience. He got to meet with almost 20 teams and tasted some of the pressure of working out and practicing before NFL personnel.

With the intensity of drills leaving some linebackers bent over and gasping for air, Dillard said he stood tall and displayed the benefits of time spent with NU strength and conditioning coach James Dobson.

“You were able to show if you'd been working or not,'' Dillard said. “Coach Dobson had me in shape and conditioned, and that really helped. I feel quick and I feel strong and I feel fast.''

To get there, Dillard has been working out twice a day at the Osborne Complex, while going to class in between to finish his degree in sociology. Any leftover time is devoted to watching film — whether to study his own technique or learn more about offenses.

If Dillard falters in any drill or drills in Indianapolis, he can try to make amends at the Huskers' pro day on March 11. As calm as he might seem, though, he knows that it won't be the same opportunity as the combine.

“You only get one try,'' he said.

Contact the writer:

444-1042, rich.kaipust@owh.com

NFL COMBINE WORKOUT SCHEDULE

Saturday: Kickers, special teams, offensive linemen and tight ends

Sunday: Receivers, quarterbacks and running backs

Monday: Linebackers and defensive linemen

Tuesday: Defensive backs

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