The last time that Washington State had a defensive lineman drafted was 2003. To help put that in perspective, I was entering my senior in high school and Carson Palmer (USC QB) and Charles Rogers (Michigan State WR) were the first two picks in the NFL Draft.
Joe Salave'a, Washington State's third year defensive line coach, is looking to change that.
Salave'a played his college ball on the defensive line at Arizona before being drafted by the Tennessee Titans 107th overall. He played in 100 games during his career, starting 28 of them and was a contributor on during Tennessee's run to the Super Bowl XXXIV.
Having that kind of experience, coupled with his coaching experience at Arizona and San Jose State, means Salave'a has some wisdom to impart on his current group. After practice yesterday he talked about the transition from high school player to scholarship player, and eventually to professional. A lot of things change along the way but one constant remains: your film is your resume.
"The transition period from high school to college...college to the pros, it's just being a pro. You know as we say 'a lot of film studies,' you know, it's more mental. 80% more mental than the physical part and it didn't take long to understand what time it is."
"Now when you go from a scholarship [player] to a pro, there's a big difference. Your livelihood is at stake. It gives another dimension to your preparation because it's all about production. And that's something I'm trying to get to our guys is to make sure they're play resonates through the film."
"Our film is our resume and that's never gonna change."
Today's high school and college players will have hundreds of hours of game film on Hudl by the time they graduate, and that lesson couldn't ring more true today. Someday this generation will have the opportunity to pull up their 2014 game online against "Team X" and show it to their grandkids.
Salave'a is right, your film is your resume...and that can be a powerful motivator.