Penn star on NFL's radar

Vince Alexander matured into a star for the Penn football team after his switch from outside linebacker to safety as a freshman. And now that he is one of the best, he wants to play against the best.

The 6'1", 210 lb. senior is now on the NFL's radar screen and has a chance to be picked in this weekend's NFL Draft.

"Playing in the NFL would give me the opportunity to keep playing football, which I love," Alexander said.

"The biggest thing that I look forward to is the competition. I want to play against the best."

Even if his name is not called on Saturday or Sunday in the draft's seven rounds, it is almost a certainty that Alexander will be in high demand as an undrafted free agent.

"I'm optimistic on the weekend," Alexander said. "I have a small chance of getting drafted and a good chance of getting signed as a free agent."

Alexander, who works as an assistant for Penn's Athletic Communications, won't even be watching the first day of the draft. Instead, he'll be at Franklin Field working the Penn Relays.

"My anxiety probably won't pick up until the last four rounds [on Sunday]."

In an article for NFL.com, Pat Kirwan named Alexander as his "free agent darkhorse" at the safety position.

Alexander has already made inroads amongst NFL decision makers.

The senior participated in Penn's Pro Football Day camp on March 5 in front of numerous scouts and has worked out for Cleveland and New Orleans, met with coaches from the New York Jets and has spoken with Kansas City and Cincinnati.

It isn't hard to see why NFL personnel are interested in bringing Alexander into the fold. He earned first team All-Ivy honors for his performance in 2002, one year after garnering an All-Ivy honorable mention.

The safety was had a penchant for the big play last season on the top-ranked Ivy League defense, leading the Ivy League with five interceptions. His two interceptions against then-No. 4 Lehigh set up Penn touchdowns. He also notched a 42-yard touchdown return against Dartmouth and led the Ivy League with 102 return yards.

The former linebacker also hasn't lost his blitzing skills, as evidenced by his five sacks and eight tackles for loss.

In 2001, Alexander played behind starters Kunle Williams and D.L. Bouldrick at safety and tallied 30 tackles, 3.5 sacks and his first career interception.

That type of versatile performance makes Alexander very attractive to NFL teams.

"The kind of role that I would like to see myself in is as a drop-down safety or an outside linebacker who can either cover the receiver, blitz off the edge or provide solid run support," Alexander said.

Although he lacks the ideal size for the outside linebacker position, Alexander possesses the speed, coverage and tackling ability that is necessary to be an asset against the NFL's pass-happy offenses.

"Right now, I just want to get into a camp," Alexander said. "If I have a chance to show my abilities, I think I'll have a great shot at making a team."

If Alexander signs with a pro team, he would join the ranks of Penn alumni Jim Finn and Jeff Hatch, both currently of the New York Giants.

Finn was "Mr. Irrelevant" -- the title given to the final pick of the draft -- in 1999 when the Chicago Bears selected him. The fullback saw limited action in his three years in the league with the Indianapolis Colts.

Hatch was drafted in the third round of the 2002 draft, but was injured in the preseason and subsequently did not play. The offensive lineman was only the 12th Ivy Leaguer to be drafted in the top three rounds since 1956.

Last season, three graduating Penn players signed free agent contracts after going undrafted. Running back Kris Ryan signed with the Detroit Lions, quarterback Gavin Hoffman with the Cincinnati Bengals and safety Kunle Williams with the Cleveland Browns.

None of the three made the teams' rosters for the season, although Ryan made it to the Lions' final cuts.

Each year, Ivy players get NFL consideration, and Alexander is not the only Ancient Eight player who could receive a phone call from the NFL this weekend.

Harvard's 6'4", 300 lb. offensive tackle Jamil Soriano has perhaps the best chance of any Ivy player to go in the first three rounds on Saturday. The All-Ivy offensive tackle may project as a guard in the NFL.

A trio of wide receivers also has a shot at jumping from the Ivy League to the professional ranks.

Carl Morris of Harvard is expected to be selected after earning two Ivy League Most Valuable Player awards in his career. Morris hauled in two catches for 42 yards in the annual all-star East-West Shrine Game.

Chas Gessner of Brown made an unconventional move by declaring for the draft after his junior season. The 6'5" receiver tied Jerry Rice's Division I-AA record with 24 receptions against Rhode Island this season.

Princeton wideout Chisom Opara earned All-Ivy honors last season and is also on the pro radar screen. The Maryland native had a pre-draft workout with the Baltimore Ravens.

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