by Riley Bauling
Daily Lobo
When Nick Speegle was growing up, he never thought he would have the chance to play in the NFL.
It's funny how much things can change in a year.
"Since I was a kid, I grew up watching the NFL," Speegle said. "But I never thought it was going to happen. I never thought I could make it. But then it kind of became a reality this year."
This year hasn't seen much go wrong for the outside linebacker. After helping his team to its third straight bowl game, the senior garnered first-team Mountain West Conference honors.
Although he didn't get invited to the NFL combine like his teammate Claude Terrell, Speegle still had a chance to show NFL scouts how much that year mattered when they came to UNM to test him and some of his fellow seniors.
"He ran as fast and jumped as high as any of them," head coach Rocky Long said. "He matched or bettered anyone that is supposed to be a first-round linebacker. Some teams have him. The others are missing the boat."
ESPN.com has Speegle going to the NFL as an undrafted free agent. Long said he sees Speegle getting drafted in the fourth or fifth round on the second day of the draft. Speegle, on the other hand, isn't counting on anything just yet.
"I think I should get drafted," he said. "There are guys that are projected second round, and I was first-team All-MWC, and they were second. But that's just the way it goes. Sometimes you don't get the looks that you should."
Those two guys are Matt McCoy from San Diego State and Ryan Claridge from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. ESPN.com has both of those players ahead of Speegle in the draft even though they both made the MWC second team.
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Long said Speegle is at least as good as both Claridge and McCoy, if not better.
But as Saturday draws near, the butterflies in Speegle's stomach are beating their wings a little bit harder. He can't help getting on the Internet to see if any other harsh words are being tossed his way. And boy, does he hate it - the jibes and the Web surfing both. It's just that curiosity always seems to get the best of him.
"I'm starting to get nervous," he said. "I get on the Internet and see what they're saying about me, and some of it is discouraging. I think I should be higher than I am. But then I tell myself not to go online anymore and to just wait until Draft Day to find out."
Speegle said there are some perks to not getting drafted. He said if he's not drafted, he at least gets more of a choice about the team he plays for. As an undrafted free agent, he said he would get to sign with a team he could fit in with the best.
But when it comes down to it, all he wants is for his name to pop up on that draft board.
"It's kind of like a dream come true," Speegle said. "But I don't want to get my hopes up too much. As we get closer to Draft Day, it becomes more realistic that I might not get drafted."
Because not getting drafted is even a possibility, Long said Speegle isn't getting the credit he deserves.
"I think he's going to make someone's team," he said. "He's going to be a lot better player than people think he'll be."
Long said a lot of NFL scouts haven't had time to see the senior's full potential.
But you know, it's funny how much things can change in a year.
