by Riley Bauling
Daily Lobo
ESPN's NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. has one person who's not listening to what he has to say.
Former UNM football wide receiver Hank Baskett said he's not sweating what any of the draft experts are throwing out there as the NFL Combine finished Tuesday.
"When coach (Jeff) Fisher from the (Tennessee) Titans talked to us at the Senior Bowl, he said, 'Don't listen to Mel Kiper and all of them because they don't draft you. We do,'" Baskett said.
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The 6-foot-4 Baskett was invited to the combine along with former Lobos DonTrell Moore, Ryan Cook and Terrance Pennington. Three hundred players received invites to the event in Indianapolis, where they took part in drills designed to test their speed, strength and agility for NFL coaches, general managers and scouts in preparation for the NFL Draft.
Baskett said he has no regrets about his performance at the combine.
"I felt like I did much better than I thought I would," he said. "Everything came together real smoothly. I feel like there's nothing I could have done better in."
In the 40-yard dash, Baskett shined. Projected to run a 4.6, Baskett clocked a 4.49.
That might be why Baskett's taking it easy right now, not worrying about any of the predraft hype.
"Throughout the whole process, I've never been as relaxed as I am now," he said. "So, yeah, I'm just chilling."
That laid-back attitude might change soon, though. March 21 is pro day for UNM, where prospective Lobos get a chance to work out at University Stadium in front of NFL scouts without being overshadowed by other players.
The butterflies might set in when the draft comes on April 29-30.
"I'm sure once it gets close to draft time, that's when I'll be nervous," Baskett said.
He might be more nervous if what some of the scouts have told him starts looking like it'll come true. In the two-day, seven-round draft, he might be taken in the first three rounds, he said.
"I just heard that I should go on the first day," Baskett said, "and it's a pretty good feeling to know that."
