Porter is a fascinating pickup by Chiefs
Porter is a fascinating pickup by Chiefs- kansascity.com
The Chiefs just added a player to their practice squad who may never play in a game.
But the signing of offensive lineman Jermail Porter is intriguing.
Porter, who originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with New England (where else?) this year, did not play college football but was an All-American wrestler at Kent State.
He finished sixth at the 2009 NCAA championships after winning the Mid-America Conference heavyweight title as a senior and going 31-4.
Why does that intrigue me? We’ve seen former college wrestlers make it in the NFL. And, having covered some Big 12 and NCAA wrestling when the NCAA championships were in Kansas City a few years ago, I learned to appreciate the toughness, stamina, dedication and discipline of these athletes.
New England guard Stephen Neal also did not play college football but was a two-time NCAA wrestling champion at Cal State-Bakersfield. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Patriots in 2001 and has been a starter since 2004.
Minnesota Vikings center John Sullivan was a three-time Connecticut state wrestling champion with a 138-6 career record before concentrating on football at Notre Dame, but I remember talking to him at the NFL combine in 2008 about how the quickness and footwork required in wrestling helped him in football.
And who could forget that Chiefs Hall of Fame nose tackle Curley Culp was an NCAA heavyweight champion at Arizona State and a member of the 1968 U.S. Olympic team?
Let’s see what Porter, at 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds, can do with some football training. Considering the play of the Chiefs’ offensive line, it can’t hurt.