If you can't find good articles about Bearcats, just go to the Nassau Guardian!
https://thenassauguardian.com/2020/04/23...me-called/
Ferguson expecting to hear his name called
Chris Ferguson.
April 23, 2020
Simba French
(can't paste a great photo of Ferguson)
It was years away, then months, weeks and days, and now, it’s just hours before Bahamian offensive linesman Chris Ferguson will find out if he will be drafted in the 2020 National Football League (NFL) Draft. The draft gets underway tonight and wraps up on Saturday.
The seven-round, 254-player draft will be held virtually with team representatives making their selections and league Commissioner Roger Goodell announcing those selections from the comfort of their respective homes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first round gets underway at 8 o’clock tonight and will be televised on NFL Network, ESPN and ABC. The second and third rounds will be held tomorrow night, starting at 7 o’clock, and the remaining rounds will be held on Saturday, beginning at noon.
“So much is going through my head,” Ferguson said. “I feel good and confident in the style of play I have produced and the season that I had. The player that I am and the athleticism that I have, I can compete anywhere that I go. We will just take it as it comes.”
This is a big moment for the big man. He joked that he is so excited and nervous, that his fingernails are gone and he hardly slept the past two days.
Football pundits have taken their predictions for the draft up a notch in the past couple days. Ferguson said he has tuned them out for the most part.
“I do not really follow up expert takes on the draft, and the persons talking on television, because nine of the 10 times, they haven’t played football. At the same time, one pick in the draft can change the whole scheme of the whole draft, so it can go a million different ways, so there is no way to predict it,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson said there have been 15 to 20 teams that have shown interest in him, but five or six of those teams have been following his progress.
For him, he said, being drafted will be huge, especially coming from The Bahamas.
“Being a kid, growing up in The Bahamas and turning on the television to see football players, is how I grew up,” he said. “There isn’t much football players in The Bahamas, so you can’t play football in high school and go off. Doing this and being able to make my dream come true and make it to the NFL is a goal of mine. I just hope I can help other kids back home in The Bahamas, help fulfill their dreams of playing in the NFL.”
The former University of Cincinnati Bearcats player has been working on his strength and speed since playing in his last collegiate game. In addition, he has been doing yoga and a lot of exercises, trying to staying sharp. He is in Orlando, Florida, and during the lockdown, he said he has been able to work on skills that he forgot he had. Ferguson said the lockdown has also helped him to remain focused on the task at hand.
He stays in contact with his family during the pandemic, ensuring that they are doing well. Ferguson has had a long journey to get to this point and has had his family, friends, coaches and teammates as his support system over the years. As for which round he predicts he will be selected in, Ferguson said: “I’m just leaving it in God’s hands.”
It could be just hours before the 6’5”, 315-pound offensive lineman realizes his dream.
https://thenassauguardian.com/2020/03/20...the-draft/
Eyes Set on the Draft
(can't paste another great photo of Ferguson)
Bahamian football player Chris Ferguson has put his name in the hat for the NFL Draft, set for April 23-25 in Paradise, Nevada. Ferguson played his last collegiate game for the Cincinnati Bearcats in December. FILE
March 20, 2020
Simba French
3
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Bahamian football player Chris Ferguson has put his name in the hat for the upcoming National Football League (NFL) Draft, set for April 23-25 in Paradise, Nevada. Ferguson played his last collegiate game back in December, and since that time, he has been preparing for the draft.
Despite the rapid spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the draft will proceed as planned but all the public events surrounding it have been cancelled, the league announced on Monday.
Although the pandemic has slowed down persons socially, the former University of Cincinnati Bearcats offensive linesman said he has been working out on a regular basis.
“Where I train is like a one-on-one facility, so we don’t really worry about the big crowds – nine out of 10 times it’s just me and my coach,” said Ferguson.
Ferguson was not invited to the NFL Combine which allows NFL teams to have a closer look at players, but is confident that he has gotten the attention of a few professional scouts.
“Unfortunately, I wasn’t invited to the combine, but my pro day was close and there were a lot of teams coming out to see me. This whole coronavirus thing has really messed up a lot of guys’ chances to show themselves in front of scouts,” Ferguson said.
The massive Bahamian offensive linesman is working out in Orlando, Florida. He said that with help from his trainer, they have been working on flexibility, leg strength, upper body strength and keeping his football IQ sharp. He was also working on hand-eye coordination, hand placement, pass sets and run-blocking.
Despite not being able to get an invitation to the NFL Combine, the big man is very confident heading into the draft.
“We have been getting a lot of feedback from teams,” Ferguson said. “I am confident that I am going to get a chance for sure. I just can’t wait to get to training camp and show teams what I can do. Teams are going to get one of the hardest people if not the hardest working person in that locker room. I’ll bring great energy day in and day out and I am a great leader. They won’t get a guy who is hungrier than me. I’ll never quit and never stop working. I’ll never stop scratching and clawing for what I want and need for the team. I’ll sacrifice if I have to for the good of the team.”
Right now, Ferguson and his agent are looking at him being picked up in the fifth or sixth round. If he does not get drafted, he will hit free agency. He was tight-lipped about which teams have shown interest so far, but said he will reveal them later.
The Bahamian has been keeping up with the league’s offseason moves that have seen high-profile names changing teams. One such player is former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady who is trying to finalize a deal to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Ferguson is a fan of the Patriots and said they still have Bill Belichick, whom he calls the greatest coach. He still expects great things from them.
Ferguson has been in touch with his family members here at home to see how they are doing given the state of emergency proclaimed by Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis in the House of Assembly on Wednesday in revelation to the coronavirus pandemic reaching The Bahamas. Ferguson wants Bahamians to take the coronavirus serious, stating that people are dying from it every day.
Ferguson said “we will get through this together” and that The Bahamas will once again show its tremendous resiliency.
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OT: 2020 NFL Draft
