INDIANAPOLIS – Ohio State wide receiver Austin Mack is back in his home state as he takes part in the NFL Scouting Combine and while Fort Wayne (Ind.) is about 120 miles away from the state capital of Indianapolis, it is still a familiar setting for Mack to visit over the course of the biggest job interview of his life.
Of course Lucas Oil Stadium is very familiar for the Buckeyes with three straight Big Ten Championship Game wins in the building. Mack will go through the paces on that field later in the week but today was about meeting with the media over the Indiana Convention Center.
With former teammates like Terry McLaurin, Parris Campbell and Johnnie Dixon all going through this just a year ago, Mack has been able to lean on some good friends for a window of what this event would look like, even with the schedule changed significantly with drills taking place during the evening instead of the morning.
"I have been able to talk to him and some other guys who went through the same process last year and it definitely gave me a lot of confidence," Mack said.
Obviously, everyone has the same goals at an event like this… the better you do, the more teams you impress, the better your draft stock may end up being come the end of April when the NFL world moves west to Las Vegas for the annual selection event.
"I have got a lot to prove, definitely want to show that I can run pretty fast, be pretty consistent and put out a good clean combine," Mack said on Tuesday morning.
Mack measured in at 6-foot-1.5 and 208 pounds, good size for a receiver at the next level. Mack may not have as much tape as his fellow receivers in the draft from Ohio State with KJ Hill and Binjimen Victor both putting up bigger numbers during their careers but Mack certainly dealt with some bad breaks in college via the injury bug and hopes this week will answer any questions that teams may have regarding his game.
"Of course, with injuries they definitely want to know what is going on," Mack said. "I am fully healthy and ready to go, so just keep consistent with my health."
He certainly has piqued the interest of many teams as several expanded mock drafts have Mack pegged to go somewhere around the 5th or 6th round of the draft. Some team could be getting a good value at that point with a receiver that has proven that he has many of the tools necessary to be successful at that level.
All it takes is one team to make the dreams come true.
"It is a blessing, it is finally here," Mack said. "All of this work and preparation has gotten me this far."
And the competition between all of the Ohio State receivers is quite real with the three players (Mack, KJ Hill and Binjimen Victor) all talking trash to one another about who will put up the best time in the 40-yard-dash.
"They are all my boys, it is awesome to be here," Mack said. "We pushed each other, and we are excited to see what we all run. There are a couple of bets on the line, we are definitely looking forward to it."
