Former USC running back Silas Redd wrapped up an impressive NFL rookie season this December, overcoming injuries in his senior year to sign as an undrafted free agent with the Washington Redskins and earn his spot on the team's depth chart. A year ago, Redd was unsure of what his future held as he went through rehab, trained for the NFL Combine and looked ahead to the NFL Draft. As this year's class of Trojan NFL hopefuls sets its sights on making it to the next level, Redd takes a look back and provides a window into what the journey to the league looks like from a player's perspective.
The first installment in this series focuses on the period of time between the end of the college football season through the end of the 2014 NFL Combine.
First Steps: December 22, 2013 - January 3, 2014
After our season ended, I only went home to Connecticut for a few days before going to straight down to Florida. I got set up with training in Pensacola with API (Athletes' Performance Institute). It's different for each person to decide where to train; you've got to get the vibe from the place or word of mouth to see where you want to go. Dr. Andrews' Institute (Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine) is in Pensacola. He's one of the best orthopaedic doctors ever. I was coming off of a sprained PCL, so I went down there because I knew I had to rehab my knee and I felt that was the best bet.
One of the things pretty much everyone has to do during that time is pick an agent. My parents had a lot to do with that. My senior year didn't go as I planned, and dealing with injuries and everything that was kind of the last thing I was worried about as I trained. They would interview anyone who wanted to be my agent, then they'd come back to me and we'd talk about what they liked and didn't like. I talked with the top three we picked and came to my decision from there. Agents take a load off of you and allow you to focus strictly on getting ready for the combine, which is the best feeling in the world. Especially my agent, he does it all.
Let the Training Begin: January 4, 2014 - February 21, 2014Once I got to Florida, the work really began - and it was a lot of work. I'd go through two workouts a day, a morning and a late afternoon session. You do testing when you first get there to set the bar and see where you need to be. From there on it's just beating your initial times, reps and everything like that. The trainers prepare you with meals and give you a schedule and it's honestly just that for six weeks straight. They have workouts for each performance thing (the 40 yard dash, vertical, shuttle, etc.) and then just workouts to get your body ready. You do a lot of 40 starts, a lot of 10-yard sprints, and just gradually build up to that full distance. It got real, real tedious and annoying after awhile, but you've got to remember it's all for a purpose.
Maybe it's different for someone who is projected to go in the first round, but my mind did a lot of wandering during that period because I wasn't healthy. I'd think, 'This might be it for me' or question myself like, 'Am I going to be ready? Am I going to be able to play in the NFL?' There were just so many things running through my mind trying to distract me. On top of that, you never know what life is going to throw at you. I ended up losing my grandfather that January while I was training. It's hard to stay focused and give 100 percent in all of your training, but that's just life. There are going to be ups and downs, and in that six-week process there are going to be some too. Everything's not going to be perfect. You're not going to like a time or you're not going to like a jump or you're not going to like how your body is progressing, but you've just got to stay the course and everything will work out.
One of the biggest things that kept me motivated was my son, Nico. Day in and day out, when stuff was getting hard or workouts were killing me, I just saw his face and that got me through everything. At the end of the day, the combine is just one thing. It's a step toward the draft. But you also have Pro Day and stuff like that and there is still a lot of time in between where it's just limbo. For me, I just had to put myself around good vibes and positive people - my family, my son, my old teammates like Woody [Robert Woods] and Qise [Marqise Lee]. That's what helped me get through it.The Combine: February 22 - February 25, 2014, Indianapolis, Ind.
When the week of the combine finally came, it was a long process with some long, long days. You fly to Indy, go through the check-in process and get all your gear. The first day is probably the easiest because the next morning you've got to get up at 4 a.m. for a drug test and from there on out it's non-stop. I'd say its the longest three or four days that you're going to have to go through in your first year. But luckily everyone's days are long and you've got people enduring it with you.
Interviews are one of the first things you do. Some players interview with every team, I only formally interviewed with one. The informal interviews are kind of like speed dating; you talk to position coaches from each team for about five or 10 minutes until the horn sounds. Some teams ask you some weird things. I remember one team gave me a minute to name as many things that I could do with a paper clip that I could think of. Other teams want you to draw up plays from your college team or they teach you something and then in the last minute or so they test you on what you went over. Some just want to get to know you.
At the end of it all, I wasn't very happy with my performance at the combine. I didn't compete in anything except the 40, the vertical and the bench. The bench was fine (18 reps), my vertical was fine (37 inches), but I shouldn't have run the 40. With the whole stage that's set up and every single person watching, it felt like I had to run, like it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. But my knee wasn't ready, and I didn't feel powerful. I ended up running a 4.70.
Next Steps: February 26, 2014
A big thing to realize is that the combine is definitely not the be-all end-all. God-willing you get drafted or signed or picked up. There are a lot of different opportunities you have to make your presence known and fortunately, I was able to do that. I didn't do so great at the combine but I picked it up on the back end. It's a lot more about where you finish than where you start.
