Western Michigan's Drew Nowak had no problem getting into the offensive backfield as a defensive lineman these last few seasons in the MAC. Now, NFL teams like the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs are hoping he can do the same for them as they survey the 2012 NFL Draft class for gems in the later rounds.
Nowak is 6-4. 295 lbs. and won the MAC Defensive Player of the Year Award last season for his incredible 91 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. He also had 4 more quarterback hurries, 1 forced fumble and 2 blocked kicks. Despite his performance, however, it's clear that he'll be a late round selection.
"These last couple weeks are about just being able to stay focused," said Scotty Smith, Nowak's trainer who runs the Green Bay branch of the Don Beebe franchise. "Not do anything too out of the box or crazy that's going to put him in a weird position, but just making sure if the phone rings and someone else wants to bring him in for a private workout, he's ready."
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