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Defensive lineman Will Pericak been a bright spot for the Colorado Buffaloes in an otherwise grim season. The senior and Boulder native has 37 tackles, six tackles for a loss, two sacks, and has forced four fumbles for a defense that doesn't give him a ton of help. He's done this all while dealing with Type I diabetes.
Head coach John Embree talked about Pericak during his Tuesday press conference, and spoke about the interest Pericak is receiving from NFL scouts:
"Yes they (scouts) have. They don’t really talk to coaches, they watch tape, they talk to the trainer, they talk to the equipment man, they talk to the strength and conditioning coach. They watch a lot of tape, they may just ask, ‘Hey what kind of kid is he,’ and that is it. The scouts that do come through, the one thing they say is, ‘Wow, his motor,’ they cannot get over how hard he plays; and that excites them because, as I told Will, he has made himself some money this year because of that. There is more talented people out there than him but he will play longer than those guys if he stays healthy, just because of his motor and how he prepares and gets ready for the game of football."
Pericak won't be a first round pick, but he's likely to be drafted barring something catastrophic happening between now and April. He may lack the physical tools of some of the top prospects, but his constant high energy play during a very difficult season has gotten the attention of the professionals.
The Buffs face the Washington Huskies on Saturday, and will end the season on Friday, Nov. 23rd against the Utah Utes.