UTICA — As the days roll by and the National Football League entry draft nears, each and every potential draftee has to play the games surrounding the draft. Each one sits back, watches the trades being made as teams jockey for position and hopes that they have done enough to catch a team’s eye.
Miami of Ohio graduate Todd Londot is one of those potential draftees. With 255 spots open for the seven rounds, the competition is fierce, but that doesn’t faze the Utica High School graduate.
Londot has done all he can to make this happen since his high school days. He played three different spots for the RedHawks, handed the ball off to a future NFL first-rounder and played in several bowl games. He has spent countless hours in the weight room, making the sacrifices he knew he had to make in order to achieve this dream. Now, all he can do is sit and wait.
“This is the easy part,” Londot said. “I’m just sitting back, relaxing and preparing for the next stage in my life. There is some pressure so I just try and do as many things that I can to keep my mind off of it. I can’t worry about it. It is out of my hands.”
Londot’s 2006 has been very busy. After graduating last December with a degree in education, Londot spent the next three months focused on football. He was invited to play in the Hula Bowl game in February and spent several weeks in Napierville, Ill., working out with a professional trainer. Then in late March, Londot headed back to Oxford for Miami of Ohio’s pro day to show off his skills for the scouts.
“Right after the Hula Bowl, I went back to Chicago and continued to train for about 14 weeks total,” Londot said. “I worked with a trainer. It was intense. It was three times a day, six days a week working out. I was there until my pro day on the 23rd of March, then I stayed at Miami for three weeks, and now I came back home and have been working out at the high school.
“I think (the Hula Bowl and the Pro day) helped move me up in a lot of people’s minds,” Londot said. “I played left tackle in the Hula Bowl, which a lot of people hadn’t seen me play, so I think that helped me out. It showed that I am versatile and that I can play multiple positions. My pro day allowed me to show off a lot of my athleticism and my athletic ability — things a lot of people might not have known about. Both of those things helped prepare me and, hopefully, will help me out on draft day.”
Working with the professional trainer taught Londot a thing or two of what professional athletes go through. It also showed him what he has to look forward to in the NFL.
“I worked on several drills and on a lot of things that aren’t football specific, but that they test at the draft,” Londot said. “I really geared myself toward those things and my times went down, my weights went up. Everything was positive and went very well up there.”
Londot was able to show off his versatility at both the Hula Bowl and the pro day, something he hopes will make him more appealing to the NFL teams.
“I’ve played in a lot of different systems,” said Londot. “In high school, I played in more of a run-oriented offense. At Miami, we ran more of a spread offense. I’ve played in a lot of different all-star games with a lot of different systems so I think I can fit in well with all of them. I have the athleticism to play the run, but I have the power as well.
“I just want to play wherever they want me,” Londot added. “I think that I can be good at any position with enough work. I have the versatility to play multiple positions. It is just a matter of getting the work, getting the technique and getting the coaching that I need for those positions.”
Like most potential draftees, Londot has signed with an agent, who is trying to get his client the best deal possible. But not even an agent can predict his future.
“I really don’t have any one team that is looking at me,” added Londot. “All of the teams were represented at the pro day. I really don’t know which team has me higher than another. I just have to wait and see. No one really gives you any insight on what they are looking for. ... I had individual workouts with Jacksonville, San Francisco, Tampa Bay, Cleveland and a couple of others.”
Working out for the Browns might be the most intriguing for Londot, considering his central Ohio roots.
“Growing up my family were big Browns fans and I have always been a Browns fan,” Londot said. “I can remember the days when I watched them on Sundays and dreamed of playing for them. In college, as I got to know people playing in the NFL, I started to root for them. My buddy, Jacob [Bell], plays for the [Tennessee} Titans and Ben {Roethlisberger] plays for the Steelers. ... I’m not really a Steelers fan, but more of a Roethlisberger fan. I like to see them do well.
“Getting to work out for the Browns was great,” added Londot. “It was at the pro day. They watched me work out and wanted to see me do some stuff. It would be great to stay around here and play close to home. It would be a dream come true, but whatever happens, happens.”
Londot is very realistic when considering his draft status. He knows that there are a select few that will make the first day of the draft.
“It is tough to get drafted on the first day, especially for an offensive lineman,” Londot said. “I’m just looking for the late rounds — sixth or seventh — maybe I’ll move into the fifth, but if not, I’ll go the free agency route. Then, I could pick the best spot for me.”
As the clock continues to tick down to draft, Londot has had the opportunity to reflect on what this all means. He has also had the opportunity to think about his future.
“It would be a tremendous honor to be drafted. It is everything I’ve worked toward, but it is not everything. I’ve always wanted to do it — play at the highest level of the sport that you love. ... Getting drafted is only part of it. Getting drafted or free agency, which ever it is, you still have to perform and make the team. This is only a starting point, hopefully. I want to play a long career in the NFL.
“Either way, I’m going to stick with this for a couple of years and pursue it. I want to see what happens with it. Then, I’ll go from there. I do have my degree in teaching and if that is what I have to fall back on, it is not a bad thing. It is something else I love to do.”
