Vallos hopes to find a fit

03.29.2007

There's the money, the fame and the fulfillment of a childhood dream.

When it comes to the NFL, Steve Vallos denies the appeal of none of those things.

But on a more simple, everyday-life basis, Vallos takes a humble approach to finding himself on the cusp of joining the football elite.

"My friends are starting to look for jobs," he said. "They're putting on jackets and ties, going for interviews, talking about moving away. To think that I could play football for a living, hey, that's really something to think about."

This football dream world in which Vallos has been living the last nine months is bound to end sometime -- but he's hoping not anytime soon. The top offensive lineman on a Wake Forest team that shocked everybody last year en route to wins over Florida State, Boston College and Georgia Tech, the ACC title and an appearance in the Orange Bowl, Vallos now hopes he'll hear his name called during next month's NFL Draft.

Though he's more than open to auditions from all 32 teams, he does admit one preference. And considering he comes from a pretty important place in Browns history -- Boardman, Ohio -- that preference is pretty clear.

"The Browns mean a lot to me, to my family, to just about everybody in Boardman," he said. "Bernie (Kosar) was always my man. He's a legend, obviously, and the Browns are huge in Boardman.

"As far as I know, (Kosar) is the only guy from Boardman who's played in the NFL in my lifetime. So it would be great to be next."

Vallos' football resume says he's dependable, smart and versatile. After redshirting at Wake Forest in 2002, he never missed a start over the last four years, playing every position but center and helping to open holes in three of those years for current Browns running back Chris Barclay, who won the ACC rushing title in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

He settled in at tackle for his final two seasons and was a first-team All-American pick by Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News last fall. He played in the East-West Shrine Game in January, but wasn't invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in February.

"I can't lie -- I was pretty upset," he said of the combine snub. "I know I'm as a good or better than most of the guys who did get invited. I just have to prove myself a different way."

Vallos said he hoped to do that with his game tape of battles with top-level players like last year's top overall draft pick, Mario Williams of North Carolina State, and Clemson's Gaines Adams, a likely top-10 pick this year.

"I held my own against all those guys," he said. "Gaines Adams got me good one time, but I did well after that. I've played against some of the best out there, I never missed a game, and I did well. I think that speaks for itself.

"I still know (NFL) people want to see that I can play, and that's fine. The East-West game was a good experience, and I think I did well. I'm trying to get my name out there."

Vallos measured at 6-foot-2 and 306 pounds at Wake Forest's pro day earlier this month, up about five pounds from his playing weight last fall. He said he's comfortable with a potential move inside to guard, where he played the first year and a half of his college career, and willing to listen to whatever ideas an NFL team that picks him might have.

"Sure, I think about the draft," he said. "Everybody thinks about it; everybody wants to be a first round pick. If I get picked in the sixth or seventh round, that's fine. And if I don't get picked at all, that had better be fine, too, because then I'll have to earn my way as a free agent.

"I've been told that I'm not big enough to play tackle. But it only takes one team to tell I'm good enough to play, and that's what I'm looking for."