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Zak Kustok
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Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of journal entries written by
Northwestern QB Zak Kustok, who is preparing for the upcoming NFL draft on April 20-21. In
Part 2, Kustok talks about his selection of an agent, his training for the postseason
all-star games and the NFL Scouting Combine, and how he handled some disappointments along
the way.
Once the college season ended, my first major decision in preparing for the NFL draft
was to choose an agent. There is no rule against talking to agents during your collegiate
career; a problem only occurs if you take any benefits from them. Especially during my
senior season, I wanted to concentrate all my efforts toward the season at hand, rather
than look toward the future. I thought it would be selfish of me to think of future plans
instead of the opponent we were gearing up to play each Saturday.
I began hearing from agents after my junior season, but my response to all of them had
been the same. I would politely say that all my thoughts and efforts were being put into
making Northwestern the best I possibly could, and that they could call and talk to my
father, because he is always a major factor in any decision I make, but that I personally
didn’t have time for them at that point.
So they would call and speak to my dad, and through this process, the agents were
narrowed down to a short list by the end of the season. I met or talked over the phone
with each of them, and the one who really seemed just right for me was Fletcher Smith. I
wasn’t looking for a new best friend, which some agents try to be, but rather I was
looking for someone who I really could trust and who I believed was going to do all he
could to help me reach my goals. I also believed that he had a tremendous amount of
confidence in me. Fletcher is Eagles QB Donovan McNabb’s agent as well, so he had
valuable experience with one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL as his client.
Once I signed with Fletcher, our first order of business was to decide where I should
go to train. When McNabb was leaving college, Fletcher had sent him down to New Orleans to
train with Tom Shaw. Each year, college football players preparing for the draft go to
train with Shaw because he is regarded as one of the best (the best, in my opinion) speed
coaches in the country. Last year he trained Michael Vick and Quincy Carter. He has worked
with Deion Sanders and Peyton Manning in the past as well.
On Dec. 8, 2001, about five days after I signed with Fletcher as my agent, my dad and I
packed up my car and drove down to New Orleans. On the trip down to drop me off, it was
great to have him to just talk to because as my best friend, he has really helped me keep
things in perspective through the years. His only advice was to enjoy every minute of this
experience. I promised that I would, but at times that was easier said than done.
I was invited to play in the Gridiron Classic and the Hula Bowl, two senior all-star
games. I had been training with Shaw to get ready to play in those two games at the end of
January and the beginning of February. At the same time, I was also preparing for the NFL
Scouting Combine at the beginning of March. It was a great environment to constantly push
myself to improve. Rohan Davey, the quarterback from LSU, was there as well, so we were
able to push each other through some friendly competition. In addition, there were some
great wide receivers to work with, such as Josh Reed from LSU, Javon Walker from Florida
State, and Jerramy Stevens from Washington. Working with some of the best players in the
country, I was pushed to become better every day.
Having graduated, I was able to focus all my attention toward improving as a football
player. I’m not going to lie; being in such an intense environment in an unfamiliar
location, at times I felt a little lonely. Through talking with my girlfriend and my
parents, I was able to realize that there were still other important aspects in my life,
although it didn’t always seem like it. My dad would always ask if I was having fun,
and I was — up until the day I started to worry about the Combine.
I wasn’t worried about how I would perform at the Combine. I was worried because
most of the guys I was training with had gotten their invitations and I hadn’t. I
called my agent about the invitation, and he said not to worry. Fletcher was sure —
as I had been the whole time — that I was going to receive the invite and figured
that it was just a little slow in the mail. Two more days went by and still no invitation,
so I asked my dad to call Fletcher and have him check it out because it was all I could
think about.
I didn’t know how I wasn’t invited after how well I thought I played this
season. But for some reason I just had a bad feeling in my stomach about the situation. My
dad called me back a few hours later and asked if I was sitting down. He told me that I
hadn’t been invited to the Combine. I was shocked. I didn’t know if I should
laugh or cry. I felt like I had been down in New Orleans for over a month to train for
that one crucial weekend, and for a second I wondered if I had been wasting my time.
My dad knew how bad the news hurt me. He just told me that nothing has ever been handed
to me, and this was one more thing that I would have to overcome. He told me that there
was no one better at overcoming adversity than me. The only words I could muster were
"I know" and "I love you" before I hung up the phone. I felt
devastated and embarrassed because everyone I was training with was invited and I
wasn’t. At first I thought that teams wouldn’t even look at or consider me if I
didn’t go to the Combine (I know now that isn’t the case). I thought that all
the best players were going to be there, except, of course, me. For a moment, I felt
completely helpless and discouraged.
All I needed was to take a look at a picture that I had hanging in my room. This
picture is one I believe in and something that has helped me through some very difficult
times. It is a picture of Jesus with the words, "I never said it would be easy, I
only said it would be worth it." It just made me realize that everything happens for
a reason. And each time I had to explain to people that I wasn’t going to the
Combine, instead of feeling embarrassed about it as I initially did, I thought about one
of my favorite verses from the Bible that fit my situation — Luke 14:11. It reads,
"For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who is humbled shall be
exalted."
I knew that I still had two all-star games and my pro day at Northwestern, where all
the NFL teams would have an opportunity to see me perform. All I could do now was turns
some heads by making an impression every chance I got.
Part 1: Learning life’s little
lessons |
