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Zak Kustok
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Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of journal entries written by
Northwestern QB Zak Kustok, who is preparing for the upcoming NFL draft on Saturday and
Sunday. In Part 3, Kustok talks about his demeanor leading up to the big weekend and his
performances in the all-star games and on his Pro Day at Northwestern.
With the NFL draft only a few short days away, I honestly do not find myself overly
stressed or worried about the big upcoming weekend. Earlier in the week, I met with
Fletcher Smith, my agent, along with my parents to discuss the draft and any questions I
had about it. From the news that Fletcher has been hearing, I could go as early as the
fourth round and as late as free agency. You just never know until your name gets called.
Fletcher was surprised at how relaxed I seemed, and I’m that way because I know
that everything is going to work out for the best, whether I go drafted or undrafted. I am
just excited that I am going to have another opportunity to play football again. I also
feel at ease because I know that I have done the best I could with the opportunities I had
in front of NFL scouts.
I played in two college all-star games in consecutive weeks. The first game I played in
was the Gridiron Classic in Orlando, Fla. It pitted a team consisting of high school or
college players from Florida against a team representing the rest of the country. This
game went on after I had found out that I hadn’t been invited to the Combine, so I
just went into the game with the attitude that I had nothing to lose and was going to
prove to people that I could play at the next level.
I thought that I had a great week of practice and turned many of the scouts’
heads. Numerous scouts told me that my arm was stronger than they had thought, which is
probably the biggest question surrounding my game. I’d just tell them that there has
never been a throw in a game that I couldn’t make.
The following week, Mel Kiper said on the radio that the two quarterbacks who helped
themselves out the most at the all-star games were Tulane’s Patrick Ramsey at the
Senior Bowl and myself. Hearing that made me feel as though I had accomplished one of my
goals for the week. My other goal was to have fun and enjoy my experience. I had worked
hard for the past few years to reach this point, and I just wanted to keep it all in
perspective.
I got a chance to play with some of the best players in the country whom I had only
seen before on ESPN highlights. That was the highlight of my week. It wasn’t a pass I
threw or a play I made. It was becoming friends with guys whom, before this opportunity, I
had only read about or seen on TV. Some of them I still keep in contact with.
Also, from the time I arrived at the hotel in Orlando, ESPN had a camera crew following
me around because I was involved in a feature on what the week was like for a player in
the all-star game. In the end, Team U.S.A. lost, but it felt good to play in front of a
crowd and cameras again.
After the Gridiron Classic, I was off to Hawaii to play in the Hula Bowl. It felt as
though I was going on vacation. Who could pass up a trip to Maui to play football? We only
had two practices, which were conducted in helmets and shoulder pads, but it was great
fun.
The Hula Bowl arranged numerous activities for us, but my favorite was an afternoon of
surfing. It was my first time surfing, and it was a blast. I didn’t want to leave the
water when it was time to go. After the game, I was ready to go back to Chicago to relax
for a few days before I started training again for my workouts.
Since I wasn’t invited to the Combine, the Pro Day at Northwestern was my
opportunity to get timed in the 40-yard dash and agility drills, and the scouts would get
to see me throw. The day was everything I expected. Scouts clocked me at times that ranged
from 4.58 to 4.67 on my two runs in the 40, and after one of the drills (the three-cone
drill), a scout told me I ran one of the fastest times he had ever seen for a quarterback.
The most important aspect of the day for me was throwing, and I was very pleased with
my performance. I wouldn’t have been completely satisfied unless I completed every
pass, but I was pretty close. A scout from the Patriots told me not to worry about not
going to the Combine, but to just continue to make the most of every opportunity, as I had
been doing. He said that he had seen me play a few times, and that he wrote down that I
reminded him of Tom Brady, who didn’t get drafted until late. That meant a lot
because Tom obviously has done very well for himself.
Even though these last few days leading up to the NFL Draft are a very anxious time for
all of the prospects, I am comforted by the fact that I don’t feel that I wasted an
opportunity. I know that whether you are drafted or a free agent, once you get to camp,
you have to earn your spot on the field. Players earn respect by how they perform on the
field, not by how high they were drafted. All I know is that I am going to get an
opportunity with an NFL team, and I am going to make the most of it.
Part 2: Humbled, but persistent and
ready to overcome adversity |
