Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Fishing is usually enough of a distraction for Jarius Wright. It’s his way to relax, get his mind to slow down and stop running at 4.4 speed.

This week calls for a little more.

“I’m going to try golfing this week,” Wright said. “Just something to keep my mind off the actual draft.”

Wright, who said he entered the week without his own set of clubs but figured it couldn’t hurt to try the sport, is like a number of other local NFL Draft hopefuls. Anticipation has been building for several weeks and it will likely be mid-to-late rounds before the call comes. Today is the first round of the draft and it runs through Saturday.

While Wright, a Warren native, is confident the call is coming, these next few days have the possibility of being pretty stressful.

“I know I’ll get a chance somewhere,” said Wright, a mid-to-late round projection. “But there’s just a lot of anxiety on where I might spend the next three or four years at.”

Joining Wright, who led the Arkansas with 66 catches for 1,117 yards and 12 touchdowns in his final season, among Razorbacks waiting to get drafted are receivers Joe Adams and Greg Childs, defensive end Jake Bequette as linebacker Jerry Franklin. Another handful of players are waiting on free agent possibilities. Other players with state ties who figure to get drafted are Arkansas State linebacker Demario Davis, safety Kelcie McCray and UCA quarterback Nathan Dick.

Adams, who was a versatile scoring threat on offense and special teams, figures to be the first player off the board from the Razorbacks. He caught 52 passes for 652 yards and three touchdowns, averaged 16.9 yards per punt return with four scores and averaged 13.9 yards per rush with a 92-yard touchdown.

A slower than expected 40-yard-dash time seemed to hurt Adams’ stock a bit. But his productivity in college makes him attractive to teams that need a receiving/return threat. Adams, the SEC Special Teams Player of the Year, said he met with multiple teams, including the Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans.

“I would say I would hope to stay where it’s warm, but I can’t pick, so whatever team chooses me, I’m going to make them happy,” the Little Rock native said. “I’m not going to worry about where I get picked up. Whatever team picks me, I’m going to make them proud.”

Childs also said he’s not picky. He just wants the call, one that will likely come between the fifth and seventh rounds.

There was a time Childs, also from Warren, looked like a first-round talent. He had the production and prototypical combination of size and speed, but injury slowed him over the final year-and-a-half of his career.

It wasn’t until late in his senior season that Childs looked like himself. He finished 2011 with 21 catches for 240 yards and no touchdown. Prior to a patella tendon injury his junior season Childs had 1,856 yards and 15 touchdowns on 112 catches.

“I’ve been getting some real good feedback,” said Childs, who is projected to go between the fifth and seventh rounds. He presumably helped his stock by running a 4.41 in the 40 with a  40.5 vertical jump at Arkansas’ pro day.

Bequette is also a late round projection. He had 23.5 sacks for his career and 10 in an injury-shortened senior season, but has been worked out as a defensive end and linebacker. He’s met privately with three teams and his future likely depends on the defensive scheme run by the team that selects him.

Despite the uncertainty of his future team and position, Bequette said he’s not nervous at all. He’ll spend draft day with his family in Little Rock and be thankful when the call comes.

Another few hours of waiting won’t be so bad.

“It’s not going to be that hard to wait,” Bequette said. “I’ve known this was coming for a long time. I’m just excited for an opportunity. That’s all I want.”