Quinn Looking For A Shot At The Pros

[MeanGreen61]

Quin looking for a shot at the pros

10:48 AM CDT on Saturday, April 28, 2007

By Brett Vito/Staff Writer

Most of the top prospects in the NFL draft left school months ago to head to training facilities in an effort to drop an extra tenth of a second from their 40-yard dash times or add strength that could push them up a pick or two.

North Texas wide receiver Johnny Quinn couldn't work out until recently, so he did the next best thing.

Quinn went to work.

The Mean Green's all-time leading receiver graduated in December, landed a job selling insurance and started recovering from surgery on a dislocated tendon in his ankle that required surgery after UNT's season.

"I did a lot of physical therapy on my ankle after surgery and finally got cleared," Quinn said. "It has been a long process."

Quinn has been playing catch-up ever since by working out at a series of pro days, an approach he hopes pays off in the draft that begins today and concludes Sunday. Quinn and guard Dylan Lineberry are UNT's top draft prospects.

"It's everyone's goal to get drafted," Quinn said. "I have heard that I might go in the later rounds, but I will take it as it comes."

Quinn has signed with Stinson Morrison Hecker, which is representing 10 draft-eligible players this year. The agency sends the players it represents to a training camp, but Quinn was unable to attend because of his ankle injury.

Quinn (6-0, 202) spent the last few months working out in Denton while he wasn't selling insurance. He attended pro days at UNT and UT-Arlington in addition to working out for the Dallas Cowboys at their annual event for draft-eligible players who played at area high schools.

Quinn's best performance at his workouts came at UTA, where he posted a time of 4.44 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

Quinn said six to eight teams have contacted him.

"I don't know what my chances are of being drafted," Quinn said. "You hear everything. I am just looking for an opportunity to get into camp and show what I can do."

There were few players who did more for UNT during their careers. Quinn caught 187 passes for 2,728 yards and 21 touchdowns while catching at least one pass in 47 straight games. Quinn's reception and yardage totals are both school records.

The former McKinney standout set both marks despite playing in a run-based offense that produced a pair of national rushing champions in his career.

UNT also had an unstable situation at quarterback his last two seasons. The Mean Green used three players at quarterback during that span, including two who played as freshmen and another who started in his first season after transferring from a junior college.

While UNT's offense might have hurt Quinn's draft stock, the role he played on special teams could help him. Quinn returned kicks and punts throughout his career and was a holder on extra points and field goals.

"The teams that I have talked to like that I have returned kicks and played special teams," Quinn said. "I played every position on special teams and enjoyed it."

Quinn's history as a special teams ace could allow him to follow the path several other former UNT greats have followed into the NFL over the last few seasons. Miami Dolphins running back Patrick Cobbs, New York Giants defensive lineman Adrian Awasom and New York Jets linebacker Brad Kassell all found a home in the league after going to training camp as undrafted free agents.

Jets linebacker Cody Spencer was selected in the sixth round by Oakland Raiders, but was later released. The Tennessee Titans picked up Spencer, who made the team.

"I talked to Patrick and he echoed what everyone else has told me," Quinn said. "You have to get into camp and do what you have always done, which is play football and compete and everything will be fine."

That approach paid off for Quinn at UNT, where he overcame all the shortcomings that made him one of the last players the Mean Green offered a scholarship to in its 2002 recruiting class.

Quinn wasn't particularly tall for a receiver coming out of high school and lacked sprinter's speed. Working out with the track team has helped Quinn gain speed, but draft analysts have criticized his route running and ability to carry his speed through cuts.

"It has been the same thing since I was recruited out of high school," Quinn said. "It's the scouts’ job to pick at you. Sometimes they find things that you need to work on."

Quinn plans to watch the draft at home, but said his attention will likely turn to video games after a few picks.

A few NFL scouts said they believe Quinn will get a call, either in the late rounds or after the draft when teams begin signing free agents.

"Quinn is going to be in somebody's training camp, and there is no doubt he has a chance to be a late draft pick," Gil Brandt, the former Cowboys vice president for player personnel who now works as an analyst for NFL.com, said earlier this year. "You have to be doing something right to catch a pass in as many consecutive games as he has. His average of 20.9 yards a catch from his freshman year will help him."

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.

[FirefightnRick]

How many of those 187 passes do you think he caught in stride? Seems like every time he caught a ball he was outjumping someone for it? Maybe someone here can remind me of some of the others, but one of the most memorable catch and runs, and probably a rare one for him at that, was when he toasted Baylor's secondary for that 80 something yard TD at the start of our game in '04 down in Waco. He ran a deep post and got behind the secondary on the cut and Hall hit him in stride. Six points. The baylor faithfull around us looked like we crapped in their nachos after that one. I thought..."SWEET JESUS that guy is fast!".

Rick