2006 NFL Draft: Double Shot for MBA?

Montgomery Bell Academy alumni Ingle Martin and Moses Osemwegie hope to give Tennessee a rare double shot in the 2006 NFL Draft, as the two former Big Red stars should appear on quite a few draft boards later this year.

With only roughly three dozen former Tennessee high school stars appearing in the NFL during the past two seasons, very few Tennessee high schools can claim at least one alum on an NFL roster. MBA looks to add two in the same draft come April.

Martin served as quarterback for MBA's back-to-back state title teams in 1999 and 2000, and the high school All-American ultimately signed scholarship papers with Steve Spurrier and the Florida Gators. However, Spurrier's ultimate departure from his alma mater, and the emergence of another high school All-American - Chris Leak - later led to Martin's transfer to I-AA Furman. Martin had a stellar two-year career for the Paladins, passing for roughly 2,800 yards and 22 touchdowns as a junior, and another 20 touchdowns and over 2,900 yards as a senior. Martin also rushed for another eight touchdowns over his two years at Furman.

Osemwegie had an equally successful college career, playing linebacker for Vanderbilt. Martin's high school teammate was a major contributor for the Commodores in each of his four years, registering 53 tackles as a freshman, 126 stops as a sophomore, 94 hits as a junior, and another 118 as a senior, giving him almost 400 tackles over his career. The All-SEC performer also contributed four interceptions over his college career and continued a tradition of fine linebacker play by MBA alums playing for the Commodores, most recently accomplished by Hunter Hillenemeyer, who currently is a third-year linebacker for the Chicago Bears.

Where Martin and Osemwegie end up in the 2006 NFL Draft remains to be seen. Martin was in the top 10 of quarterback prospects going into the 2005 season, and while his stock may have dropped somewhat with the emergence of some other fine quarterbacks, most notably Vanderbilt's Jay Cutler, Martin's tremendous will-to-win and gritty scrambling ability likely will earn him consideration from some NFL clubs. Osemwegie, at roughly 6' 0", 230 pounds, will have to convince scouts that size isn't everything, but given Vanderbilt's solid tradition of producing hard-nosed linebackers (Hillenmeyer, Shelton Quarles, Jamie Winborn), Osemwegie should be able to garner interest from a variety of clubs seeking defensive help.

The 2006 NFL Draft should, once again, find its way into the homes of a few Tennesseans. Martin and Osemwegie aren't the only former Tennessee high school stars who will get looks from the pro ranks - Hollow Rock-Bruceton's Patrick Willis from Ole Miss is one of a handful of others who should rank favorably on NFL Draft boards - but these two former stars give MBA fans a shot at doubling the excitement of watching NFL dreams potentially come true later this April.

Read this commentary and more at HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL DATABASE.