Nashville’s McDermott, Elder chasing the dream
INDIANAPOLIS – Former Ensworth stars Conor McDermott and Corn Elder once teamed up to win football and basketball state championships.
Years later, they’re reunited and chasing another lofty goal – making it to the NFL.
McDermott, who played offensive tackle at UCLA, and Elder, who played cornerback at Miami, were overjoyed when they found themselves once again on the same team at the Senior Bowl in January. And they both spent the last week at the NFL Scouting Combine, where prospects compete against others in their position groups in onfield drills and do their best to impress in team interviews.
“Throughout college, we kept in touch here and there,” McDermott said, “but especially at the Senior Bowl, it was great to see him and be on the same team again. We were the dynamic duo in basketball and it was great blocking for him in football in high school, because I know how great of a running back he was and DB. It’s great to see him again and go through this process with him.”
The two embraced when they crossed paths this week in Indy.
“I talk to him all the time,” Elder said. “I saw him the other day right before he left. He gave me a big hug. It’s fun to be able to do this with somebody you played high school ball with. It’s definitely fun.”
McDermott, who towers at 6-foot-8, has worked himself up to 307 pounds after a much slimmer version of himself starred on the basketball court and as a tight end in high school. McDermott moved to tackle at UCLA, where he started 24 games. He was on the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award watch lists last season and named to the All-Pac-12 second team.
“It was very hard. I grew up with the highest metabolism,” McDermott said. “Skin and bones, eating fried chicken in the South and barbecue. It was tough, but nothing was worse than freshman, sophomore year when coach would be like, ‘How much do you weigh?’ And I’m like, ‘250, 260.’ But I got up there steadily each year. It was tough, but it was worth it.”
He said his goal at the Combine was to show versatility, and that he’d be willing to play any position in the NFL.
Elder was a two-year starter at Miami, and was named to the All-ACC first team as a senior after leading the Hurricanes with 12 pass breakups for the second consecutive season. He finished third with 76 tackles. He’s 5-10, 183 pounds and coming out in a year loaded with talent in the secondary, many of the players taller and longer.
“My film speaks for itself,” Elder said. “I play bigger than I actually am. I can cover guys that’s taller, bigger. Size doesn’t matter.”
He said he looks up to 5-9 Cardinals star Tyrann Mathieu and wants to prove he has high football IQ and is a student of the game.
Both Elder and McDermott are widely projected as mid- to late-round draft picks.
Both said they have spoken with the Titans.
Making it to the league is the top priority, but do they think about playing together in Nashville once again?
To be drafted by “any team would be a dream come true,” McDermott said, “but to play at home would be an awesome experience and opportunity.” Elder echoed the sentiment. “Honestly, anywhere,” Elder said about his preferred destination. “But definitely, if the Titans were to pick me up, that’s something that I dreamed of when I was a kid. I watched them growing up and everything. So I’ll be happy with anywhere. But Titans, that’s the home team.”
Barnett competes: Former Tennessee star defensive end Derek Barnett, a Brentwood Academy graduate and the Vols’ all-time sacks leader, ran the 40yard dash Sunday in under 5 seconds after missing Saturday’s scheduled workouts and media interviews with a virus. Barnett posted times of 4.88 and 4.92 seconds. He was also a top performer in the three-cone drill, finishing in 6.96 seconds.
Draft analyst Mike Mayock said on NFL Network that he expects Barnett to run closer to a 4.7 in the 40 at Tennessee’s pro day on March 31. He’s a likely first-round draft pick.
Reach Jason Wolf at jwolf@ tennessean.com and follow him on Twitter at@JasonWolf and on Instagram and Snapchat atTitansBeat.