Villanova sack specialist captivates teams
Process a whirlwind for Kpassagnon
Intrigue grew from the moment Tanoh Kpassagnon took the stage shirtless during weigh-ins at the Senior Bowl in January, earning a slew of stars in scouts’ notebooks around the room.
At 6-7 and a thoroughly ripped 287 pounds with 355⁄ 8- inch arms, Kpassagnon cuts the image of an NFL edge rusher. But when you play college football at Villanova — even as a first-team Football Championship Subdivision AllAmerican pick last season, when Kpassagnon had 11 sacks — it’s only natural for teams to put in extra time and try to figure out how you’ll adjust when you’re not always the best athlete on the field.
“Every visit’s a little different,” Kpassagnon told USA TODAY Sports during a break in his preNFL draft travels. “Some coaches try and see how quick I can learn stuff, do a little mini-install session. Other coaches just go over film. But almost on every visit, a lot of the coaches give me advice, which I’ve been able to pick on. All of them say I need to come into camp in shape.”
That part, it seems, shouldn’t be a problem for Kpassagnon, whose story doesn’t end with his pro-ready body. His parents were from the Ivory Coast and Uganda. He played soccer until he moved to Pennsylvania in sixth grade and signed up for football, against his mother’s wishes. He had no big-school offers out of high school, but he blazed a 40-yard dash at a one-day Villanova camp and was offered a scholarship on the spot. He double-majored in finance and accounting and had internships the past two summers at Price water house Coopers.
So what’s life like as a smallschool standout in the run-up to the draft, where Kpassagnon projects as a possible second-day pick? Here’s the itinerary, as laid out by his agent, Drew Smith:
March 16: Workout with Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn.
March 20: Workout with New Orleans Saints, film with defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen.
March 22: Workout with Carolina Panthers, film with defensive line coach Eric Washington.
March 26: Lunch with De--
troit Lions defensive line coach Kris Kocurek; early dinner with Tennessee Titans assistant defensive line coach Keith Willis; dinner with Cincinnati Bengals defensive line coach Jacob Burney.
March 27: Pro day workout; lunch with Miami Dolphins defensive line coach Terrell Williams; dinner with Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant defensive line coach Paul Spicer.
March 29: Workout with Baltimore Ravens, film with defensive line coach Joe Cullen.
March 31: Film and meeting with New England Patriots de- fensive line coach Brendan Daly.
April 3-4: Top-30 visit (each team is allowed to bring in 30 players for personal visits) with Ravens. April 5-6: Top-30 visit with Dallas Cowboys. April 9-10: Top-30 visit with Washington Redskins. April 10-11: Top-30 visit with Pittsburgh Steelers. April 11-12: Top-30 visit with Panthers. April 12-13: Top-30 visit with Saints. April 17-18: Top-30 visit with Lions. April 18-19: Top-30 visit with
Bengals.
April 24: Meeting with Philadelphia Eagles defensive line coach Chris Wilson.
One hiccup: On the Steelers visit, Kpassagnon bit into something during dinner that caused pain in one of his molars. By the next day, he couldn’t eat, and the Panthers got him in to see a dentist, who cleaned out an infection. Kpassagnon made his flight to New Orleans but aggravated the tooth during dinner with the Saints, leading to a 1 a.m. phone call to Smith, a rescheduled visit to Cincinnati and an emergency root canal back home in Philadelphia.
The pre-draft beat must go on, and Kpassagnon was set to get back on the road Monday. One question scouts ask: Why does a smart, articulate guy like this want to knock people around for a living? Kpassagnon points to how miserable he was as a sophomore, when he missed time with a medial collateral ligament sprain, as proof of how badly he needs the game.
“I just love football,” Kpassagnon said. “I wasn’t the greatest player ever when I started. I just liked playing. It was my way of making friends here. It was really good for me all around. I just stuck with it, and I’m here today.”