Not sure how Chris McKillop’s tryout with the Jets went over the weekend. The former Pitt DE was trying out at Linebacker. It’s as much about making an impression to be invited back in the summer and to maybe create some additional interest from other teams.

That seems to be the result for Mike Phillips after his Browns’ tryout. He didn’t get invited back.

“It was a great opportunity to be in front of a lot of scouts,” Phillips said. “I think it opened some doors for a lot of things to happen. I have to keep working and go from there.”

Phillips has no intention of ending his dream. He’ll confer with his representation at the DeBartolo Co. and see if he can get a chance with another team.

“I’ll have to talk to my agent and look at the rosters of other teams and what they really need,” he said.

…

One possible destination for Phillips is Chicago. He and his agent weighed offers from the Browns and Bears before deciding on the Browns.

’’When I talked to my agent, we felt like the Browns were the better situation,” he said. “Things didn’t work out the way we thought.”

Which of course, does go back to taking advantage of the educational opportunities at Pitt. Just ask Ben Pryor.

Pryor, a highly sought Western Pennsylvania high school football player in 1976 who played in four college bowl games, is enjoying his career in education. He received his degree in elementary education in 1998 and his Masters in 2000.

“It’s going well in this change of careers, and I enjoy what I am doing,” said Pryor, who previously worked in the steel industry.

A focus of Pryor’s daily responsibilities is working with ninth graders entering Roosevelt High, a school of approximately 2,800 students in Prince Georges County, a Washington suburb.

On May 17, Pryor will be one of eight inductees during the A-K Valley Sports Hall of Fame’s 39th banquet at the Clarion Hotel in New Kensington.

Pryor had tremendous success in both high school football and basketball. He was named first-team all-state, a Parade Magazine All-American and an adidas All-American in 1976, and played in the 1977 Big 33 all-star football game.

There are always other things after football.

A couple days later and not much has changed.

I found it amusing that on the day before the draft, the Delaware paper wrote about how Otah’s family was hoping he might go with pick #19.

So, even though they know it probably won’t happen, the Otah family will dream about Jeff playing just a half-hour drive up Interstate 95.

“That would be such a thrill for all of us, to have Jeffrey play for the Eagles,” Patricia Otah said. “We’re not getting our hopes up, but if we could pick any place, it would be someplace close to home. And Philadelphia is as close to home as he can get.”

Well, they got it half right with Otah going #19.

The latest pride of Delaware is the 5th Delaware high schooler taken in the first round.

…joining Randy White of McKean High (by Dallas with the second pick in 1975), Joe Campbell of Salesianum (New Orleans, seventh in 1977), Luke Petitgout of Sussex Central (New York Giants, 19th in 1999) and Kwame Harris of Newark (San Francisco, 26th in 2003).

As the NFL is a well-oiled publicity machine, they had quick Q&As with all first round picks on the teams’ respective sites that night.

On playing for Dave Wannstedt at the University of Pittsburgh: He just told me to be a man, and it’s a job now. Everyone playing is a grown man and you have to take care of your family. That is how he treated me when I was there, like a man. He let you make your own decisions, and if you couldn’t abide by that then you wouldn’t be playing.

They also had Otah on a plane to Charlotte that evening to be introduced to the local media.

Otah was puzzled, not knowing Carolina had only minutes before traded up with the Eagles for that 19th pick — and had chosen him.

“I thought it was a prank call,” Otah said.

But it wasn’t, although Otah wasn’t fully convinced until another call came. This time it was Panthers coach John Fox, whose voice Otah recognized from a meeting they had at his workout day for NFL teams.

Otah, as it turned out, was heading where he hoped he would be.

“This is where I envisioned myself going,” Otah said Sunday at Bank of America Stadium, where he had just finished taking a tour of the facility with Panthers owner Jerry Richardson.

Given that Carolina traded a good deal to get back into the first round to get Otah, there is probably more pressure on Otah to perform right away than on #13 Jonathan Stewart (who at least has DeAngelo Williams to share carries).

Despite the increase in the level of competition at the Division I level, Otah held his own. By the time he graduated Wannstedt was calling him “the best offensive lineman I’ve ever coached.”

Coach John Fox hopes he can say the same at some point down the road.

He’d better hope so.

The Panthers gave up a king’s ransom - a second- and a fourth-round pick this year and a first-round pick in 2009 - to get Otah with the 19th pick in the first round, so there will be plenty of inherent added pressure on him to play at a high level.

On the second day, Mike McGlynn and Kennard Cox got drafted.

McGlynn was a fourth-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles as the 109th overall pick, while Cox was selected in the seventh round [251st] by the Buffalo Bills as a compensatory selection.

Cox was the third CB taken by the Bills in this draft. It’s a safe bet as the second last pick in the NFL draft that Cox’s survival on the roster will be dictated by how well he performs on special teams.

As for McGlynn, Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid likes his versatility.

“In the fourth round, we took Mike McGlynn. He’s an offensive tackle from Pittsburgh, however he did play some guard and also some center. That’s where my interest came in, that he can play all three. He’s very much of the same mode as [RT] Jon Runyan. He’s got a nasty streak to him and he’ll fit in nice with our group of guys here.”

McGlynn, of course, is just ready to play.

On whether he spoke to the Eagles coaches about what position he would be playing: “I think (offensive line) coach (Juan) Castillo likes me inside, playing guard or possibly even center. I really don’t know. We really have not gotten into that to see where they want me to play. I will play anywhere, tackle, guard or center. It doesn’t matter. I am excited.”

On the free agent signings. Chris McKillop, Jameel Brady, Mike Phillips and Lowell Robinson are unsigned.

Joe Clermond signed with the Bears.  Darrell Strong with the Raiders. I’m mildly surprised neither got drafted. Strong’s physical characteristics and Clermond’s production just seemed like someone would take a 6th or 7th round flier on them.

The Carolina Panthers gambled by not taking Otah at the #13 spot. Instead reaching (in my opinion) for Jonathan Stewart of Oregon at Running Back. They then traded with Philly to move in to the #19 spot to grab Jeff Otah.

Otah was expected to go in the #12-20 range. He slid a touch further than expected. I really expected the Bears to grab him at #14 when he was there.

Congrats to Otah.

Mike McGlynn is somewhat the forgotten man with Jeff Otah being projected to go somewhere in the 12-20 range of the NFL Draft. McGlynn is a mid-round pick. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve some puff pieces. Especially from the hometown papers in the Mahoning Valley. One focuses on his time in High School where he essentially lost two seasons — academics and injury.

Scouts weren’t scared off by the missed season, figuring (correctively) that an athletic lineman who stood 6-foot-5 and weighed 310 pounds could recover from a missed season. McGlynn verbally committed to Pitt the next July — Inglis was irritated he didn’t wait until after he had attended Ohio State’s summer camp in case Jim Tressel wanted to offer him a scholarship —and the big left tackle seemed poised for a terrific senior season.

For 3 1/2 weeks, he had one. Then, against GlenOak in the fourth week, McGlynn fractured his right fibula, ending his season. Making matters worse, his mom had just lost her health insurance, meaning he wouldn’t be able to rehab the injury.

Then an athletic trainer named Don Sherwood stepped in.

“Without him, I don’t know where I’d be,” said McGlynn. “He helped rehab me and got me back where I needed to be. I was 335 pounds and I didn’t have any way of rehabbing it myself.

“He got me ready for my career at Pitt. We’re best friends now. He’s like a brother.”

The other story focused on his versatility along an offensive line.

‘‘One of my strong points is my versatility,’’ McGlynn said. ‘‘We‘ll see what position I‘ll play. Some teams have me as a guard and some as a tackle, and I‘ve played center. I think where I‘m going to make it is at guard or center. Some teams think I‘m undersized (for tackle) and would prefer me at guard or center.’’

According to nfldraftscout.com, McGlynn is rated fourth among all guards. He‘s being projected as a third- or fourth-round pick.

In a more statewide look at  Ohio kids waiting for the NFL Draft, comes this tidbit about life in the McGlynn household.

Mike McGlynn, Pitt offensive lineman: An Austintown Fitch product, now 6-4 and 311 pounds, he had to weigh in every Saturday morning for youth football. ‘’It was cold, I’d be down to my underwear and my dad used to hang me upside-down so I’d lose a couple pounds to make the weight,'’ McGlynn said. ‘’When I was 9, I was playing with 12- and 13-year-olds.'’

Coming soon in paperback: The upside-down diet.

Speculation has had McGlynn being selected by the Dolphins, Lions and Rams. Go figure. All teams with big issues on their O-lines.

The NFL Draft is a couple weeks away. Jeff Otah had his re-do of pro-day at Pitt. He had been battling an ankle injury, that has hobbled him for the last couple months.

Although the workout was closed and those in attendance declined comment, Otah was pleased with his performance in one-on-one drills against another former Pitt offensive tackle, Mike McGlynn, who likely will be drafted.

“I feel like I moved well today,” Otah said. “My ankle felt way better than it did. My change of direction was better. I was good with my hands and I finished (blocks).

“Hopefully, the coaches were impressed.”

One team that made a strong impression by its interest was the Carolina Panthers, which sent general manager Marty Hurney and head coach John Fox to see Otah. The Panthers own the 13th overall pick, and NFL.com analyst Vic Carucci projects them to take Otah in his latest mock draft.

Carolina was the only team to send top management — rather than scouts — to his workout. Well, the Steelers showed up as well, but “sent” isn’t quite the right word when they already work in the same South Side facilities.

According to a Carolina beat writer for the Charlotte Observer, Otah is one of a few Offensive Linemen those Panthers are considering.

The other candidates are Boise State’s Ryan Clady, Boston College’s Gosder Cherilus and Vanderbilt’s Chris Williams. Of the tackles, Williams is probably least likely to be picked by Carolina.

It looks more and more likely that Otah will be picked in the 12-20 range of the 1st round.

Antonio Bryant is still around. He’s signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jon Gruden needed WRs badly.

“Hopefully, one of our young receivers can step up. We’re going to need somebody to start hitting the ball out of the park consistently. We’ve added Antonio Bryant. Garcia played with him, McCown played with him and I did a lot of research on him. He’s got a lot of talent. He had a 1,000-yard year in Cleveland and he averaged 20 yards a catch with the 49ers in 2006. He’s had his problems sticking around, but he’s a talented, big player. He could be a really good player if he gets confidence and he trusts us. I’m excited to have him.'’

Gruden doesn’t seem worried about his past — at least not publicly.

“I know some guys who have coached him,” Gruden said. “Walt Harris coached him at Pitt but (defensive line coach) Larry Coyer was on that staff. Jeff Garcia played with him in Cleveland. So did Luke McCown. So, we have an environment for him to take off. Whether he does or not will depend on him.”

Really, at this point it’s probably a low risk, high reward signing for Tampa. His other problems mean he wasn’t signed for a lot. He doesn’t have the contract or pull to be a real problem. If he doesn’t work or does disrupt, he’s gone. I’m hoping he gets it together, though.

As for Larry Fitzgerald, well, he’s a daddy according to the results of the paternity suit.

“My beautiful grandson is not a secret,” Mary Lou Nazario told me via telephone Tuesday. Reminded that it was April Fools’ Day, Nazario laughed and said she was dead serious that a Coconino County judge has issued an order confirming that Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald Jr. is father of Angela Nazario’s baby, Devin Nazario Fitzgerald, who was born Jan. 1, weighing 7 pounds, 6 ounces.

On Wednesday, a court official confirmed to me the authenticity of a paternity document that came into my possession.

Angela filed a paternity suit against Junior last year.

Good thing he just signed that new contract with Arizona. The mother is a former Raiderette (recent and older photos on that link) in her late 30s.

Jeff Otah will likely be drafted somewhere in the middle of the first round. A second straight year for Pitt to put a player in the 1st round of the NFL draft. It’s progress. Otah got a puff piece in USA Today as they were looking at O-linemen.

“It’s the best group I’ve seen in 24 years,” says Kevin Colbert, director of football operations for the Pittsburgh Steelers. “The majority of them can play the left side or play both sides. It’s unusual to have that many guys that big and that athletic and that productive.”

Colbert has had a bird’s-eye seat to watch Otah’s development. “Jeff’s an interesting kid that probably hasn’t played his best football yet because he’s not a real experienced guy as far as football is concerned and having playing experience. So there’s probably a lot of upside left in him,” Colbert says.

Meanwhile, Kris Wilson may finally get a chance to play now that he is out of Kansas City and the back-up to Tony Gonzalez. He joins the Philadelphia Eagles with a 3-year deal.

“I’m coming in here to play tight end,” Wilson said. “The coaches told me I’ll be working primarily at tight end. I think my skill set definitely allows for more success at tight end.

“My strengths are stretching the field, catching the ball, beating defenders one-on-one, mixing it up and blocking guys - a lot of the all-around things that tight ends do. I think at the tight-end position, you have to be a jack of all trades.”

Some of Wilson’s tight-end numbers at Pitt were impressive. He averaged 16.3 yards per catch and scored nine touchdowns his senior season.

Wilson was one of my favorites from that period. I complained at a lot of games that he didn’t get enough balls thrown to him.

Meanwhile, if you live in the Wilkes-Barre area, you can check out Rod Rutherford QBing for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers of the af2.

“Rich called me all the time around this time to see if I wanted to play but I would always blow him off,” Rutherford said. “Everyone has a dream of playing in the NFL but I realize that my window of opportunity is smaller than it was when I first came out.

“If that opportunity comes I am not going to run away from it. I gave (Ingold) a call and he was happy to welcome me aboard. I am going to take advantage of this chance and do what I have been able to do my whole career.”

Rutherford signed a free- agent contract with the Carolina Panthers when he came out of the University of Pittsburgh. The Panthers released him in 2005 and he was picked up by the Steelers where he received a Super Bowl ring.

He spent a summer in Germany, serving as a backup before trying out with the Tennessee Titans. When nothing worked out with the Titans, he volunteered as an assistant with Pitt this past season.

…

“Honestly I would love just to continue to play at whatever level I can,” said Rutherford who has no experience with the indoor game. “Whether it is AFL or even coming back here, ultimately whatever I am doing it is going to be in football. You have guys who love to play with computers, I love the game of football.”

I just hope he has been wise with the money he has received in his time in the NFL.

Well Pitt’s pro-day for the NFL scouts was Monday. The main attraction, Jeff Otah, was unable to go because of a lingering high ankle sprain.

There were other seniors who worked out — Mike McGlynn, Joe Clermond, Darrell Strong and Kennard Cox.

McGlynn (6-4, 310), a four-year starter, started two games at right guard and nine at right tackle last season for the Panthers. But he is being projected as a guard by NFL scouts and coaches because of his height and arm length. However, what makes him an attractive mid-round prospect is that he has what Tomlin called “position flexibility.”

“That’s the good thing about him — he can play three positions,” said Arizona Cardinals offensive line coach/assistant head coach Russ Grimm, a former Steelers assistant who attended the workout. “He was a center before he played guard and tackle.”

Strong is an intriguing prospect because of his size (6-4, 268), athleticism and big hands, yet he is not ranked among the top tight end prospects in the draft. Part of the reason is that Strong began his college career as a quarterback, was switched to wide receiver and has only been a tight end for three years.

“It went good,” Strong said of his workout. “I think I did good in all the drills. I improved on all the things I did at the combine.”

Size likely will be a deterrent for defensive tackle Joe Clermond (6-3, 250), who was a productive player at Pitt and led the team last season with 10.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss and was second team All-Big East. Colbert said Clermond would be an outside linebacker in the 3-4 style of defense the Steelers employ, but he could play end for a 4-3 team.

The more Pitt players drafted, the better.
Today is the start of spring practice. As is usual, there is a sense of optimism and excitement. This despite a slew of questions and upheaval.

Pitt opens spring football drills Tuesday with a four-way competition at quarterback, an overhaul on the offensive line and a coaching staff that features five new assistants.

That would be cause for alarm at some schools, but the Panthers’ 13-9 victory at No. 2 West Virginia in the season finale and 100th Backyard Brawl has provided optimism.

The challenge for Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt is to build on the momentum of that monumental victory, when the Panthers finally played the way he had long envisioned.

“We’ve got to get coaches and players feeling that confidence that we finished the year with,” said Wannstedt, whose Panthers are a preseason top-25 team in some polls.

The biggest issue will be the position battles. QB, Center, all along the O-line, Linebacker spots outside of McKillop still look open, CB, depth chart issues at WR.

There’s nothing like the spring practices to challenge the cynicism. There’s the anticipated — almost standardized — stories of off-season workouts; new coaches and new perspectives; position changes; players ready to step up; blind optimism; players coming back from injury and so on.

God help me, every year I get sucked into it and believe this year will be different. Can’t wait.

Why wait? Scott McKillop gets the first national puff-piece in the week before spring practice.

It’s a defender’s version of nature vs. nurture. Are good tacklers born or are they made? Good tackling may be all about technique. Ask any safety who has to listen to a coach berate him for lunging at a tailback. But if the player doesn’t have “a nose for the ball,” as coaches are wont to say, it doesn’t matter how good his technique is.

Take the case of Scott McKillop, the Pittsburgh senior linebacker who, in his first season as a starter, led his team in tackling. He led every other team in tackling, too. McKillop made more tackles per game than any player in the nation last season. His 12.58 stops per game is more than 1½ tackles higher than any other returning player averaged in 2007. That adds up to 151 tackles, or 91 more — that’s right, 91 — than Pitt’s runner-up, linebacker Shane Murray.

Let the unbridled optimism flow.

Draft profiles are starting to show-up. Pitt has 4 players likely to have their names called on draft days: Jeff Otah, Darrell Strong, Joe Clermond and Mike McGlynn.

While I was happy that Paul Dunn was asked to pursue other options by Coach Wannstedt, I don’t wish him ill. Dunn, afterall, is an alum. So, it’s good to see he landed a job with the Atlanta Falcons as an assistant O-line coach.

O-Line Coach Paul Dunn had to go. Arguably the O-line was not particularly strong when he started and between injuries and depth there were lots of excuses. The problem was that players didn’t seem to develop much. There was talent, but not much was done with it.

Consider that the O-line will almost certainly have two players drafted in the 2008 draft. Mike McGlynn will get picked up by somebody on day 2 (Insider subs.).

Pitt’s Mike McGlynn runs from drill to drill like his hair is on fire. It is hard to miss a 309-pound offensive lineman running at full speed down the field to get to a drill. While hustle and “want to” are great traits, he needs to settle down a little bit. McGlynn is an intriguing prospect because he could potentially fill in at every line spot in the NFL with the exception of left tackle. At this point, he is a master of none, but does have some upside, particularly as a guard. McGlynn is also able to deep snap, which adds to his versatility. If he gets the opportunity to snap for punts — it is a safe bet that McGlynn will hustle down the field.

Right now the speculation is 3d to 4th round, but more likely would be sometime in round 5 or after once the combines, scouting and measurements really happen.

Jeff Otah is the other, and everyone is putting him in the first round.

Mel Kiper, Jr. puts him at #13 to the Carolina Panthers (Insider subs.).

Don Banks at SI.com has him at #15 and the Detroit Lions (poor guy).

Todd McShay at ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. puts him all the way at #23 and the Steelers (Insider subs.).

The Steelers could use two of their first three picks on offensive linemen. They have bigger holes to fill inside at center and guard, but with his combination of size and skills Otah is far and away the best lineman available in this scenario. G Roy Schuening (Oregon State) and C John Sullivan (Notre Dame) could also become Steelers in later rounds.

Now Dunn did help develop Otah and McGlynn. Of course, by the same token, despite having two seniors who will be on NFL rosters next season, the O-line was still a joke and never got better.

So in that respect, it’s hard not to believe that new O-line coach Tony Wise has to be an improvement. Teaching and coaching wise, he better be. He’s been at the NFL for the last 18 years, and it’s hard to imagine he’s going to bring much initially to the recruiting side of things.