PonyFans.com profile: St. Louis CB Kevin Garrett
Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2003 3:17 pmSMU cornerback Kevin Garrett was selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. Garrett will travel this weekend to St. Louis for the team’s first minicamp.
Despite his draft position, Garrett said the Rams are an ideal team with which to begin his NFL career.
“Before the draft, I hadn’t talked to somebody from the Rams, but my agent said they were going to take some corners,†Garrett said of his new employers, who also drafted Nebraska cornerback DeJuan Groce and Notre Dame’s Shane Walton. “They lost a couple of cornerbacks from last year’s team, and Aeneas Williams is at the tail end of his career, so they needed some corners.â€
While Williams may be nearing the end of his career, he has been viewed as one of the game’s top corners for more than a decade, and Garrett said he plans to take advantage of Williams’ experience and wisdom.
“I’m looking forward to learning under Aeneas Williams’ tutelage, and going up against Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt in practice,†Garrett said. “I’m going to get up under (Williams) and make him like me, and make him teach me all the tricks of the trade.â€
Garrett said that he didn’t watch the Draft, choosing instead to watch movies in his room at his parents’ house in Brazoria, Texas.
“I was watching movies and working on a paper I had to finish for school,†he said. “It got a little frustrating when I didn’t get a call (earlier), but eventually I did, and it was a big relief. I’m really excited to be going to St. Louis.â€
Prior to the draft, Garrett had been projected to go as high as the second or third round. While slightly disappointed that he slid to the fifth round, he said he’s pleased with the way things turned out.
“I went a little later than I expected,†he said. “It was a strange draft, and there was a trend early on where teams went after big corners. The draft always seems to have trends, and after big corners, teams turned to other positions, I guess.â€
Garrett speculated that he slid to the fifth round because of questions about his height (5-foot-9), and a production level that was affected by a knee injury in his senior season and by the fact that he played for four different secondary coaches while at SMU. Nevertheless, he said he has enjoyed the process of evaluation by the NFL scouts and coaches.
“From day one, the whole draft process was fun,†Garrett said. “This weekend, it got a little anxious, but I know it’s a real blessing to be drafted. When the call came, I talked to some of the St. Louis coaches, and they said how excited they were to have me. After that, I talked to their P.R. people and a bunch of media up there — I was on the phone forever. When that was finally done, I didn’t really go out and celebrate. I stayed home and ate dinner with my family, and we had a brief toast.â€
Garrett said that getting drafted lower than he was projected will only serve as motivation for him as he begins his professional career.
“I’m going to go up there and work really hard and prove myself,†he said, “and prove to other teams that didn’t draft me that they made a mistake.â€
Despite his draft position, Garrett said the Rams are an ideal team with which to begin his NFL career.
“Before the draft, I hadn’t talked to somebody from the Rams, but my agent said they were going to take some corners,†Garrett said of his new employers, who also drafted Nebraska cornerback DeJuan Groce and Notre Dame’s Shane Walton. “They lost a couple of cornerbacks from last year’s team, and Aeneas Williams is at the tail end of his career, so they needed some corners.â€
While Williams may be nearing the end of his career, he has been viewed as one of the game’s top corners for more than a decade, and Garrett said he plans to take advantage of Williams’ experience and wisdom.
“I’m looking forward to learning under Aeneas Williams’ tutelage, and going up against Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt in practice,†Garrett said. “I’m going to get up under (Williams) and make him like me, and make him teach me all the tricks of the trade.â€
Garrett said that he didn’t watch the Draft, choosing instead to watch movies in his room at his parents’ house in Brazoria, Texas.
“I was watching movies and working on a paper I had to finish for school,†he said. “It got a little frustrating when I didn’t get a call (earlier), but eventually I did, and it was a big relief. I’m really excited to be going to St. Louis.â€
Prior to the draft, Garrett had been projected to go as high as the second or third round. While slightly disappointed that he slid to the fifth round, he said he’s pleased with the way things turned out.
“I went a little later than I expected,†he said. “It was a strange draft, and there was a trend early on where teams went after big corners. The draft always seems to have trends, and after big corners, teams turned to other positions, I guess.â€
Garrett speculated that he slid to the fifth round because of questions about his height (5-foot-9), and a production level that was affected by a knee injury in his senior season and by the fact that he played for four different secondary coaches while at SMU. Nevertheless, he said he has enjoyed the process of evaluation by the NFL scouts and coaches.
“From day one, the whole draft process was fun,†Garrett said. “This weekend, it got a little anxious, but I know it’s a real blessing to be drafted. When the call came, I talked to some of the St. Louis coaches, and they said how excited they were to have me. After that, I talked to their P.R. people and a bunch of media up there — I was on the phone forever. When that was finally done, I didn’t really go out and celebrate. I stayed home and ate dinner with my family, and we had a brief toast.â€
Garrett said that getting drafted lower than he was projected will only serve as motivation for him as he begins his professional career.
“I’m going to go up there and work really hard and prove myself,†he said, “and prove to other teams that didn’t draft me that they made a mistake.â€