Sunday, April 15, 2001
[ NFL HAWAII ]
3 with isle ties WHEN DOMINIC RAIOLA told his father he was putting down his catcher's mitt for good, Tony's heart skipped a beat.
have shot at draft
Nebraska's dominator will find
out his future place of employment
when the NFL draft is held
next weekendBy Paul Arnett
Star-BulletinNot that he wanted to pressure his son to reconsider that decision. After all, Dominic was a sophomore in high school. If he wanted to concentrate solely on football, that was his choice.
The memory of that afternoon some seven years ago hit Tony hard early Friday afternoon. His son called from Nebraska to let him know he was throwing out the first pitch of the weekend series against Baylor.
"One local boy setting up another,'' Tony Raiola said Friday evening. "Shane Komine was the starter for Nebraska, so that was quite an honor. You know, Dom was a good baseball player.
"At the time, I wasn't sure I was ready for him to play only football. But given all that has happened since, we feel like he made the right decision for him. We're looking forward to this weekend's draft."
Dominic Raiola returns to Hawaii tomorrow as he settles in for the National Football League draft that begins Saturday. The former Nebraska All-America probably won't beat Chris Naeole's local mark as the 10th player chosen overall in the 1997 draft.
But you never know. Naeole didn't have any idea he would be selected by the New Orleans Saints so soon. Tony Raiola believes his son will go late in the first round or early in the second. It depends on how things shake out.
University of Hawaii offensive lineman Kynan Forney and Kansas State defensive tackle Mario Fatafehi, a Farrington alumnus, are the other candidates with local ties most likely to be selected over the weekend.
The Warriors have plenty of other hopefuls, chief among them running back James Fenderson, linebacker Rinda Brooks and safety Dee Miller. But members of the UH coaching staff believe Forney has the best shot.
"He did an outstanding job at the Senior Bowl and did well in the NFL combine, too,'' UH offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh said. "They're looking at him as a guard.
"He's quite a success story. I see him going in the fourth or fifth round. You never know how those things will work out. But here's a guy who really had only one year in college at the Division I level. For him to be considered in the draft just one year later is really something."
The Sporting News has a mock draft with all seven rounds. The national publication predicts the Arizona Cardinals will select Raiola early in the second round. Fatafehi is also slated to go to Arizona, in the fourth round. Forney won't be selected until the seventh round by the Jacksonville Jaguars, but of course, this is pure conjecture.
Tony Raiola said things will be very quiet this week among the NFL teams. The Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers have called Raiola's home wanting to know where he will be on draft day.
"So you know they're interested," Tony Raiola said. "It's possible Detroit could go after Dom with the 18th overall pick in the first round, but you never know. We'll just have to wait and see. None of the teams will talk much this week because they don't want to let the other teams know what they're thinking."
Dominic Raiola is rated the top center by most NFL scouts and national publications. Pro Football Weekly raves that the consensus All-American, who was also a finalist in 1999 and 2000 for the Lombardi and Outland trophies, is a top competitor.
The magazine goes on to say that Raiola is "very tough, durable and intense. He is very quick off the ball and athletic. He also has an excellent first step and gets into his blocks quickly."
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. also has Raiola rated No. 1 at the center spot. He recently wrote that "Raiola ranks with Dave Rimington as one of the most highly regarded pivot men in Nebraska history, operating as a dominator within the framework of the Husker offense."
On the downside, Kiper said that "Raiola will need to gain more pass-blocking experience, something that was obviously lacking with the run-oriented Huskers. You have to like his toughness, brute strength and hard-working approach, which is why Raiola should develop into a quality anchor once he upgrades his pro-style pass-protection skills."
As for Raiola himself, he just wants to get this over with as quickly as possible. Since deciding to forgo his senior season several months ago, Raiola has concentrated on being the best he can be.
The 6-foot-2, 300-pounder believes all the hard work will finally pay off this weekend. The toughest decision was leaving Nebraska behind. Once that was made public, Raiola was able to focus on the task at hand.
"I think I'm ready for it," Raiola said. "And I think Nebraska knew I was ready for it. But it was hard leaving a program that has done so much for me. This is why I went to college, to get to this point.
"I surrounded myself with good people and that was a major part of my decision. My dad called the director of scouting and he told my dad (Raiola could expect to be picked in) the first two rounds. This is right for me."
Forney is also hunkering down for draft day. If selected, he will be the third UH offensive lineman under Cavanaugh's tutelage to go in the draft. The first two were Kaulana Noa and Adrian Klemm.
"Kynan has a chance to be as successful as those two guys," Cavanaugh said. "He bought into our program that hard work and dedication leads to performance.
"And that's what the NFL is all about. I'm not sure anyone else will be drafted from this year's team. I think James Fenderson, Dee Miller and Rinda Brooks have a shot at free agency."
The draft begins Saturday with the first three rounds. The remaining selections will be made Sunday.