Well sports fans, the NBA and NHL seasons have officially come to a close. While MLB may have the spotlight for the time being, that won’t last for too much longer. In just over a month, NFL Training Camps will begin to open. As a result, football will once again become the talk of the town.
One Training Camp that this writer will be playing close attention to is that of the Dallas Cowboys, which is set to open on July 22nd. Rookies will get some on field work on July 19th down in Texas, before the whole club reports to California.
So why does this writer have an extra interest in the Cowboys this Summer you may be asking? Well, it just so happens that a former classmate of mine, and former Monmouth Hawk football player, Darnell Leslie, will be there trying to earn his spot on the 53-man roster.
Leslie, an undrafted rookie from MU, will be entering his first NFL Training Camp. During his time with the Hawks, Leslie mainly played the position of defensive end. With Dallas, all signs point to the team trying him in the role of linebacker.
While making the shift from college ball to the pros is enough of a challenge, adding a position change to the mix just adds to the level of difficulty. But I have faith in Darnell. After being invited to rookie camp with the Tampa Bay Bucs and not making the cut, he wound up with the ‘Boys. Now Darnell will get his chance to shine within the competitive NFC East. Last week, I wrote about how he is Monmouth’s next NFL gem, which you can read about here.
Having spent the last four years on the same campus as Darnell, I have the privilege of being able to say I know him. As a result, I was fortunate enough to ask him a few questions as he prepares for his adventure into the pinnacle of the football world.
You can read Darnell’s responses to some of the questions I asked below.