Hillsdale College senior defensive tackle Roger Stewart chased his NFL dream at Winter Park, the Minnesota Vikings’ indoor facility on Saturday.
After months of rigorous training, Stewart was given less than five hours to impress NFL scouts at a regional combine in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. A day-long event, regional combines provide college football players who are eligible for the 2016 Draft, but not participating in the National Scouting Combine, with an opportunity to demonstrate their athleticism in timed drills, in hopes of getting recruited to an NFL summer training camp.
Stewart and his personal trainer Simon Cholometas were pleased with his results at the defensive tackle position.
“It’s a very small percentage of players who are invited to a summer camp from Division II, but a few of Roger’s numbers put him into an elite category and positioned him for a chance,” Cholometas said.
Stewart started playing junior varsity football as a freshman on his high school football team in White Pigeon, Michigan. Just one year later as a sophomore, he was moved to varsity and was already getting calls from college football scouts.
After visiting Hillsdale College and meeting with head football coach Keith Otterbein in his senior year, Otterbein told Stewart to give him a call after thinking about Hillsdale’s offer on the car ride home.
Stewart called Otterbein back in less than five minutes, choosing to play for Hillsdale over offers from every college in the area, including D-I Michigan State University. Hillsdale’s reputation for strong academics was a deciding factor for Stewart, who is majoring in biology with a minor in business administration.
“I’m proud to say Roger is a member of our football team. He has integrity, character, and has done a great job balancing football, academics, and his personal life, which are all important aspects for being a successful student at Hillsdale College,” Otterbein said.
Stewart’s NFL aspirations began in his junior year of high school and knew that if he had the talent, playing football at a D-II school wouldn’t affect his chances.
“My family thinks of Roger as a second brother, but on the field he turns into a different person mentally,” senior wide receiver Noah Hiser said. Hiser redshirted with Stewart and in their freshman year would wake up Stewart for a 5:30 a.m. workout and make their pre-workout toast.
Coming off of minor injuries in the 2014-15 season, Stewart began an intense three-phase training schedule for the NFL following Thanksgiving break. Sacrificing alcohol and fast food, Stewart and Cholometas closely monitored his daily activity.
“By the time I got to the regional combine, I wanted to know that I put 100 percent in and positioned myself for the best chance possible,” Stewart said.
The hard work paid off at the regional combine in Minnesota on Saturday.
“I performed very well for my size and feel pretty confident that I’ll have my opportunity for a shot at the NFL,” Stewart said.
Stewart credits Cholometas’s emphasis on sports psychology as critical component for his success and helped him shave off four-hundredths of a second in his second sprint time at the combine.
“At a certain point, those three extra bench-presses of 225 pounds becomes the mental grind, and how you talk to yourself while exercising makes a big impact,” Stewart said.
Next Tuesday, Stewart will have another chance to impress scouts at Grand Valley State University’s pro-day. Not as comprehensive in drills or high-profile as regional combines, the pro-day at Grand Valley drew Stewart because a high-profile GVSU player in his position particularly interests scouts.
Until the regional conference ends, Stewart says now his NFL hopes are “a waiting game.”
