FAU offensive tackle Nello Faulk could be the first Owl selected in the National Football League Draft in 2007. Faulk, a four year starter, has the size and field sense pro scouts salivate over. His ability to play all the positions on the offensive line and a defensive standout past could convince a pro team to invest in Faulk. At 6 feet 7-inches tall and 270 pounds, he already has the size that pro coaches crave.
Playing in FAU football Head Coach Howard Schnellenberger’s pro set offense certainly won’t hurt Faulk’s chance at stardom. The Owls use complex blocking and offensive assignments, and while Faulk is very talented, he’s just as smart. Throw in Schnellenberger’s name and past success and Faulk just may end up as an NFL training camp attendee next summer. Schnellenberger also coached two pro football teams, the Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins; that fact may also sit well with NFL pro personnel. So far this season NFL scouts from the Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants and New York Jets have all watched road games that Faulk has played in. In FAU’s opening game at Clemson, Faulk was matched up against the Tigers’ defensive end Gaines Adams. Adams, who is expected to be the number one NFL draft pick in 2007, was limited to just one tackle in the whole game against Faulk. The rest of the season Adams ran through the so-called elite of college football lineman.
The Atlanta Falcons are interested in Faulk because he’s a leaner type of offensive lineman. NFL coaches and personnel are interested in the more athletic offensive lineman that fits nicely into new zone-blocking initiatives. Faulk also is the team leader at FAU, one of only a small percentage of seniors that make up the team in 2006. He has helped the Owls grow into a Division-I football program at a time when veteran leadership was at a minimal level. More importantly he’s allowed a young offense to compete against one of the nation’s toughest early season schedules.
Faulk is a very durable athlete. He’s started 35 games in a row and was a part of many others during the younger part of his four-year career. Since Faulk arrived at FAU in 2002, the owls have won 25 games, good for an average of more than six wins per year.
Faulk should join the list of six former FAU football players who have signed professional contracts in the program’s six-year history. Those six have paved the way for Faulk to be selected with a draft pick in the NFL draft, something no FAU football player has ever done. The six FAU players who played pro football all signed contracts as free agents. That list includes Brian Pare (2004 Chicago Bears), Chris Laskowski (2005 Indianapolis Colts), Kevin Fischer (2005 Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Jared Allen (2005 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and NFL Europe), Quentin Swain (Berlin, NFL Europe 2005), and Willie Hughley (2006 Cleveland Browns). Two other players, former FAU kicker Mark Myers and cornerback Lawrence Gordon, have had successful 2006 seasons with the Canadian Football League’s Hamilton Tiger Cats. Jarred Allen was also the first FAU player to be invited to an NFL combine (training camp to look at future prospects) in 2004.
Faulk has all the offensive and athletic tools to become the first FAU player to be drafted on an NFL team. Look for Nello Faulk on your favorite NFL team’s sideline on Sundays during the 2007 NFL season. He just may be there.
