Former Iowa receivers Keenan Davis, Marvin McNutt relive draft-day chaos

IOWA CITY — On the NFL draft's final day, the transition from college star to pro rookie offers an exhausting range of emotions for even the most mentally tough athletes.

Take former Iowa wide receiver Marvin McNutt. In 2011, he was named the Big Ten's receiver of the year. McNutt was viewed as a likely third-round pick, maybe a fourth. But as the 2012 draft churned to the sixth round, McNutt sat without a team. As his family watched the draft unfold on television at his parents' St. Louis home, McNutt went to an upstairs bedroom for some quiet. Then Philadelphia assistant coach Juan Castillo called and informed him he'd been selected.

'It was probably the worst best day of my life,' McNutt said with a laugh. 'It's like you go from one extreme to the other. You're looking at things, 'I should be here, I should be there, I can prove myself.' But then when a team does give you a chance, it makes you feel like, 'OK, Somebody's there who believes in me.''

McNutt's story mirrors hundreds of others on Saturday. They all have NFL dreams, yet they wait in agony for a phone call or their name to appear on television. Iowa has a dozen former players in that situation. Many will suffer a letdown as undrafted free agents.

That's what happened to former Iowa wide receiver Keenan Davis in 2013. He and his family had a draft-day party at his Cedar Rapids house, but Davis tried to avoid the coverage. Then Davis' agent would call him about interested teams like Baltimore and Minnesota.

'Those teams would pop up and you're like, 'Is this going to be it?' Davis said. 'It's like, 'Oh, they drafted a DB.' That's why I tried to stay away from the TV.

'Then there's like a second, 'Am I going to Mr. Irrelevant?'' Davis said. 'I thought I was going to be that. But when it was over I was like, 'OK, I'm not getting drafted. What's next?' I think a lot of my friends and family thought I'd be pretty down, which I was. I didn't get drafted, but I'm on to the next thing. That's how my parents raised me, what's the next opportunity?'

McNutt's selection was as chaotic as the draft itself. As McNutt talked to a Chicago Bears assistant coach, Castillo phoned in.

'It's a Pittsburgh number. I'm like, 'Oh man, I think it's the Steelers,'' McNutt said. 'I answered the phone, and it's Coach Castillo, (former Iowa cornerback) Greg Castillo's father. He said, 'Hey Marvin ... I just wanted to let you know that we just drafted you.' I actually I almost hung up on both of them. You know how iPhones get a little tricky, hold, hang up here. I was hoping I pressed the right one.

'My family ran upstairs. I heard them outside the door. They got the news, too. So it was an awesome feeling. I hugged people, cried with people. Your dream comes true in that moment.'

NFL teams sign about 15 undrafted free agents, and there's a frenzy for ones surprisingly not selected. Former Iowa defensive tackle Mitch King fielded around 20 offers after the 2009 draft.

In the minutes that followed his draft, Davis had several offers. He picked Cleveland.

'You definitely want to see your name come across the board, but being a free agent does have its ups,' Davis said. 'You're able to choose where you want to go; you're able to find the best fit for you.

'It was a weight off my shoulder. My dream was actually to sign with a team and be able to wear an NFL logo on a helmet.'

Scouts also deal with pressure to land talented undrafted players. Often they call prospects throughout the day, which happened to former Iowa linebacker James Morris two years ago. Sometimes it falsely elevates draft hopes. But the goal is to establish relationships in case players slip through the cracks.

'I recruited those guys just like recruiting in college,' said Dan Shonka, national scout and general manager of Ourlads Scouting Services. Shonka formerly scouted for three NFL teams.

'When I talked to those kids, I told them, 'I can't guarantee you'll get drafted, but I want to be first in line if you don't.' I never recruited a kid if I didn't think he could make the team.'

Saturday, Iowa players like kicker Marshall Koehn, safety Jordan Lomax, running back Jordan Canzeri will find themselves out on the emotional drafted/undrafted border. Then they'll have their stories, just like Davis and McNutt.

'I just know you deal with a lot of uncertainty,' said Koehn, a Solon product. 'That kind of makes it fun, but at the same time it's frustrating, too.'

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