Cardinals’ guard Earl Watford bringing confidence to NFL
May 1, 2013, 11:14 PM | Updated: 11:23 pm
Last week, the Arizona Cardinals selected nine players in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Eight of those players come from big-time FBS college programs like LSU, Texas, Texas A&M and Clemson.
Then there’s fourth-round pick Earl Watford, a guard out of James Madison — a program that now has had only three players drafted since 2000.
Watford joined Doug and Wolf Wednesday on Arizona Sports 620 and was asked if he’s got a chip on his shoulder since he went to a smaller school and lasted until the fourth round.
“Oh, of course I have a chip on my shoulder,” Watford answered. “But at the same time, I played in the CAA (Colonial Athletic Association), great competition, great players and there are a lot of players from there in the NFL right now.”
Watford understands that many will doubt his ability since his college career wasn’t spent going against powerhouse competition week in, week out.
“I’m here to prove to players and my teammates that I can play,” he said. “Just because I didn’t play in the SEC doesn’t mean I can’t hold up.”
Watford is confident in his abilities as a run blocker and a pass protector. In fact, he only gave up one sack in his college career at JMU.
“That’s what they say, I don’t think I gave up that one,” he joked.
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