The Reese’s Senior Bowl is a time for guys to show the scouts and coaches what they are capable of doing. For many kids, it is the first time that coaches will get to see them play in person. Some of the guys from lesser known schools take advantage of the opportunity. Casey Pierce is a tight end from Kent State that came to Mobile, Alabama with a mission.
For Pierce, coming to the Senior Bowl was a blessing. “It’s a great opportunity. I was a last minute guy. One of our games got canceled this year because of the weather in Buffalo and I asked God for just one more game. It was down to the wire, all of the all star games were just about played and this one opened up.” Pierce continued; “I had people upstairs watching over me. I had one of my teammates pass away this year and I feel like he is the one that was watching over me. That was a strong push.”
The goal for Pierce is to show the coaches that he is versatile. He said that he is willing to play special teams, tight end and H- back. He was quick to point to accelerating when the ball is in that air as one of his strong suits. “Acceleration is something that I pride myself on. My first 10, 15 yards is where I exceed most. I am working on my top end speed right now. I like to be explosive off the ball, get down field, get off linebackers, get off safeties. I predicate on getting open, getting a quick catch and being a key asset to the quarterback.”
Playing in the offense at Kent State which is something like a pro offense helped him to be able to display his deep ball skills. According to Pierce, they didn’t throw the ball down the field as much in the beginning of the season. As the season went on, he said they got the ball down field and he had some big plays. “They utilized me whenever they needed a play, they came to me.” Pierce said.
Pierce wasn’t highly recruited coming out of high school. He said that he was more of a running quarterback but he also played safety, defensive end and cornerback. The Kent State coaches called him a day after receiving his highlight tape. They wanted to offer him a scholarship but couldn’t do so because they only had one left which went to a junior college transfer at linebacker. Pierce chose to become a preferred walk on and earned a scholarship after two years and a position change.
The change to tight end allowed Pierce to take advantage of the skills that he developed from playing center on the basketball team. Pierce smiled as he talked about his high school basketball career. “I was a rebounder in basketball, the second leading rebounder in northeast Ohio. I liked to be a tough, physical guy down low.” The physicality in the post is something that Pierce feels strengthens his ability to make the contested catch in football. “If the ball is in the air, it’s mine and that’s how I treat football. If I am in one on one, I don’t care who you are, I am going to time it up and go get that ball. Basketball gets your hips to open up, it gets your agility going. Playing in the post, it gives a good base. You need to be strong and able to push people around.”
Pierce mentioned Jason Witten and Tony Gonzalez as players that he admires because of their stature. He likes their confidence and the way they lead their teams by example. That is something that Pierce feels he can bring to the table once he establishes himself with an NFL team. The path to the pros starts with proving himself in practices at the Senior Bowl this week.
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