Hawley, Wolfe and Beauchamp all ready for whatever NFL Draft weekend brings

By Ryan Greene

Thursday, April 22, 2010 | 2:10 a.m.

Joe Hawley said he'll be watching this weekend's NFL Draft in California, while Jason Beauchamp and Ryan Wolfe said they'll just be making sure they're somewhere with good cell-phone reception.

No matter how the trio of former UNLV gridiron standouts get the news regarding their professional futures, though, they're hoping it's a life-changing weekend.

"I'm probably gonna be a guy that watches the whole thing," Hawley said. "I think it's gonna be fun, and it's a one-time thing."

Since the end of the Rebels' 5-7 campaign last fall, the interest in Hawley from NFL scouts and executives steadily has grown.

Hawley, who was a stalwart over the last few seasons on UNLV's interior line, will be heading to the next level as a center.

Adding to his on-field credentials was an impressive showing in Indianapolis in February at the NFL's annual scouting combine, where he ran in the low 5-second range in the 40-yard dash and was third among all offensive line prospects in attendance with 35 reps at 225 pounds in the bench press.

In March, at UNLV's Pro Day, he improved a couple of his measurements which were lagging, showing off a 31.5-inch vertical leap and a broad jump of eight feet, 11 inches.

With the whole package taken into consideration, Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia and Denver wanted to see more, each coming out to see Hawley work out again in private. Denver then took it one step further by flying him out to give him a tour of the organization's facilities, and he also met with some of the Broncos' brass.

"I knew I had the talent. I always thought I was underrated, so I always expected to get a lot of looks," Hawley said. "I just guess other people didn't."

The timing also helps Hawley, as it's a relatively weak draft in terms of center prospects behind the clear-cut No. 1 — Florida product Maurkice Pouncey.

The draft takes on a new format this year, as opposed to ESPN's traditional broadcast which has the seven-round process stretching over Saturday and Sunday.

The first round will take place tonight, beginning at 4:30 p.m. PDT, with rounds two and three on Friday night, starting at 3 p.m. PDT, and the final four rounds Saturday, with coverage kicking off at 7 a.m. PDT.

An ESPN NFL draft expert recently said that he believes there might not be a center off of the board after Pouncey until rounds five or six.

Still, Hawley said, he'll be watching the whole way through, evaluating where some of the names land and how it might affect him, including if he could be drafted to play guard.

"I'm pretty sure it's going to be Saturday, but there's a small hope it will be Friday," he said. "I actually enjoy (playing center) more. "I could play both. It's a size thing, it's an intelligence thing. Most teams use huge guards, so a center's really the director of the line and I fit well in that position."

Like Hawley, Beauchamp and Wolfe more than likely will be waiting until Saturday to hear their names called. It's also possible that both could go undrafted and be in a position to pick their landing spots as free agents.

Wolfe, who is UNLV's all-time leader in both receptions and receiving yards, wasn't able to impress potential employers this spring the way he would have liked in terms of his physical abilities.

After breaking his foot during the bye week leading up to the Rebels' regular season finale, he recovered in time for Pro Day at Rebel Park only to tweak his hamstring while running the 40.

According to Steve Caric — Wolfe's agent — his client just got back to 100 percent sprinting shape this week.

"There's not a durability question at all, considering he played in 47 of 48 (collegiate games) and started 44 of those," Caric said of Wolfe, who caught 283 passes for 3,495 yards in his UNLV career. "It's gonna be a little lower than we would have hoped because he didn't run the 40, but I just can't imagine people can ignore the production he's put up.

"Unfortunately, there are some teams that are going to drop him on their boards based on the fact that they don't have a 40 time on him."

Caric said that between 15 and 20 teams have contacted him since Wolfe went and met NFL folks at the combine, and a week following the UNLV Pro Day, the Atlanta Falcons paid a special visit to Vegas. Head coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff came out for a meet-and-greet of sorts, originally with the intention of seeing Wolfe work out.

Now he will sit and wait.

"Probably the last thing I want to do is sit around and watch it all day," Wolfe said. "I'll just make sure wherever I'm at I've got cell service. That's all that's really needed.

"For me, I know I'm personally I'm more of a pessimistic person. I'll expect the worst, and if I don't get drafted, I'll be in an opportunistic person and pick my spot (as a free agent)."

Also keeping his cell phone attached to his hip will be Beauchamp, who is hoping to break into the league as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.

Beauchamp put up big numbers last fall, leading the Rebels in tackles (95), tackles for loss (12) and sacks (6.5).

Since working out both at the combine and UNLV Pro Day, he's been training at home in Southern California alongside several members of the San Diego Chargers, including Marcus Banks and Malcom Floyd. Also around the gym were former Chargers LaDainian Tomlinson and Drew Brees.

"In my mind, I'm prepared for whatever may be," he said. "I'm doing what I've always seen myself doing. I've reached a goal either way. Getting drafted is what I've always wanted. If I'm not drafted, in my mind, it's all positive, it's all constructive. For me, it's like, 'OK, now I really have a lot to prove.' It's nothing that I haven't done before; it's just on a much bigger scale."