Walter Reyes is a busy man these days.

He often hangs up his cell phone, only to have it ring again with a NFL coach at the other end. He laughs, warmly greets every person calling him and graciously shares a few minutes with them. It’s not every day that St. Louis Rams running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery wants to chat, and Reyes is soaking up the experience.

‘You get these NFL guys on the phone and you gotta talk to them,’ Reyes said. ‘They may be your boss someday.’

Reyes knows very few people ever advance to the stage he and a few of his Syracuse teammates are at right now. Reyes, offensive linemen Adam Terry and Matt Tarullo and safety Diamond Ferri are among the athletes hoping to be selected by a NFL team this weekend when the NFL Draft is held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.

Reyes will spend the weekend at his mother’s house outside of Youngstown, Ohio, with family and some close friends. He has been projected to be selected anywhere between the late second round to the fifth round.

Although he’s not taking anything for granted, Reyes has big plans for his future in the NFL. His career at Syracuse ended with an injury-filled senior season and a 51-14 loss to Georgia Tech in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Fla. Reyes anticipates the opportunity to start a new life.

‘I went from Youngstown, Ohio, in high school to Syracuse and now to whatever city drafts me,’ Reyes said. ‘That’s the most exciting thing leading up to the draft and when they call my name. I might jump through the roof or out of the window when they call my name.’

Reyes’ potential employers won’t want him to take his excitement that far, but they will want him to perform like he did during his workouts in front of scouts. He finished in the top five running backs in the 40-yard dash and improved upon all his 2004 Pro Day numbers, said Hadley Engelhard, Reyes’ agent.

William Hicks, the strength and conditioning coach at SU, worked with Syracuse’s NFL hopefuls, implementing a strict workout routine to improve each player’s strength and agility. Hicks also is Syracuse’s NFL scout liaison and arranges the Pro Day workouts at the Carrier Dome each spring.

Tarullo likened Hicks’ program to a bond – a low cost, but high reward asset. Every day Hicks and his staff watched as the former SU players ran and lifted at Manley Field House.

‘It’s been great,’ Tarullo said. ‘Syracuse has been very positive. They let me grind it. I worked out with coach Hicks and coach (Hal) Luther every day. I’m real excited for the draft.’

Tarullo should be excited. Most draft boards predict he’ll be selected between the fifth and seventh rounds, along with Ferri. Terry is the first Syracuse player expected to be selected, most likely in the early second round.

Hicks believes Terry, Reyes, Ferri and Tarullo are sure draft picks, but doesn’t rule out the possibility of seeing wide receivers Jared Jones and Andre Fontenette on a NFL roster.

‘We have a pretty diverse group,’ Hicks said. ‘Some are highly recognized guys. Others may be what they call NFL journeymen, where they’ll play on a bunch of teams, but be in the league a long time.’

NFL teams may be willing to take a chance on some Syracuse players because of the success of former Orange now in the league. With former SU stars Donavan McNabb, Marvin Harrison and Dwight Freeney earning All-Pro honors this year, the Syracuse football program’s reputation is outstanding and helps players earn a spot in the NFL, said Mark Lepselter, the agent for Ferri, Jones and Tarullo.

Even if NFL teams don’t draft some of the players, they will be looking for free agents. Tarullo said the Cowboys, Giants and Dolphins have already expressed interest in signing him.

‘I want to go to a team where I have a chance to make an impact,’ Tarullo said. ‘I don’t want to be lied to or looked over. I don’t want to be just a body.’

But all the former Syracuse players have enjoyed the experience, no matter the outcome this weekend. While they expect to be playing football professionally in a few months, the fact they’ve made it this far is an accomplishment in itself, Reyes said.

‘Not many people get this chance. It’s like a job and you’re doing your interview. I did everything I had to do. I’m healthy again and I’m a bad boy.’

Published on April 21, 2005 at 12:00 pm