NFL: In Gholston, teams see top talent, top character

Versatile Ohio State defensive end could be top overall pick in NFL draft

| The Associated Press

4/20/2008 - 4/21/08

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Just seven years after picking up the game in earnest, Vernon Gholston — the former Ohio State defensive end — will be the perfect fit for some team looking for an athletic pass-rusher and team leader.

Gholston is looking for the right fit, too.

"Of course you want to go as high as you can and be No. 1," the 6-foot-4, 264-pounder said. "But at the end of the day, I feel more that the team that selects me is the team that wanted me most. That's the team I'll be happiest with. I'll take pride in wherever I go to and be thankful that they wanted me and put me in the best situation."

In Gholston's case, his personality, coupled with his talent, makes him that much more of an asset.

"Whoever gets Vernon is obviously getting a great football player but they're getting a better person," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said last week.

Gholston didn't play football his freshman year at Cass Tech High in Detroit, but he caught on quickly. By the time he was a senior, he was all-state. Ohio State took a flyer on the late-bloomer.

When he finally got to play as a third-year sophomore, he made up for lost time. Selected second-team All-Big Ten, he started all 13 games and had 7.5 sacks and 15 tackles for negative yardage. He absolutely erupted a year ago, breaking current New England Patriot Mike Vrabel's school record by stockpiling 14 sacks.

"Probably the thing Vern did best was play over a tight end, something that nobody ever sees," said Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Jim Heacock.

One of the few questions surrounding Gholston is where to play him in the pros. He was a defensive end in Ohio State's 4-3 defense, but could play either end or outside linebacker in an NFL team's 3-4 alignment.

"Gholston has excited people," ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. told the Kansas City Star. "... Those attacking, outside-linebacker/defensive-end types are going to help you right away."