Sports
Mitchellville Native Preparing for NFL Draft
Ryan Bartholomew impressed the scouts at the NFL Scouting Combine.
The 2011 NFL Draft is only hours away and Syracuse offensive lineman Ryan Bartholomew is poised to be among the dozens of college players who get a call from a league franchise during the three-day event.
In January, Bartholomew participated in the nation’s longest-running college all-star football game -- the East-West Shrine Game. The Mitchellville native was impressive at February’s NFL Scouting Combine when he registered the top bench press performance among offensive line prospects.
"I wasn’t expecting that at all," Bartholomew said. "It happened. I’m proud of it."
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Bartholomew, a 6-foot-2, 298-pound center/guard, recorded 34 reps of 225 pounds, besting highly regarded NFL prospect Nate Solder of Colorado, who measures up at 6-foot-8 and 319 pounds.
Bartholomew said his main objective at the combine was to turn someheads and get himself noticed amongst the NFL decision makers.
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"I think I did that," said Bartholomew, a member of the 2010 Big East All-Academic Team.
The DeMatha product started all 13 games at Syracuse last season and was the centerpiece of an offensive line that helped Delone Carter rush for over 1,000 yards in 2010. At DeMatha, Bartholomew helped pave the way for Patrick Mealy who rushed for 24 touchdowns and nearly 1,600 yards during the 2005 campaign.
The former DeMatha standout recalled the 2005 season in which the Stags defeated Good Counsel in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship game, 21-20.
"We just fought our way back and we ended up winning in overtime," said Bartholomew, a 2006 DeMatha graduate.
Bartholomew, a three-year varsity performer and a two-year starter in high school, was described by former DeMatha head coach BillMcGregor as an "outstanding player" with a "great work ethic."
"You just knew he would be successful," McGregor said. "He just worked so hard."
Bartholomew’s hard work over the years could reap dividends thisweekend should he be selected in the NFL Draft.
"I’m just looking forward to it," he said, "so I know what’s next in my life.”