Akron Native Shaquille Riddick ready for NFL!!!!!!
After playing defensive end for West Virginia University last season and Gardner-Webb University the previous three years, Riddick was not among the 323 prospects who were invited to showcase their skills in February at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
His obsession with proving he shouldn’t be underestimated has intensified as a result.
Despite the combine snub, many analysts predict Riddick will be chosen in the upcoming NFL Draft, which runs April 30-May 2. He has no doubt he’s worthy.
“Wherever I go, I’m going to be a surprise that they’re going to benefit from,” Riddick said in a recent phone interview with the Beacon Journal. “And whoever doesn’t select me, they’re going to have to worry about me terrorizing their quarterbacks.”
The 22-year-old Riddick conceded the lack of a combine invitation surprised him, though it also served as a driving force.
“It definitely motivated me,” said Riddick, who graduated from Akron Early College High School in 2011 and played three sports (football, basketball, track and field) for Buchtel. “I’ve been getting looked over since I was coming out of high school. I didn’t even have an official [college] visit out of high school. I didn’t have one FBS offer coming out of high school. So it all just adds to the chip on the shoulder. Being overlooked and going through adversity just makes me want to work harder.”
