Among the former and current Yale players in attendance as Bobby Abare, Drew Baldwin, Geoff Dunham, Jordan Haynes, Pat Moran, Jake Stoller, Alex Thomas and Patrick Witt worked out for NFL scouts was somebody who knows the drill pretty well.

A year ago Shane Bannon was barely showing up on any NFL draft sites but a strong showing at Yale's pro day followed by impressive showings in individual workouts resulted in Bannon being drafted in the seventh round by the Kansas City Chiefs. I haven't had the chance to speak to Bannon since he was drafted so I spent a few minutes with him to talk about his experiences last season and also to have him talk about the process of attempting to catch the eye of NFL teams.

"It was fast," Bannon said. "It was the quickest six weeks of my life. I worked out at pro day, starting talking to teams and working out for teams and it just kind of snowballed from there. I think I was in the right place at the right time and the stars aligned and I couldn't be more grateful that the Chiefs drafted me. It was a great month for sure."

Bannon was thrilled to see his former teammates taking their best shot at the NFL.

"I thought they did great," Bannon said. "They came out and gave it their best shot so hopefully somebody saw something they liked and they'll get a couple phone calls. If not, that doesn't take away from anything they have done. I commend them for giving it a shot."

So what advice would Bannon give to the former Yale players hoping to get invited to NFL training camps.
"There is so much you can control," Bannon said. "If you get a workout or interview, just go out and be you and do what you know you can do. You can't let that stuff get to you because there is too much going on, sit back relax and enjoy it."

Bannon spent time on the Chiefs' practice squad and after the season signed a two-year contract with Kansas City.

"We'll see what happens in camp," Bannon said. "I have to make the team and I look forward to getting out there and competing for sure. It's a little different because you are not training to do a pro day any more, you are not doing specific benching and running 40s but I trying to get back in shape and get ready for OTAs and practice and hopefully the stars will align again."

Former Yale fullback Shane Bannon was one of six players signed to the Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad.

Here is the official release from the Chiefs

Yale senior quarterback Patrick Witt was one of 16 players named as finalists for the Campbell Trophy, often referred to as the academic Heisman Trophy.

Of the 16 players honored as part of the National Football Foundation's recognition of the nation's top scholar-athletes, Witt was the only Ivy League player to make the list.

Witt will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and will be honored along with the other finalists at the 54th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 6 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. The winner of the Campbell Trophy will be announced at the dinner.

Witt is a history major with a 3.89 grade-point average. He has completed 58.5 percent of his passes for 1,377 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He is Yale's all-time leader with 463 completions, needs three attempts to become the Yale leader in that category. Witt needs 440 passing yards and 11 TD passes to become Yale's career leader in those categories.

BANNON PLACED ON INJURED LIST
Former Yale fullback/h-back Shane Bannon whirlwind rookie season took another turn when he was placed on the practice squad's injury list by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Bannon was drafted by the Chiefs in the seventh round but was a late cut before being placed on practice squad. Bannon was cut from the practice squad last month only to be brought back a few days later.

Former Yale fullback/h-back Shane Bannon was cut from the practice squad of the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday so that offensive lineman Lucas Patterson could be added to the team's practice squad.

Bannon, who was taken by the Chiefs in the seventh round of April's NFL draft, played in all four preseason games for Kansas City and had two carries against Tampa Bay.

The release of Bannon leaves only defensive end Tom McCarthy, who is on the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad, as the only Yale product on an NFL roster or practice squad roster.

Former Yale football captain Tom McCarthy was signed to the practice squad of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Tuesday according to Yale football coach Tom Williams, who was an assistant coach with the Jaguars before taking the Yale job.

McCarthy, a 6-foot-6, 252-pound defensive end, was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted rookie free agent.

McCarthy had solo tackles in Atlanta's first two preseason games including the Aug. 19 game at Jacksonville. McCarthy played in three preseason games for the Falcons before being cut on Friday.

The Jaguars filled seven of the eight practice-squad positions on Sunday. Defensive lineman Daniel Bladridge, linebackers Jacob Cutrera and Mike Lockley, defensive backs Matt Estrada and T.J. Heath and running back DuJuan Harris were signed after being cut by the Jaguars while receiver Tyler Beiler was signed to the squad after being cut by the San Francisco 49ers.

McCarthy is the second member of the 2010 Yale football squad to be signed to a practice squad. Fullback Shane Bannon is on the Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad. Bannon was taken in the seventh round of April's NFL draft and was cut by the Chiefs on Saturday.

One day after former Yale fullback/h-back was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs, he was one of eight players signed to Kansas City's practice squad.

Bannon, who was taken by the Chiefs in the seventh round of April's NFL draft, played in all four preseason games for Kansas City and had two carries against Tampa Bay.

Joining Bannon on the practice squad are offensive linemen Darryl Harris, Butch Lewis and David Mims, linebacker Justin Cole, receiver Jeremy Horne, defensive back Quinten Lawrence and defensive lineman Anthony Toribio.

Former Yale captain and defensive end Tom McCarthy was not among the seven players signed to the Atlanta Falcons practice squad. McCarthy signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent before being cut on Friday.

Former Yale tight end Nate Lawrie was cut by the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday meaning that there are no Yale products on any current NFL rosters.

Lawrie, originally drafted by Tampa Bay in the sixth round of the 2004 draft, was signed by the 49ers during training camp. He had a catch in San Francisco's final preseason game against San Diego but it was not enough to earn him a spot on the
49ers' 53-man roster.

Former Yale fullback Shane Bannon, cut by the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, and defensive end Tom McCarthy, waived by the Atlanta Falcons on Friday, are candidates to be signed to NFL practice squads.

As for the current squad, here is a slideshow to 10 players to watch on the 2011 Yale squad.

Former Yale fullback Shane Bannon was waived by the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday.

Bannon, taken by the Chiefs in the seventh round of April's NFL draft, carried the ball on the Chiefs' first offensive play in the preseason but was not able to make the Chiefs' 53-man roster.

Bannon could be signed to the Chiefs' practice squad.

I'm still waiting to hear on the status of Nate Lawrie. If he is cut by the San Francisco 49ers, there will be no Yale products on NFL opening-day rosters.

Former Yale captain Tom McCarthy was one of 17 players cut by the Atlanta Falcons on Friday.

McCarthy, a defensive end, was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Falcons. McCarthy had solo tackles in preseason games against Miami and Jacksonville but with the Falcons signing Ray Edwards as a free agent and the strong play of seventh-round pick Cliff Matthews, McCarthy was caught up in a numbers' crunch. The Falcons could bring McCarthy back on the practice squad.

Also cut by the Falcons on Friday was former Masuk High star Paul Fenaroli, a rookie center out of Stony Brook.

I'm still waiting to hear about former Yale fullback Shane Bannon and tight end Nate Lawrie, who are on the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers rosters respectively.

Former Yale tight end Nate Lawrie, fullback Shane Bannon and defensive end Tom McCarthy survived the latest round of NFL cuts as teams had to get their rosters down to 80.

Lawrie was not among the latest round of cuts announced by the San Francisco 49ers as San Francisco waived wide receivers Tyler Beiler and Kevin Jurovich, running back Seth Smith, offensive linemen Donovan Edwards and Nick Powell, linebacker Scott McKillop and punter Sam Paulescu.

Kansas City let seven players recently and then waived kicker Todd Carter and placed offensive tackle Ryan O'Callaghan on injured reserve meaning that Bannon, a seventh-round pick of the Chiefs, is still in contention for a roster spot.

The Atlanta Falcons signed center Brett Romberg, received an injury settlement with receiver Tim Buckley and cut receiver Doug Beaumont, defensive back Kirk Belgrave, running back Philip Sylvester and linebackers LaMarcus Thompson and LB Youri Yenga meaning that McCarthy is among the 80 players on Atlanta's roster.

Each NFL team has to be down to 53 players by Saturday. The good news is that even if Bannon and McCarthy are cut, they have a chance to be named to their respective team's eight-member practice squad. Had they been cut today, they would not have realistic practice squad candidates. I'll have to brush up on my practice-squad rules to see if Lawrie still has eligibility to be named to San Francisco's practice squad.


Thanks to an alert blog reader for pointing out that defensive lineman Tevin Hood is on the roster of the University of San Diego football squad.

Hood played in four games as a non-scholarship player at Duke last season and planned on enrolling at Yale. Hood actually was at Yale for a couple of days this summer before telling coaches that he had a change of heart. Playing at San Diego will allow Hood to play immediately since he would have needed to sit out a season if he went to a Bowl Championship Series program and he will be closer to his family in Arizona.

Shane Bannon had two carries, including the first one of the game, for two yards and was the starting fullback in the Kansas City Chiefs' 25-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday.

Bannon was not the only member of last year's Yale team to make his NFL debut on Friday as defensive end Tom McCarthy had one solo tackle in the Atlanta Falcons' 28-23 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

A third member of the 2010 Bulldogs wasn't as fortunate as tight end Chris Blohm was cut by the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday, three days after he was signed as an undrafted free agent. At the time that he was signed by San Francisco, his agents told me in an e-mail that he was planning to work out for the St. Louis Rams so it will be interesting to see if the Rams show any interest in Blohm.

The NFL debuts for Shane Bannon, Chris Blohm and Tom McCarthy can be seen on the NFL Network on a tape-delayed basis between Saturday and Monday.

McCarthy is up first as the rookie defensive end will suit up for the Atlanta Falcons against the Miami Dolphins. The game, which will kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, will air on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Blohm is a tight end recently signed by the San Francisco 49ers and the 49ers play New Orleans in the preseason opener. The game, set for Friday at 8 p.m., will be shown on NFL Network on Saturday at 10:30 p.m.

Bannon, a fullback drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the seventh round in April's NFL draft, will play in his first NFL game when the Chiefs face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday at 8 p.m. but it won't be shown on the NFL Network until 4 a.m. on Monday.

For those who want to look for the three former Yale teammates, Bannon wears No. 40, Blohm No. 47 and McCarthy No. 70.

UNION SCRIMMAGE IS SET FOR SEPTEMBER 3
Yale will be scrimmaging Division III Union once again. The scrimmage will be played on September 3. There will be a twist this year. Rather than trying to get all the players into the scrimmage, Yale has scheduled a junior varsity scrimmage against Hamilton College for September 11 so that all 113 players have a chance to play in a scrimmage setting.

Before this afternoon, former Yale fullback/h-back Shane Bannon's only competition at fullback for the Kansas City Chiefs was Mike Cox, who had four receptions and no rushing attempts in seven games last season. However, that changed when Kansas City signed former Baltimore Ravens fullback La'Ron McClain.

McClain rushed for 902 yards during the 2008 season but was not a featured part of the Baltimore rushing offense in the last two years, carrying the ball 74 times in his last 31 games. He did have 21 receptions in each of the last two seasons and becomes the frontrunner to start at fullback.

It will be interesting to see how this impacts Bannon's role or place on the team. Kansas City is well under the 90-player maximum so no cuts will need to be made.

This is the second time a member of the 2010 Yale team saw a potential starter added at the position they play as Ray Edwards was signed as a free agent by the Atlanta Falcons. One of the defensive ends trying to make the Falcons is undrafted rookie free agent Tom McCarthy.

WILLIAMS TO TAKE PART IN "CHALK TALK"
Yale football coach Tom Williams will be on the panel along with Southern Connecticut's Rich Cavanaugh and Peter Rossomando at the third annual "Chalk Talk" at the Wicked Wolf Tavern (144 Temple Street) on Tuesday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. It will be a day of Williams answering questions about the 2011 Yale squad since the annual Ivy League football coaches teleconference will be held earlier in the day.

Tickets are $10 for Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce members and $20 for non-members. If you are interested in purchasing tickets, click on this link.

Former Yale fullback/h-back Shane Bannon signed with the Kansas City Chiefs on Wednesday. Here is the story posted on the Chiefs' official site.

The Chiefs selected Bannon in the seventh round in April's NFL draft as he became the first Yale player drafted since Nate Lawrie in 2004.

The Chiefs open training camp on Friday.

With Yale's graduation fast approaching, I thought it would be a good time to catch up with Jesse Reising, the linebacker who was nearly paralyzed during the Nov. 20 game against Harvard. As it turned out, we sat down on Friday which was six months to the date of his violent collision with Harvard running back Gino Gordon.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

As I wrote in my last story about Jesse back in February, he was in line to be commissioned as an officer in the Marines but the injuries he suffered prevented him from realizing his dream.

Reising, while obviously disappointed at being disenrolled from the Marines office training candidate school, was not about to wallow in self pity. As the story which is running in Sunday's edition of the Register documents, his future is looking pretty bright. He is heading over to Afghanistan to work as a contractor and is starting a non-profit organization to help care for the families of fallen service members.

MAJOR HONOR FOR BANNON
Shane Bannon, who became the first Yale player taken in the NFL draft in seven years when he was selected in the seventh round by the Kansas City Chiefs in last month's draft, received a prestigious honor on Saturday night.

Bannon was co-winner of Yale's Meyer Humanitarian Award.

The award is given each year to a varsity athlete in the senior class "whose character exemplifies selfless devotion along with compassion and concern for their team and the community at Yale and beyond."

Bannon was recognized for his off the field work including spending the last three years being very involved in the annual Mandi Schwartz Marrow Donor Registration Drive at Yale. He has also been a mentor for elementary school children at Shepherd Glen School in Hamden since 2009 and has volunteered with Special Olympics. He has participated in Youth Days and the athletics department’s annual holiday gift giving drive for underprivileged children all four years he has been at Yale.

LOOK FOR RECRUIT LIST NEXT WEEK
Last I heard, Yale was still dotting the i's and crossing the t's on its incoming freshman class. I'd look for the list to be officially released at some point in the next week. Don't look for any surprises as it is expected to consist of the 29 high school seniors as well as Duke transfer Tevin Hood.

While seventh-round picks are hardly locks to make NFL rosters, it appears as if Shane Bannon is walking into a good situation after the Kansas City Chiefs made him the first Yale player taken in the NFL draft since 2004.

Not only did the Chiefs led the NFL in rushing offense in 2010, but a quick glance at the Chiefs' roster shows Bannon's competition at fullback as being Jackie Battle,
Tim Castille, Mike Cox and Tervaris Johnson who combined for 25 carries last season and 64 career NFL carries between them. Of course, Bannon is living proof that the fullback position can't be judged by the number of rushing attempts since he did not carry the ball as a senior at Yale but the point is that there is another an all-pro standing between Bannon and a spot on the Kansas City roster.

"I think potentially it could be a good fit," Bannon said. "They have some good running backs there and are a fantastic team. Hopefully I will be able to create a niche for myself and get on their roster this fall. I like contact and I can't wait until I put my helmet on somebody else. I am really excited for the opportunity and excited to join such a great running back core and hopefully I can help out in any way possible."

Bannon worked out for the Chiefs in April and believed that Kansas City liked what they saw. It doesn't hurt that former NFL fullback Maurice Carthon is on the Chiefs' coaching staff and was one of the people Bannon spoke with as Kansas City was drafting him.

"I had a sense that they thought I was a good player and I had heard from the scouts that they thought I had a pretty good workout," Bannon said. "I felt they were a potential team that could be picking me today if not (signing with them) in free agency.

"I was getting a little anxious, I was pretty excited to see what was going to happen. I saw Kansas City had a pick in the seventh round and I thought the workout with them went really well. When they called me and there is over a minute left on
the clock, I was feeling overjoyed and excited."

Bannon is the first Yale player drafted since Tampa Bay took tight end Nate Lawrie in the sixth round in the NFL draft. Bannon went with the 223rd pick, the exact spot Tampa Bay took former Yale safety Than Merrill in the 2001 draft. Eric Johnson went with the following pick and enjoyed a few productive years as a tight end with the San Francisco 49ers.

Bannon's former Yale teammates Chris Blohm and Tom McCarthy did not get drafted. San Francisco worked out Blohm and had two picks late in the seventh round where they could have taken Blohm, a native of San Francisco. McCarthy had workout with 10-12 NFL teams but was not among the 254 players taken in the three-day draft.

Now they will have to wait until the labor unrest currently existing in the NFL is rectified before they can sign as undrafted rookie free agents.

"We talked about preparing for this possibility should they not be drafted," Yale coach Tom Williams said. "Towards the later rounds, in my opinion, if you are not drafted I think you have a better opportunity to place yourself as a priority free agent. I think as soon as the lockout is settled, both of those guys will be (signed) very quickly."

Fullback/h-back Shane Bannon became the first Yale player taken in the NFL draft since 2004 when the Kansas City Chiefs selected him in the seventh round on Saturday.

Bannon had 13 catches and as a lead blocker helped open holes for running backs Alex Thomas and Mordecai Cargill. However, it was after the season ended when Bannon really made himself into an NFL prospect. Working out alongside Chris Blohm, Adam Money and Sean Williams, Bannon managed to get bigger and faster. When he ran a 4.69 in the 40-yard dash during a pro day in Tolland last month, his stock began to soar.

Ironically, 10 years ago defensive back Than Merrill was taken by Tampa Bay with pick No. 223 while Eric Johnson was taken 224th overall by the San Francisco 49ers.

Bannon is the first Yale player drafted since Tampa Bay took tight end Nate Lawrie in the sixth round of the 2004 draft and 28th player from Yale taken in the draft.

Yale could have two other players drafted as defensive end Tom McCarthy and tight end Chris Blohm have drawn interest from NFL teams following impressive pro day performances.

Not since Nate Lawrie was drafted by Tampa Bay in the sixth round of the 2004 NFL draft has a Yale player heard his name called on draft day.

That could all change on Saturday as fullback/h-back Shane Bannon, tight end Chris Blohm and defensive end Tom McCarthy have drawn interest from NFL squads.

Bannon ran the 40 in 4.69 seconds in front of NFL scouts last month and was right in that range both at Yale's pro day and when he worked out for agent Joe Linta. Now Linta believes there's a very good chance that Bannon will be drafted on Saturday on the final day of the draft.

"He had a great workout. Then I got his highlight film and there was no question he was a draft pick. In my opinion, he is better in my opinion than the kid from Stanford, Owen Marecic. At that point I started calling around like a crazy person. A lot of the teams called me back right away."

Linta estimated that 14 teams have expressed an interest in Bannon.

"He is the No. 1 guy in the country in terms of combination of size and speed," Linta said. "That is the most compelling thing. He is 25-30 pounds heavier than a lot of the fullbacks and he is at least a tenth or two tenths (in the 40) faster than all of them. If we have free agency Saturday night in case Shane doesn't get drafted, I can guarantee you - I'll give you $100,000 - that he will sign, it is lock."

That's not bad for a player who was pondering skipping the 2010 season to allow his ailing shoulder to recover.

Bannon was able to get a clean bill of health and became a key component on Yale's offense as the starting fullback. Although he did not carry the ball, he did catch 13 passes and opened up the holes so Yale's top three rushers (Alex Thomas, Mordecai Cargill and Deon Randall) combined to average 4.6 yards per carry.

When the season ended, Bannon worked out diligently with Blohm, Adam Money and Sean Williams and now the dream of playing in the NFL is close to becoming a reality.

"I think going into my junior year was the first time Coach (Tom) Williams had mentioned that he thought I had the ability to play at the next level," Bannon said. "I think from there, the shoulder (injury) put me back a little bit not really being sure if I was going to have to redshirt or not. This year, not missing any time, not missing any practice it was great. My doctors did a great job on my shoulder and I didn't have any issues, never second guessed it. This season I felt like I developed myself and put enough on film to put me in a pretty good position to try to get to the next level.

"I think it is great, especially that I have had somebody to work out with. Blohmer, Money and Sean Williams to work out with has been great. It is really easy to lose focus through this whole thing because it is such a long process, you work 12 weeks, you have a 12-week workout regiment. It has been even harder since pro day with individual team workouts, doing extra conditioning under our strength coach. It has been awesome."

McCarthy graduated in December so he has been working out in New Jersey. Like Bannon, he got bigger and faster since the end of the season. At the Fordham pro day, McCarthy put on a show. At Yale pro day, he only did selected drills but still when the event ended, the New England Patriots scout on site asked McCarthy for his contact information. McCarthy has worked out for about 10 teams and 6-foot-6, 265-pound defensive ends who run 4.7 40-yard dashes tend to draw interest from NFL teams and that is the case with McCarthy.

"Teams have called me in the past few days to verify my contact information for draft day so I take that as a good sign," McCarthy said.

McCarthy was drawing interest from Division III schools before Yale began recruiting McCarthy. Now he is perhaps only a couple days from possibly hearing his name called in the NFL draft,

"I think I am going to be pretty anxious that day," McCarthy said. "If I get drafted, it will be in one of the later rounds. I will be sitting around all day playing the waiting game. I am sure I will be looking at the clock and I am sure it will be going by pretty slowly.

"I can't even begin to imagine what that will be like. I won't be able to say for sure what that will be like until if it happens I guess. obviously I'll be very excited at the opportunity to play in the NFL but other than that, it is something I won't know until it happens."

Blohm, a native of San Francisco, worked out for the San Francisco 49ers recently. It doesn't hurt that the 49ers have 12 picks in the draft, more than another other team.

"His best chance (of being drafted) would be the 49ers in the sense that they were the last team to see him in person," said John J. Perez, who is representing Blohm and former Yale defensive back Adam Money.

"He has done everything we have asked him to do. His film is very strong. He is a very consistent player, a steady blocker. That is his strength, he is a prototype NFL kind of blocking tight end. I think he has better than average, above average receiving skills when they put him through the workouts and watch the film. He had limited opportunities in the Yale offense but he catches the ball when it is thrown to him. I think he fits that role as a blocking tight end, No. 2 tight end in the red zone. There are teams who are looking for those guys. Jacksonville, a run-orientated team, New York Giants, the Patriots play with multiple tight ends, Miami Dolphins are looking for a tight end. Teams that are communicating with the (Yale football) office and us are teams that are in need of tight ends and specifically blocking tight ends. It is going to be the right fit for him and nobody really knows what is going to happen.

"If this was a normal year, i would say that he is an undrafted rookie free agent but with this year what we hear is maybe teams will start reaching in that seventh round and try to collect extra picks to kind of dip into those rookie free agent guys and try to gobble them up in the seventh round because they just don't know whether they can offer them contracts after the draft. There could be a surprise for Chris. It would be a great surprise for him, his family and Yale. I think most likely if everything is normal, he is a guy after the draft."

At the request of the Yale coaching staff, Perez was asked to look at Money and liked what he saw.

"There has been a last minute rush (of interest in Money)," Perez said. "From Adam's pro day there was a buzz with him as well in terms of the numbers he put up, the speed numbers, quickness. We reviewed the film, liked him, met with him and represent him too. He is more of a long shot but you never know."

The NFL draft begins on Thursday with the first round. The second and third rounds will be held on Friday with rounds 4-7 on Saturday.

If more than one former Bulldog is taken, it would be the first time that has happened since Eric Johnson and Than Merrill were taken on consecutive picks in the 2001 draft. Three Yale products have not been taken in the same draft since 1982.

"I think there is a great chance that all three could be drafted and at the very least, two of the three will be drafted," said Yale coach Tom Williams, who was an assistant coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars before coming to Yale.

"I will be as anxious as they are. I will definitely be watching. The NFL draft is something I get drawn into so I will be watching and I will certainly be keeping in touch with those kids and keeping my fingers crossed that it will work out the way they want it to."

Former Yale fullback/h-back Shane Bannon is working out with the Chicago Bears today.

Bannon, who opened some eyes with strong performances at a couple of pro days last month, had previously worked out with the Green Bay Packers and more than one national publication has proclaimed Bannon to be one of the sleepers in the draft.

Bannon was one of five Yale players who worked out in front of scouts for the New England Patriots and the New York Giants.

Defensive end Tom McCarthy had an impressive showing at Fordham's pro day while tight end Chris Blohm, linebacker Sean Williams and defensive back Adam Money are also on the radar of NFL teams.

I just got off the phone with John J. Perez, an agent who represents Blohm and he recently added Money as a client.

With the five former Bulldogs aren't showing up on many of the prospect databases on the internet, there is a chance that a team takes a chance on them late in the draft. I could be way off base but I truly think McCarthy could get drafted and it's possible that Bannon and Blohm would hear their names called on Saturday when the draft wraps up.

If that is the case, it would be the first time since 1982 that three Yale players were drafted as Jeff Rohrer went in the second round to Dallas, Rich Diana to the fifth round to Miami and Curt Grieve to Philadelphia in the sixth round.

Look for a story in the Register later this week, perhaps as early as Thursday, on Yale's NFL draft prospects.

Yale's annual Blue-White spring game will be played on Saturday beginning at 2 p.m. at the Yale Bowl.

As has been the case during his tenure, Yale football coach Tom Williams is using the event as much as a practice as a scrimmage. There will not be split squads but will be plenty of series with the top offensive and defensive units butting heads.

"We will feature situational football," Williams said. "Our spring game for us is like another practice day, put all those young guys in situations were we can evaluate them and see what they can do for in the fall."

Obviously the personnel will be a bit different without receivers Jordan Forney and Gio Christodoulou (who is taking the spring off but will return in the fall), tight ends Chris Blohm and Caleb Smith, fullback Shane Bannon, center Jake Koury and tackle Alex Golubiewski among the key losses on offense. Defensive ends Tom McCarthy and Sean Williams, defensive tackle Joe Young, linebacker Jesse Reising, cornerback Chris Stanley and safety Adam Money will need to be replaced on the defensive side of the ball. But don't expect to see a change in philosophy or schemes in an attempt to replace the graduating seniors.

"It will be a lot of the same stuff," Williams said. "We are hoping we can throw the ball down the field a little bit more, our protection is better when our first five is out there. We may take some more shots down the field. We have expanded our offensive package so we have more run plays that we want to feature so we can take advantage of the skill set of our running backs. We will have a better intermediate passing game also. We thought last year we either took shots or took short passes. We want to be able to attack the middle of field a little more."

BANNON, MCCARTHY OPENING SOME EYES
The NFL draft is less than a week away from kicking off and there's a chance that a Yale player or players could be drafted for the first time since 2004.

Bannon, Blohm and McCarthy have put themselves very much on the radar of NFL teams with impressive workouts and strong efforts at pro days.

In an article on SI.com, Bannon and McCarthy are mentioned among 12 small school sleepers

ANOTHER BIG TURNOUT AT BONE MARROW DRIVE
Yale's annual bone marrow registry drive was a major hit once again as nearly 900 showed up to have their cheeks swabbed so they could join the registry.

The drive began as a way of trying to find a match for leukemia stricken Yale women's hockey player Mandi Schwartz. Although no match could be found and cancer ended Schwartz's life earlier this month, her spirit lives on. Six matches were found courtesy of the first two drives and it would be a fitting legacy for Mandi that her memory and inspiration will result in saving more lives.