NCAA FB

RICE NOTEBOOK Sendejo ready to compete Safety knows he'll have to earn a spot in NFL

LexisNexis Feed Jeffrey Martin, Houston Chronicle, The Houston Chronicle
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Updated Apr 8, 2010 10:43 PM ET
     
 

Andrew Sendejo finished his career at Rice as the second-leading tackler in school history. A high ankle sprain suffered during the Owls' Oct. 17 contest at East Carolina required surgery, ending his senior season after seven games.

The safety thought there might be a chance he'd be taken in the late rounds of the NFL draft, but he has re-adjusted his expectations and accepted he'll likely be an undrafted rookie free agent.

And that's just fine with Sendejo.

"I have to do the normal things I did in the first place, the things I did in high school and at Rice," he said "I have to do the same things I've always done to stand out. I have to be in the right place, bust my tail and fly around. Those are the fastest ways to get noticed - to be coachable and to do your job.

"And if, like most rookies, I have to earn money on special teams, that's fine with me. I'm confident doing that, and I did all of that while playing full time on defense."

Last week, Sendejo worked out for NFL scouts during the Owls' pro day at Rice Stadium. Teams were curious to see if the safety had sufficiently healed, and Sendejo said he feels great. His 40 time was between 4.52 and 4.67 seconds - and considering he didn't start jogging until Jan. 16 and wasn't fully cleared to do everything else until Feb. 22, he was satisfied.

Over the weekend, Sendejo participated in a local workout held by the Texans for prospects either from Houston or from Texas colleges. On Wednesday, he visited the Oakland Raiders.

Sendejo realizes he's not Tennessee's Eric Berry or Texas' Earl Thomas. They might be more talented, and certainly were surrounded by more talent in college, but that's all he's willing to concede.

"It helps you raise your level of game, and it can also make you look better when you're playing on a team full of guys who are going to get drafted," Sendejo said. "If you look at teams that have really good defenses in college football, their safeties are making 60 tackles. The ball doesn't make it to the secondary.

"But even if I'm surrounded by really talented guys, you have to do the other things. I might not be as talented as a first- or second-round safety, but I can guarantee you I'll be able to go all day, find a way to shine and one day compete for his spot."

Outdoor accolades

After successfully defending his Texas Relays title (for the third time) in the pole vault with the world's third-best mark this year (18 feet, 83/4 inches), Jason Colwick was named the Conference USA male Track and Field Athlete of the Week.

It's Colwick's sixth outdoor weekly honor. The Owls compete next at Saturday's UTEP Invitational.

jeffrey.martin@chron.com

Tagged: Rice, Texas

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