Thomas
Davis, Brodney Pool, Ernest Shazor…just a few of the
names routinely being talked about in NFL draft circles
at the safety position. Yet just outside the
bright glare of that spotlight on the top names of this
draft class, there is Mitch Meeuwsen, a hard working,
flannel-clad kid from Oregon State beginning to make a
little more noise and raising a few more eyebrows.
Born in
Hillsboro Oregon, though eventually settling down in the
quiet little town of Forest Grove, Mitch’s parents began
raising their children to be the active, productive sons
and daughter they are today. Following in the
footsteps of his older sister, who was an All-State
softball pitcher, and his Brother who was an
All-Conference football and baseball player, Mitch took
to sports immediately as a young child.
When I asked
Mitch about his parents and their roll in molding him,
the answer was simple and genuine. “My parents are
the most important people in the world to me. I
could not have been the person I am today without them.”
It was his dad who helped groom Mitch in sports; however
it was his mother who was right there at every game,
traveling to every function, and supporting him in every
move. Said Mitch of his father and mother, “My dad
taught me everything I know about football and other
sports, and coached me when I was little. My mom
was there to support me the whole way, and make sure I
had what I needed to succeed. She had a great
effect on me as a person.”
It must have
paid off. Mitch’s high school record is proof
enough. His list of accomplishments and
achievements is lengthy to say the least. He
starred in all 3 big sports – football, basketball, and
baseball – bringing home 9 letters and several
All-Conference awards. Mitch said about his high
school years, “Life was great in high school. My
senior class was great; we all got along together very
well and had a lot of fun and success.”
That fun and
success would transfer immediately into college.
Originally recruited hard by both Oregon State and Boise
State, Mitch decided to stay closer to home and
eventually stuck with Oregon State. Mitch has been
hard at work at the free safety position for the Beavers
ever since. In 2001, as a red shirt freshman, he
racked up 53 tackles, recovered four fumbles, had three
interceptions, and was named to several freshman
All-American teams around the country. By 2002,
Mitch was a steady hand in the Beavers defensive
secondary, and his interception numbers were climbing
rapidly.
Mitch
started in all 13 games at free safety in 2003. He
was tied for fourth on the team in tackles with 52, and
he kept adding to his interception totals by hauling in
6 more picks, with one of them being returned for a
45-yard touchdown against Washington State. At the
end of his junior year, Mitch was recognized by
receiving honorable mention All-Pac 10 honors.
Entering his
senior year in 2004, Mitch had a total of 14
interceptions, leaving him 1 shy of the school record
which was a 40-year record held by Dan Espalin (‘64).
It didn’t last much longer; Mitch got that record-tying
interception, and added 5 more for insurance. He
now holds the Beavers’ all-time record for interceptions
with 20. That record just might take another 40
years for someone else to break.
Mitch was
gracious enough to sit down, taking time to respond to a
few questions I had for him. He told me about life
in college and his responsibilities playing football at
the free safety position.
DraftBoardInsider.com: Mitch your numbers are
hard to ignore. You had 20 total interceptions
with 149 total return yards and one run back for a
touchdown. What do you attribute your success in
collegeto?
Mitch
Meeuwsen: My athletic ability and my
understanding of the game are the two biggest factors I
believe. I can usually know what is going to
happen in a play before anyone else on the field does
and then use my athletic ability to make a play.
DBI:
You had a pretty good defensive backfield this year.
Brandon Browner is being talked about in some circles as
a first round pick. What was it like playing with
Brandon and some of the other guys? What was your
chemistry like with them?
MM:
That was the best secondary I played with in my four
years of starting. Brandon is an unbelievable
talent and I had a great time helping him learn parts of
the game. Aric Williams and Sabby Piscitelli were
also great players and we all took pride in being one of
the top secondaries in the country. I played on
the same side as Aric Williams all year and we had great
chemistry together. We always knew where each
other was going to be and helped each other out.
DBI:
Free safety is generally the guy calling the audibles or
defensive schemes once the offense gets to the line of
scrimmage, and he can see what they are set up in.
How difficult is that for you to keep your mind on the
game, and be responsible for making any necessary
adjustments for the whole defense, not just for
yourself?
MM: I
have always taken pride in being the guy that made the
adjustments for the defense. I have been doing it
since my freshman year, so I am very comfortable doing
it. I think it also helps the other guys
because... if they’re not sure about something
they could come to me for an answer whether they played
safety or another position. This is one of the
best parts of the game to me.
DBI:
Say I'm the common Joe and need a little explaining.
What's the difference between the Free Safety and the
Strong Safety position? What are your main
responsibilities?
MM:
Free Safety is the guy who usually gets the defense
setup and is the deep guy in pass coverage zones.
The Strong safety is the guy who is more in the run
support like an extra linebacker and has short zone pass
responsibility.
DBI:
How have your workouts and pro days gone? What is
your current 40 time, your vertical leap, and
bench...and what if anything are you hearing about your
workouts in some of the circles you may be in?
MM:
I had two great pro days that I was happy with. My
best marks from my pro days…I ran a 4.49 and 4.50 in the
forty. I jumped 39.5 and 39 in the vertical.
In the bench I did 13 reps. After the pro day,
there seemed to be a lot of buzz from the scouts over my
workouts. I have a visit to the Colts setup for
this week.
DBI:
What's more satisfying to you...an interception returned
for a touchdown, a game-sealing interception, or laying
out an unaware receiver coming across the middle?
MM:
I would say the game-sealing interception even though
they are all great. But when you get one to clinch
a game you get to come back and celebrate with your
teammates that the game is over.
DBI:
What are your goals and ways to achieve them for your
NFL future? Where do you see yourself in say 10
years from now football-wise?
MM:
My goals are to come into a team and help contribute
right away anyway I can. I will do this by working
as hard as I can over the next few months to give myself
the best opportunity. In ten years I hope to be
wrapping up a very successful football career and start
getting ready to do something else in life.
DBI:
I'm sure several NFL teams have watched your workouts,
etc. Are there a few more than others that seem to
have shown a particular interest in you?
MM:
Yes there have been a lot of teams at the workouts but
the teams that have shown the most interest are the
Colts, Seahawks, Panthers, Dolphins, and Raiders.
Though, I have spoken to more teams.
DBI:
What has been the biggest roller-coaster ride for you
since your college days have ended and the professional
whirlwind has begun? Is there any one thing that
has you waking up in the middle of the night looking for
the Alka Seltzer?
MM:
No, the whole process has actually been pretty smooth to
me…A little different because I have never done this
before, but nothing too bad. The pressure of this
is nothing like that in a game.
DBI:
Final, yet unavoidable question – I'm an NFL coach or
GM, I'm looking hard at Mitch Meeuwsen, what puts me
over the top when it comes to pulling the trigger and
drafting him?
MM:
I am a player that makes plays is probably the biggest
thing. I do my assignments correctly and don’t
give up plays, but I also make game-changing plays.
Without a
doubt, Mitch does make plays. This could be why
he’s grabbing more than interceptions, also grabbing the
attention of many NFL scouts. And of course, it
doesn’t hurt that Mitch has done everything asked of him
as a football player, a brother and as a son and an
outside observer has to like what they see.
You won’t
find a more down-to-earth country kid than Mitch
Meeuwsen. I asked Mitch several one answer
questions – kind of a “Hot Seat” scenario. I’ve
learned you can really find out a lot about the person
with a series of simple, one-word answers. His
favorite music is country, and his most prized
possession is his truck. He loves to watch racing,
NASCAR being his favorite. He names seafood and
orange juice as favorite food and drink. He likes
to swing the sticks at his local golf course when he
can, and is the obligatory fan of playing video games
like Madden 2005. That’s about as down-to-earth as
it gets. Well, come to think of it, I hope he
doesn’t indulge in his favorites of orange juice and
seafood at the same sitting. That might raise an
eyebrow. Back to football…
Free Safety
is not the easiest of positions. Although it
doesn’t garner the attention that the quarterback
position does, it is still a very demanding position.
The free safety is the signal caller for the defense.
Not only does he have to concentrate on his own
responsibilities as a player, he has the burden of
making sure the other 10 guys are doing the same.
Mitch is only twelve elective credits away from his
degree, and always being book smart, handling offensive
schemes as they come to the line, and running a defense
is a burden Mitch handles with relative ease, and takes
pride in doing so.
With John
Lynch as his idol, another safety out of the Pac-10, but
one that has notably gone on to be a perennial Pro Bowl
player, Mitch has some big shoes to fill in order to
reach that level one day. But like Lynch, I have
very little doubt that his ability and determination
plus opportunity will equal success at the next level.
Mitch is a football player, plain and simple.
While Mitch maintains that breaking the school record
for interceptions is his greatest accomplishment to
date; I have a strong impression that this is only the
beginning for him, with more great accomplishments on
the way, on and off the gridiron.
When I asked
Mitch what his idea of a perfect day was, his response
was a hopeful one, “Getting drafted on the first day.”
Come April 23rd, hope may have nothing to do
with it, it could very well happen. But even if
he’s drafted on day two, I’d consider that pick some
team’s mid-round gem.
He
has the drive and determination to be as successful as
John Lynch. I also happen to believe that in 10
years, when I’m interviewing another young safety,
hopeful in anticipating his place in the draft, and I
ask him who his idol is, the answer could very well be
Mitch Meeuwsen.
