Potential Patriots Draft Target Getting Prepped For NFL By Franchise Great
Boston College offensive lineman Drew Kendall tried to soak up as much information as possible through the pre-draft process.
And Kendall made sure to get some hands-on knowledge from a New England Patriots coaching legend to be better prepared to enter the NFL.
Kendall, who is a highly rated center in this year’s draft class, goes through workouts under the watchful eye of Dante Scarnecchia at least a couple of times a week. Scarnecchia is revered in New England and in coaching circles after he spent 34 seasons on the sideline with the Patriots, primarily coaching the offensive line.
Kendall certainly learned a lot from Scarnecchia, but he also picked up some tools of the trade by working with one of the top guards in the NFL.
“I get a lot of good advice from people around me,” Kendall told NESN.com. “Whether that’s working with coach Scarnecchia over there in Norfolk, or Chris Lindstrom. I train with him every day. Just kind of seeing how he approaches his daily routine and what I can learn from him. So, just being surrounded by a lot of like-minded people and just seeing how much guys like Chris put in in the offseason, and he’s one of the highest paid offensive linemen in the entire NFL.”
While Kendall can pick the brains of both Scarnecchia and Lindstrom, he has an advantage that few other prospects have going into this week’s NFL draft. Kendall’s father, Pete, has been through this experience before.
Pete Kendall starred at BC like his son and was selected 21st overall by the Seattle Seahawks in 1996. He went on to play for four teams across 13 NFL seasons before retiring following the 2008 campaign.
And Drew Kendall knows he can always turn to his dad for guidance.
“He’s been very helpful just giving me advice,” Kendall said. “Like I said, I’ve got a lot of great people I can lean on from my dad to other people that I just spend time with day-to-day. He’s definitely been helpful making sure that I’m not being too fixated on this and being ready to go make a name for yourself when you do get that opportunity.”
Kendall is projected by most pundits to be either a Day 2 or Day 3 draft pick. The Norwell, Mass. native may even stay close to home with the Patriots showing interest in the 6-foot-4, 308-pound center.
But perhaps the biggest thing Kendall learned from Scarnecchia, Lindstrom and his father is that whenever he does get drafted, it’s just the beginning of his journey and not the end.
“When your reach this goal of getting to the draft and hopefully getting drafted, it feels like this major accomplishment,” Kendall said. “But at the end of the day, it really means nothing until you go prove yourself.”