Javier Edwards striding towards the NFL

Javier Edwards was made for the game of football.

From his days as a kid growing up in Houston, Texas, the big buffalo aspired to takes his dream of playing on the gridiron to the next level. After this weekend, Edwards’ shot in the National Football League will become a reality.

Starting out at 6’3” and 370-pounds, the former Blinn junior college prospect started to make a name for himself in a major way by attracting the likes of several SEC schools. However, the going south was meant to be for Edwards due to a technicality. “I really wanted to go to Florida or Arkansas. But, I was told I would need to take an extra class to go to either school. I already paid extra money out of my pocket for classes and I needed to graduate. And I couldn’t afford to make that work. On the other hand, Colorado told me that I was qualified to go there and be on campus right away.” A decision that worked out for Edwards for the better.

“I also fell in love with the flatirons right away and remember coming away from my visit to Boulder thinking this was where I want to be.”

A two-sport athlete at heart, Edwards felt the passion for being a dominant athlete early on. He excelled at track and field along with football as his primary sport. A force larger than most, Edwards was underestimated for his speed and awareness to swarm the ball. A pure bully who’s a natural at throwing his weight around like a sumo wrestler, yet always in control of his big frame with powerful bear-like strength.

Despite putting up decent numbers in 2017 with 33 tackles, including three for losses and one sack, Javier felt he needed an adjustment and lost 40 pounds to an impressively slim 325-pound mark. The drop helped match the pace from his junior season as the Buffs defensive anchor. A momentum shift that carried over into the postseason.

Edwards pushed his way through CU’s pro-day and gathered interest from several NFL scouts. ”I just went out there and tried to turn heads,” Edwards said. “It felt like nobody was paying attention and I needed to show them what I was capable of.”

Time was on Edwards side throughout his journey, giving him a better chance to having his name called in this weekend’s NFL Draft.

”Honestly, I’ll go anywhere and bring my talents to help my team,” Edwards said. “That team is going to get a strong, hard-working grinder who’ll want to learn in any situation. Being drafted anywhere between rounds 1-7 is where I belong”

Edwards draws comparisons to Malik Jackson and Marcell Dareus, which isn’t bad in a draft class stocked with defensive line talents like Houston’s Ed Oliver, Clemson’s Christian Wilkins, Michigan’s Rashan Gary and Alabama’s Quinnen Williams.

The question is which team will be making that call to Javier? Among the teams who’ve shown interest are the Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers.