Zack Follett is riding his 'Pain Train' to the NFL

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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When NFL Network's draft guru, Mike Mayock, describes Zack Follett, he talks about his Cal record for forced fumbles (13), and then explains that it's an indication of the linebacker's 'bad humor' when he reaches the ball carrier.

Bad humor and all, Follett put together a career at Cal that has rarely been rivaled before.  It would be easy for a player of his caliber to have a huge ego, but as it turns out, he doesn't even take credit for his play or his best season as a Bear.

Reebok's Office Linebacker, Terry Tate, might get the credit for Follett's #56 jersey.  Tate might even be the impetus for Follett's 'bad humor' on the field, but when it comes to his production, he praises a higher power.

His faith wasn't something he grew up with.

When discussing his faith by phone, he talked about a time in high school where he was cocky, arrogant, and walking around with the attitude there was nothing that HE couldn't do.  Going into his junior year, he broke his foot and realized that the reason for his arrogance (football) could all vanish instantly.

The high school injury may have humbled him a bit, but it wasn't until four years later that he found his faith in Christ that has given him his humility.

It's kind of unique.  Growing up, I never really knew much about God or Jesus.  I didn't really know the difference between them to tell you the truth.  It wasn't until the spring, going into my senior year, is kind of when I found the Lord.

Follett's discovery is what he credits for having the best season of his life.  Last year, he led the nation with 23 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, 87 tackles (58 solo), and five forced fumbles, which led him to be a Bednarik Award semi-finalist for the best linebacker in the nation.

My cousin told me, 'Hey, man.  Imagine your whole football career, what you've done without knowing the Lord.  Now, your senior year, you're going to have a relationship with the Lord.  Jesus is going to be out there on that field with you.'  I think my senior year...it kind of proved it.  I didn't know that I could even do that.

While Follett's faith plays a huge role in his life, he's careful not to force it on others.  He hasn't forgotten how he had to come to it all on his own and expressed that no amount of pressure is going to convert anyone.  He believes that when the time is right, people will find it on their own, on their own terms.

I definitely don't try to push my faith on anyone because I didn't like it when people tried to push it on me before I kinda' came to it.  So I just do my own thing and praise him as I go along with it.

On the field, Follett pushes his will on opposing teams.  That 'imposed will' has made him one of the top linebackers in the nation, but when it comes to projecting the NFL Draft, he's not seen in the same light.  Reading through the plethora of scouting reports on Follett, you'll find analysis suggesting that he's slow, stiff, poor in pass coverage, and too small.

After completing a storied career at a top program like Cal, it's puzzling to the star player.  During his career, he's played in the middle and outside of a 4-3 alignment and found his niche' on the outside of a 3-4 defense.  In every case, he's done nothing but excelled.  When asked if he was surprised by this lack of respect for his game, he stated:

Yeah, yeah, I mean like all those guys are all impressed by size and speed.  I think, they kind of focus their drafts on it, which is kind of silly to me.  I don't know.  If you rate my play, especially for my senior year, amongst the top linebackers in the nation, I mean on paper...I kind of blew 'em out of the water.  But, you know, I don't know.  I played in a good defense with Coach Gregory.  They put me in position to make a lot of good plays, so you know I'm not really stressing about it...Those mock guys, they're not the ones drafting players, so hopefully I get a GM to fall in love with the way I play and pick me up early.

At 6'2" and a listed 236 lbs., it's hard to see Follett as small.  It's likely that most of the players he's laid hits on would disagree about his size.  One thing that he can agree with the mock-drafters is his need to work on pass coverage skills, except maybe not for the same reasons.  When I asked him what his focus for improvement has been, he mentioned that and more.

As far as football-wise, I didn't do much pass coverage when I was at Cal.  I did a lot of blitzing, so my pass drops, reading routes, and film study.  I know in the NFL, at the next level, you gotta' be watching film ten-times more than what I did in college, so I think those are really the biggest things I've gotta' focus on.

Focus is definitely not a problem for Follett.  His ability to recognize plays and find the ball carrier has been his biggest strength.  Off the field, he's as mild-mannered as Clark Kent, but when he enters the locker room, he uses it as his 'phone booth' to transform into his Superman persona on the field.

When I put those pads on, I put my jersey on, it's all nice and tight.  I feel kind of like, I just kind of put my armour on, like a Superman suit.  I can just go out there and fly, and hit people as hard as I can.  I mean it's my only time...I mean I'm an aggressive kind of dude, I mean my personality when I'm off the field is kind of laid back, but I definitely have that alter-ego, and that time I'm in that game is my only time I get to release that inner-beast in me, I guess.  Just let him out and let him run wild.

After his Emerald Bowl MVP performance, Follett has been working to make sure that he's in the best shape he can be in.  His goal is to walk into his first NFL training camp as the best draft pick of his new team, regardless of where he gets selected.

My goal is to go into camp looking like the first-round draft pick - have them be like, 'Man! This is a good pick.'  I don't want to go in out of shape and have it be like, 'Oh man, we messed up with this guy.'  I want teams to know that I'm a worker, and that I'm ready to get to work and play some football.

He's only taken a couple of weeks off from training since playing his last game as a Bear, one week right after the season and one week right after the combine.  Right now, he's in Fresno working out with his former high school coach, Tony Caviglia, who now coaches the football program at Fresno City College.  Along with his weight training, Follett says he's working out with the linebackers, "putting cleats on and strapping it up so I can stay in football shape."

Since the combine, his workout routine has been about getting in 'football shape'.  Prior to the NFL Scouting Combine, it was more about doing the skills required to perform well in front of the entire community of NFL evaluators.  His average day consisted of two workouts, three meals, a massage, and a session of Halo before going to bed to do it all over again.

That's right gamers.  It's possible that you've killed, or been killed by, the star linebacker if you're a player of the XBOX game online.  For those of you wondering, I didn't get his 'gamertag.'  Actually, he prefers the PS3 over the XBOX 360, playing only the one game on that system.  He's currently playing Tom Clancy's HAWX on the PS3, dubbing the game, "real sweet."

Obviously, he's excited about getting this year's Madden game - especially since there's a great chance he'll be in the game itself.  When I asked if he was excited about the new release of the legendary game he said:

Oh yeah man, I mean, I've been a big Madden fan since I was a little kid.  It's going to be a dream come true to have my face in Madden man.  It's going to be crazy.

This prompted me to ask if the 'Ziger' hairstyle that former teammate, Greg Van Hoesen, helped him create in 2007, would be something that Madden players might see in the game.  Fans of the style may have to wait until after his rookie season.

Oh, that would be pretty sweet man!  My buddy's been talking about me bringing it back, but I told him once I make a name for myself.  I don't want to come in there, some rookie, having some whack-hairjob and guys being like, "Who's this kid?"  You know?

It makes perfect sense for anyone that would like to leave their first training camp with any hair on their head.  Veterans just love to shave rookies heads during camp.

Follett has been hampered by a pulled hamstring recently which attributed to him standing on his combine forty of 4.69 at Cal's pro day.  Since speed is one of the biggest factors teams use to determine a player's ability, he's wishing that he could get another shot at that prior to the draft.

Man I'll tell you the truth.  I've never ran...that's the slowest time I've ever ran.  And I'm not trying to B.S. and say I'm all fast, but 4.59, 4.53, 4.56, that's what I was running when I was training.  And that's what I've been running, like my best time on the record board at Cal was like 4.57.  I don't know what was wrong at the combine.  People say this and that, but I wish I had another opportunity to show my speed.

He'll get that opportunity, albeit on the football field.  In the end, it really won't matter what his speed was at the combine.  If that were the case, nobody would be talking about Jerry Rice being the greatest football player of all time.  The forty is an example of what's called 'track speed', while it's 'game speed' that really matters in a football game.

I'm definitely a game-speeder, and I've always kind of said that.  When I see that quarterback or when I see someone with the ball, I'm so hungry to hit 'em or do something, I get there fast.

The biggest criticism levied on Follett here at the Cal Bears Examiner was his play during the Senior Bowl.  During that game, he played the Mike, or middle, linebacker position.  He hadn't really played the position extensively since he left high school, and that may have attributed to his performance, but Follett also said that alternating series with Pitt's Scott McKillop may have also hurt his play.

I don't know what the deal was...I'm the type of guy who likes to get into a rhythm out there and get a feel for it and like, build off my momentum and I think rotating me every series, you know, I don't know.  I don't think I really adapted well to that and I didn't get to make that many plays.  So that kind of threw me off.

The week leading up to the actual game, Follett outplayed McKillop and was making a good impression on some scouts, but especially the Cincinnati Bengals coaching staff.

I think I played well [in practices].  I think the Bengals coach was really impressed with me.  I think as far as a student of the game, I was like...I mean at Cal, I never considered myself being a very smart football player, because there's other guys in the room who knew more than me, but then once I went to the Senior Bowl, I'm in the meeting room with some of the nation's best and you know, they're looking at film and the coach is trying to ask them a question and they don't know how to respond and it's just kind of day-one stuff for me. The coach said, he said like I should've been coaching the meeting. Yeah, because he was impressed with how much I knew, football-smarts-wise.

While he'd prefer to play on the outside in a 3-4 alignment, he's happy that he has been able to show the NFL scouts that he can play mulitiple systems and multiple positions in those systems.  He didn't say if he'd received interest from his childhood team, the Minnesota Vikings (big Randy Moss fan), but he did workout for the hometown Oakland Raiders.  The Raiders, as with many other teams he's talked to, were looking at him as a middle linebacker in their 4-3 scheme.

To tell you the truth man, I have not a clue.  I've been having like, I mean two teams a day pretty much been calling me asking me for draft-day numbers to make sure they have each one.  I'm kind of fired up about the Houston Texans.  They called me and I talked to the scout, and he said, 'We see you as an outside linebacker, put your hand in the dirt, two-point stance, whatever it takes to get you getting to the quarterback.'  So that's where they see me, you know, I think that's kinda' what I do best.  It's good to hear a team finally, not try to change me, but let me do what I can do.

While the Texans could be a possible suitor for Follett, don't be surprised if the New England Patriots call his name.  In the Cal Bears Examiner's Golden Bears mock draft, I have him selected in the fourth round by the Patriots.  He's heard that's a possibility as well:

I've heard rumors talking how now Vrabel is gone, I could be a good fit to take over for him later down the road.

Another thing he's hearing is that he'll be selected anywhere from the third to the fifth round of the draft.  Generating as much interest as possible could be the key to elevating his stock, and that may come in the form of switching from his preferred outside spot in the 3-4 to the middle.  That doesn't bother Follett, because he's leaving it all in the hands of God.

I look at it this way.  God knows where he wants to put me.  He already knows where I'm gonna' be.  He knows the best fit for me.  So, I'm gonna' be put in that position.  You know, so I'm not really stressing about it, whether it'll be an inside backer, outside backer...it'll all work out.

As long as he continues to bring the 'Pain Train', Follett will definitely see all of his dreams fulfilled at the next level.

NOTES:

• After spending his time hunting down quarterbacks for the Blue and Gold, Zack Follett unwinds with his art.  When I asked what Bear Backers might not know about him, he revealed, "Just the hobbies I have off the field.  You know, I'm more than just a football player.  A lot of guys just play football, play video games, and do their thing and that's about it.  I kind of have some talents off the field as far as my wood-cutting hobby that I'm starting to push out.  Now that I'm in a position to go to the NFL, and I can make a name for myself, I'm gonna' to start pushing these wood cutouts - life-size replicas of players.  You know, a lot of people didn't know what we are talking about, but I made a couple of them and I took them to the Spring Game.  People got to take a look at them.  They're pretty big-time.  I sold one of them for about $2,500.  I mean, they're nice pieces of work.  I put game-used material [on them].  I put my game-used shoes from the Emerald Bowl on it, my mouthpiece, chin strap, wrist tape, side of the cleats.  So I have that side of me and then I also got love for salt-water fish tanks.  I'm hoping if I get some money here, I can put a nice shark-reef tank in my house.  I'm in to all that kind of stuff.  I definitely have a different side to me than just playing football."
• Some of the works he's completed?  He's made life-sized pieces of himself, Marshawn Lynch, Lorenzo Neal, and his next piece will be of long-time friend and Oakland Raider Sam Williams.  His marketing plan for now is one of word-of-mouth, hoping that once teammates see the work they'll want one for themself.  Then he gave the quote of the interview when he explained, "A lot of these guys have some ego.  They love themself.  Terrell Owens?  He'd love a nice one of him."  T.O. does love him some him.
• Look for a website, some youtube videos, and more about his work with wood after he gets drafted.  I mentioned that Randy Moss might like one of his masterpieces as well.  He mentioned that making cutouts of people he'd like to meet would be a good way of breaking the ice.  So besides Moss, who does he want to meet?  Victoria Secret model Adriana Lima...of course.  Sorry ladies.  Here's just a few more photos I found on the web of her, here, here, and here.
• Follett's cousin calls him The Diesel.   He's been calling him that since high school.  He's shown part of his sack dance at Cal, where he blows the horn, like in a diesel truck.  His new sack dance is inspired by a little change to that name.  In this sack dance, he will blow the horn and point to the sky indicating that he's a Diesel for the Lord.
• Favorite part of the Senior Bowl?  Speaking at an SJA rally about his faith in front of 2,000 participants.
• Follett's play can be attributed to his inspiration from Reebok's Terry Tate - Office Linebacker.  His favorite video is the one below.