Mark Popek isn’t your typical “gifted athlete makes it” story.
While some athletes seem destined to play in NFL as soon as they strap on shoulder pads in high school, for most of his prep career, Popek was a long shot to even to get quality varsity playing time.
A self-described “tall and lanky tight end” his junior year at Plant City High School, Popek dedicated himself to building his body up to make the dream of playing in college possible.
On April 27, another dream was realized. Popek signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Jets.
The 6-foot-7, 300-pound offensive tackle left Thursday for New Jersey to participate in the Jets’ rookie mini-camp. He expects to make it past that stage and continue with a month full of meetings, training and evaluations.
After having most of July off for free time, Popek would then compete in fall camp to make the team for the 2013 season.
But Popek is no stranger to uphill battles.
PACKING ON THE POUNDS
It was the spring of his junior year at PCHS when Popek set a goal for himself.
“I had a strong interest in playing football in college, and I knew that I was going to have to work hard and put on some weight to be able to do that,” he said.
After school, he put in extra work at the school’s gym, even after offseason team workouts. He would lift for several hours, before spending his nights working at Kazbors restaurant, in Plant City, now known as Daisy Dukes.
While working, he was allowed to snack and eat after shifts, a perk he utilized to make his weight-gain plan possible.
“That spring and throughout the summer, I would just eat constantly,” he said. “I kept a body mindset. I kept working out every day and just ate a lot.”
When Popek showed up for fall practice for his senior season, he weighed just shy of 300 pounds.
Earlier that summer, he shifted to offensive line and attended summer lineman camps.
“Most guys either love or hate playing offensive line,” he said. “Once I got into it, I began to love it.”
GETTING NOTICED
Virtually unknown to anyone outside of the Plant City coaching staff, Popek faced a hefty challenge garnering attention from college recruiters in just one year of starting on varsity — even with his new, larger stature.
Former PCHS special education math teacher Dr. Kelly Harper was influential in helping Popek and other players get their names out.
“She would compile game footage and make individual highlight tapes for us and would send them all over,” Popek said.
With Harper’s help, Popek received offers from Illinois, Vanderbilt and others. In the end, he chose to take an offer from South Florida.
Shining on the field in high school certainly didn’t hurt either. Popek was named to the Class 5A Second-Team All-State as a senior and was rated as the 83rd-best offensive tackle in the country by Scout.com.
SETBACK
After being redshirted in 2008, Popek played four seasons at USF. In 2009, he received All-Big East Freshman Team honors from ESPN.com and Sporting News.
Popek shined his junior year, starting all 12 games at left tackle and anchoring an offense that averaged 432 yards of total offense per game.
It was then that Popek began thinking the NFL Draft may be a possibility.
“When I started playing at USF consistently, I started to realize that I might have the opportunity to pursue playing in the league,” he said. “I think my coaches would all say that I had a great work ethic. After all, they (USF) were paying for my college education, so I took it seriously and treated it as a business job.”
With high expectations going into his senior season, Popek faced a major setback on Oct. 20, 2012, when he suffered an ankle injury against Louisville that had him miss three of the final five games of the season.
Although the injury certainly hurt his draft stock, Popek worked hard to bounce back. By January, he was back to 100% and performed well in offseason combines.
“I was hoping to get drafted, but this year didn’t go the way I wanted it to,” he said. “I just focused on keeping in shape and working hard to prove that I deserved a shot. I knew I was going to have a home somewhere, I just didn’t know when or where.”
PERFECT FIT
Even though Popek went undrafted, he had an idea where he would end up before the draft concluded April 27. Miami, Tennessee, St. Louis and the Jets all showed interest in Popek as a free agent, but he felt the Jets were the best fit because their depth chart showed a glaring need for offensive linemen.
“I hold their organization in high regard,” he said of the Jets.
Generally speaking, a low percentage of undrafted players end up making an NFL team, much less earning a starting role.
Some don’t even make the practice squad, but there have been notable exceptions. Famous undrafted free agents include London Fletcher, Wes Welker and James Harrison. Pro-Bowl center
Jeff Saturday and three-time Super Bowl champ Nate Newton, a guard, are well-known UFA offensive linemen.
“I know that going undrafted, the odds are against you,” Popek said. “I’m just thankful that I have an opportunity. It will be a great proving ground to continue what I’ve been able to accomplish at Plant City and USF. I feel I have the right work ethic and still have a lot to offer.”
Contact Matt Mauney at mmauney@plantcityobserver.com. “>http://art-bus.ru/kreditnaya-karta-kredit-momentum.php
