There has been a lot of attention on a dynamic group of wide receivers from Ole Mi s in the lead up to Chris Hubbard Jersey the NFL Draft, but DaMarkus Lodge could be forgiven for feeling like the forgotten man.Lodge, having decided to play his college football in Mi si sippi the state of his birth rather than staying in Texas where he played in high school, enjoyed a productive career at Ole Mi s and racked up 1,575 yards and 11 touchdowns in his final two seasons.He then had a dominant week of practice after being invited to impre s NFL scouts at the East-West Shrine Game but, while fellow Rebels receivers D.K. Metcalf and A.J. Brown are regarded as potential first-round picks, Lodge has been the recipient of comparatively little hype.Lodge, though, feels that focus on Metcalf and Brown has helped him gain favor with those will make the decisions in this week's draft."Those guys are getting the attention that they deserve, they worked hard for it every single day," Lodge told Omnisport. "I saw the time and work put in, those guys deserve everything that they're getting."The attention that they're getting is also bringing attention to me too, I might not get talked about Greedy Williams Jersey as much but, when those coaches come up and see those guys and see them work out, I'm right there with them so without those guys and all the attention they have, I probably wouldn't have all the opportunities to impre s these coaches like I did."Name a better trio...we'll wait. Ole Mi s Football (@OleMi sFB) Despite the presence of Lodge, Metcalf and Brown in thereceivers' room, the Rebels won just 16 games acro s the last three seasons.However, Lodge still believes histime there was beneficial."I put a lot of time and thought into my decision and obviously I went with my heart," he said. "Whatever I do I always think hard and long about it so I never regret it."I think it was a great decision for me, I got to compete with some of the best guys in the country, couple of first-round draft picks at receiver and a couple future first-round draft picks at receiver. Olivier Vernon Jersey I got to learn from all the guys,I don't regret at all."Combine numbers that Lodge admits were disappointing, and an Ole Mi s offense in which he was largely limited to running straight-line downfield routes, may not have helped his cause. Yet Lodge is confident he can quickly adapt to thefull requirements of anNFL playbook."I've always trained and worked on every route that I can think of," he explained. "So I don't think I'll have a problem transitioning to it, because I think I'm really smooth and I can run every route pretty well."Due to the limited route tree at Ole Mi s, I didn't get to run those routes and a lot of coaches were concerned about that, and I think we got to show them that we can actually run routes at ourpro day. I think it'll be a pretty smooth transition, and I actually think it'll be better for me than running downfield and catching fades and posts all game so I'm excited for it."Incredible concentration, incredible hands. Ole Mi s Football (@OleMi sFB) Lodge's self-belief is well-placed. Though he did not test like he expected at the Combine, on the field he has demonstrated an ability to use his footwork to separate from defenders at the start of routes and make the most of his6-foot-1,202-pound frame to haul inhighlight-reel leaping catchesnear the sideline and Sheldrick Redwine Jersey get both feet inbounds.It is a skillset he has honed from watching some of the best in the NFL at the receiver position, with Lodge keen to avoid being regarded as a one-dimensional talent."It's a couple that I pick and choose from, there's so many good receivers around the league you can't just choose one and try to model after them," said Lodge when asked who he models his game after."Michael Thomas, he's so strong and physical he's going to go up and high-point the ball, no matter where it's at, his catch radius is dang good. I take my releases, the top of my routes, from Odell Beckham, kind of get the toe-tapping thing from AB Antonio Brown ."So it's a lot of guys around Morgan Burnett Jersey the league that you can pick and choose from, you never just want to put yourself in one box." Related Articles