This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Eric Rowe met with all but two NFL teams, by his estimation, in the buildup to last Saturday's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.
Almost all of them asked the same question:
"Do you have a 'switch,' or do you have emotion on the field?"
Such is the burden for an especially laid-back guy in a sport that emphasizes physical brutality. Even when that guy totaled 261 career takedowns as one of the most sure tacklers in Utah's defensive backfield.
Rooming with Nate Orchard before the game — in which Orchard was named most outstanding player for the North team and may have dramatically raised his draft stock — Rowe said NFL representatives expressed interest in Rowe's versatility.
Beyond that, "most of them were just trying to learn how I grew up, asking high school and academic questions."
At 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, he's a big corner. And as a three-year starter at the U., he's also an experienced free safety. The combination is not unlike that of former Utah teammate Keith McGill, who was a fourth-round pick by the Oakland Raiders and earned playing time as a rookie.
Rowe will now return to Pensacola, Fla., where he is training with EXOS for the NFL Combine, which runs Feb. 17-23 in Indianapolis. He chose EXOS, he said, for its reputation for physical therapy and recovery, having sustained an LCL sprain in his right knee and played through Achilles soreness. His knee is 100 percent now, he said.
With his business degree in hand, he won't return to Utah until the school hosts its pro day. He's hoping to run the 40 in 4.4 seconds.
— Matthew Piper
Twitter: @matthew_piper