• Complete NFL Combine Invite List
Four Ohio Valley Conference football players have been invited to the NFL Combine which will take place in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium from February 22-25.
The four selections are Eastern Illinois quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo, Murray State wide receiver
Walter Powell, Tennessee State tight end
A.C. Leonard and Tennessee State offensive lineman
Kadeem Edwards.
Garoppolo is one of just 19 quarterbacks invited to the event. This season he was named the Walter Payton Award winner (given to the top player in the FCS by the Sports Network) as well as the FCS ADA National Offensive Player of the Year, the FCS ADA National Quarterback of the Year Award, the CFPA FCS Quarterback of the Year and was also named an All-American by all eight organizations that produced a team. Garoppolo put together the finest season by an OVC quarterback in smashing virtually every OVC season and career record while leading his team to a 12-2 overall record, second-straight OVC Championship and berth in the FCS Playoff quarterfinals. In 14 games he completed 375-of-568 passes (66.0%) for 5,050 yards and 53 touchdowns (against only nine interceptions) while also rushing for four touchdowns and catching a touchdown pass. His 53 touchdowns were the fourth-most in FCS history (three behind the record) while his 5,050 yards is second all-time, just 26 behind the record set a year ago; he is one of just two players in FCS history to eclipse 5,000 passing yards in a season. In FCS career history his 118 touchdowns rank sixth, his 13,156 passing yards are seventh and his 13,089 yards of total offense ranks 10th. Garoppolo also ranked first nationally this season in passing yards/game (360.7), second in points responsible for/game (25.3), third in total offense (365.1 yards/game), third in passing efficiency (168.3) and fifth in completions/game (26.79). He directed Eastern Illinois to the No. 1 ranked offense nationally in terms of both total offense (589.5 yards/game) and scoring offense (48.2 points/game).
Despite missing the final two games of the season, Powell finished the year with 66 catches for 837 yards and 13 touchdowns in just 10 games. He also averaged 11.6 yards/punt return (including an 88-yard touchdown) and 31.5 yards/kickoff return (including a 98-yard touchdown). He earned All-American honors from both Phil Steele and College Sports Journal this season.
Leonard earned All-American honors from the Associated Press for the second-straight year despite battling injuries for most of the season. The junior caught 34 passes for 441 yards and five touchdowns for the Tigers who finished second in the OVC and earned an at-large berth to the FCS Playoffs (the team's first berth since 1999). He declared for the NFL Draft despite having one year of eligibility remaining.
Edwards, who was one of two OVC players to compete in the Senior Bowl this season (along with Garoppolo) was the top offensive lineman for the Tigers who finished the season 10-4 overall, 6-2 and second place in the OVC and earned an at-large berth to the FCS Playoffs (where they topped Butler in the first round). Edwards helped block for Tim Broughton who rushed for 1,146 yards (25th-most nationally) and six touchdowns and for a quarterback duo that combined for 26 passes touchdowns and also four interceptions in 14 games. He was named to four FCS All-American teams following the season.