Mark Craig: South Dakota State's Domino shows heart

Chances are you've never heard of Derek Domino. Chances are you never will.

That's what makes sports so fun.

You stand in front of this 23-year-old kid from Spring Lake Park and you wonder. Are you looking at just another underdog with an unattainable dream? Or are you looking at the next Scott Studwell? Until someone invents a drill that measures a man's heart and its likelihood of intersecting with opportunity, we can only guess. Then wait and see.

It's 7 a.m. Tuesday and Domino is pacing inside the Bierman Building at the University of Minnesota. It's a big day for him. Huge. Bigger than Christmas morning is to a 6-year-old.

"I'm nervous," Domino admits.

It's an hour before the NFL pro day workout starts for about 20 of the area's small-college prospects. Domino, an outside linebacker from South Dakota State, is one of them.

You notice that Domino is gulping at his second big bottle of water. You wonder why. Then Domino says his weight has been dropping. It's probably nerves. Or maybe it's because he's leaner than a turkey burger, having spent seven weeks training to run fast and jump high by Bill Welle at Velocity Sports Performance in Champlin. Welle's long list of believers includes a couple of clients named Larry Fitzgerald Jr. and Cris Carter.

"I was 234 on Sunday and this morning I was 226," says the kid who stands 6-3. "I've tried everything. Lots of water. Oatmeal. Bananas."

This is where you want to tell him how lots of beer and late-night runs to Taco Bell did the trick when you were his age. But Domino already has the game face on. Like so many other prospects around the country, the NFL pro day is a job interview. Minus the tie and uncomfortable shoes, of course.

"Sure, there's [game] film out there on me," said Domino, who had 301 tackles in 46 games for the Jackrabbits. "But this day is more important for a guy like me because I didn't play at a big school."

The water pays off. Domino weighs in at 229 and heads for the nearest bathroom. Then he joins the crowd of prospects in the field house for the 40-yard dash. At the finish line with stopwatches are scouts from the Vikings, Chiefs, Patriots, Bills, Jets and CFL champion Montreal Alouettes.

Domino wants to run in the high 4.5s. He's done it before. He runs a 4.68. But it could have been worse. Only he and four others run fast enough to justify moving on to the second of six drills designed to judge speed, strength and agility. The other 15 or so are sent packing. Some might choose to keep the dream alive. Most will realize they just said goodbye to football as a six-figure entry-level occupation.

Domino goes on to register a 35-inch vertical jump. That's better than he had hoped. He then gets credit for bench-pressing 225 pounds only 14 times. That's well below what he wanted. Six reps were deducted because he lifted his hips off the bench.

Domino leaves the pro day not sure what to think. All he knows is he's played football since the second grade and he's not ready to stop. He sees himself as an NFL special teams player, a backup linebacker and, well, who knows after that. His agent, Christopher Murray of Twin Cities-based Imani Sports, swears NFL teams are interested. But no one knows if Domino will be a late-round draft pick next month or eventually signed as a free agent once the new collective bargaining agreement is settled.

Domino will continue his training with specific hopes of improving his bench press and 40 time when South Dakota State holds its NFL pro day on March 22. Asked if he'll opt out of the drills he was happy with Tuesday, Domino leans on a personal motto that says, "Think of every day as an interview."

"I'm not a high-commodity guy, so whatever these people ask me to do, I'll do," Domino said. "If I have to go pick gum off the sidewalk for them, then that's what I'll do."

You say goodbye to Domino and two things come to mind. You wonder if he could teach you how to lose 8 pounds in two days. You also hope this pro day improved his chances of fulfilling that lifelong dream of playing in the NFL.

Mark Craig • mcraig@startribune.com