Don't sell Trevor Laws short

Trevor Laws might be on the small side for a defensive tackle, but he has some pretty good ammunition to use on anyone who says 6-1 isn't big enough to play the position in the NFL.

Growing up in Burnsville, Laws spent Sunday afternoons in the fall watching his favorite player, Vikings defensive tackle John Randle, who was a six-time Pro Bowl selection.

Randle was listed at 6-1 and 290 pounds.

"I love everything about him," said Laws, 10 pounds heavier than Randle was when he played in the 1990s. "The way he plays, the way he paints his face. He's a crazy guy. He's just a little ball of muscle and energy. I just remember him running on the field, being small, a lot of those big o-linemen, [he would] just abuse them."

Laws, a standout in football and wrestling at Apple Valley High who spent the past five years at Notre Dame, is projected by the NFL Draft Scout service to go in the second round Saturday. Randle was signed by the Vikings as an undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M-Kingsville.

"He's got a great motor and is try-hard kind of guy," said former Tennessee Titans general manager Floyd Reese, in giving a scouting report that also would have fit Randle.

Laws thought seriously about entering the 2007 draft but returned for a fifth year at Notre Dame. The decision didn't come without risk. New coordinator Corwin Brown switched the Irish's defensive scheme from a 4-3 to a 3-4, moving Laws from the inside to end.

Although Notre Dame went 3-9 in 2007, Laws led the team with a career-high 112 tackles and four sacks. He was the only down lineman in major college football to have more than 100 tackles and was voted Notre Dame's MVP.

Asked how a defensive end in a 3-4 gets that many tackles, Laws said: "A lot of effort, a lot of work. It's not easy. I had a lot of battles and had to make a lot of plays."

Laws, who graduated with degrees in marketing and sociology and a 3.22 grade-point average, is projected by Reese to be a defensive tackle. But Laws believes he can play anywhere along the line.

"Trevor Laws fits various schemes because he's versatile," ESPN's Mel Kiper said. "I think he was Notre Dame's best defensive player this year. I could see him going in the late second, early third [round]. ... But I think the flexibility he gives you and the fact he has that motor and he was tremendously productive has moved him up."

Laws spent time training with Notre Dame teammate and fellow Minnesotan John Carlson after the season at Velocity Sports Performance in Irvine, Calif. Laws said his wrestling experience has played a role in his football success.

A three-time all-state wrestler at Apple Valley -- Laws won the Class 3A state title at heavyweight during his junior season in 2002 and finished third the following year -- he says the hand and hip movement, as well as balance, needed on the mat also can be used going against offensive linemen.

The next step for Laws will be learning some news trick to improve his football savvy.

"I think the biggest thing I can do is become a better student of the game itself," he said. "Being in college, having so many different things pulling at you with schoolwork and stuff, sometimes it's tough to find as much time as you want to just study film. You go to the next level and you can really concentrate on that. I'm really hoping to improve my game."