BC lineman just may be too smart for NFL

CHICAGO - If you phone in a delivery order from Oregano's in Hawthorn Woods, Ill., don't be alarmed if a very large man shows up on your porch with that plate of Shrimp a la Castonzo.

He would be 6-7, 315-pound Anthony Castonzo, who soon might be the only first-round pick in the NFL draft who moonlights as a delivery boy.

Castonzo works at the family restaurant. During the last 12-plus years, he has bused tables, worked in the kitchen and delivered food. And he's still happy to pitch in.

"My sister manages it, and if she needs help, I take deliveries," said Castonzo, who doesn't plan on stopping after the draft.

These days, Castonzo delivers sauteed shrimp with artichoke hearts and mushrooms in a white wine, oil and garlic sauce over a bed of angel hair pasta. In the future, he has grander plans.

The Lake Zurich (Ill.) High School and Boston College product hopes to be a starting offensive tackle for an NFL team in the fall. And after his playing career is over, he hopes to help humanity by seeking a cure for cancer.

Castonzo's life has been touched by many friends who have fought various forms of the disease. He plans on returning to school to get his Ph.D. to get his second dream started.

A lot of offensive tackles have a difficult time figuring out a zone blitz, let alone a cure for cancer. Castonzo isn't your run-of-the-mill big man. When he was in grammar school, Castonzo was put in English and math classes with the kids in the grade ahead of him. In high school, he had a 4.2 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. He scored a 35 out of a possible 36 on the ACT. His GPA at Boston College was 3.5 with a major in biochemistry. On the Wonderlic test NFL teams use, he scored 41 out of a possible 50. Boston College nominated him to be a Rhodes Scholar.

When players are as bright and as ambitious as Castonzo, it's not uncommon for NFL teams to wonder if they're too smart for football. Yet Castonzo said NFL representatives haven't questioned his commitment to the game.

If academics were all that concerned him, he could have pursued opportunities to go to Yale or Princeton. Both schools showed interest in him.