Bushrod Thriving in Unlikely Career

New Orleans Saints left tackle Jermon Bushrod has spent his entire NFL career trying to prove that if you work hard enough, anything is possible.

The 6-foot-5, 315-pound Bushrod entered the league to little fanfare in 2007 when he was drafted in the fourth round—the 125th pick overall—out of Towson University. He joined a small club of former Tigers like punter Sean Landeta and running backs Tony Vinson and Dave Meggett to make the jump from Minnegan Field to the pinnacle of professional football.

"I want to show all the kids out there playing high school and in college that you don't have to go to some big school if you want to make it to the NFL," Bushrod said. "If you work hard and you're good enough, you can make it all the way to the NFL. It's how bad do you want it?"

Still, there was a significant adjustment period for Bushrod, now 26. He played in just three games in his first two seasons before playing in 29 the last two years, including starting all 14 games in 2010 for the 10-4 Saints.

Bushrod is now a key contributor of the high-powered offense of the Saints, who lost 30-24 last week against the Baltimore Ravens. He also was a vital player in the Saints' run toward the franchise's first Super Bowl title last season.

Bushrod's performance is a great leap for a player who redshirted at Towson in 2002 before being named third-team All-Atlantic 10 as a sophomore and junior. In 2006, he was an All-Atlantic 10 (now known as the Colonial Athletic Association) selection at left tackle, and helped the Tigers to a 7-4 record. He started the final 38 games as a Tiger.

"There's a lot of learning that you have to do when you get here, especially for an offensive lineman," Bushrod said. "You just can't go out there and play. You have to learn schemes and then you have to go out and earn a spot and you are going against a lot of good players. It's not easy."

While most NFL players come from Bowl Championship Subdivision schools like Florida, Texas and Auburn, Bushrod represents a growing number of players who have become solid professionals after coming out of smaller Football Championship Subdivision schools.

Some recent examples of this includes Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, who was drafted in 2008 out of Delaware—Towson's CAA archrival—and Saints wide receiver Marques Colston, who was a seventh round pick out of Hofstra in 2006.

Then there is the example of Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice. Considered by many the greatest receiver of all time, Rice was selected in the first round in 1985 by the San Francisco 49ers out of Mississippi Valley State.

"There are so many great players out there in college and if you can play, you can play," said veteran Saints safety Darren Sharper, who came out of William & Mary, another CAA school. "I'm not surprised there are more players in the league from schools people say are small because I know how good those guys are. You can't underestimate anybody."

Saints quarterback Drew Brees credits his team's offensive line – including Bushrod –  for much of their success. Brees has thrown for at least 4,000 yards in each of the past five seasons. He's thrown for 4,122 yards and 31 touchdowns this year for a 93.5 passer rating.

Brees' yards rank third behind the Colts' Peyton Manning (4,257) and the Chargers' Phillip Rivers (4,141). His 31 touchdowns are tied with the Patriots' Tom Brady for the league lead.