SPORTS

Aaron Karlen hoping for an NFL call

Tim Johnson
USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Aaron Karlen, left, an All-American defensive lineman for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point football team hopes to be the property of a NFL team by the end of the weekend.

STEVENS POINT - Aaron Karlen was a nearly unstoppable force for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point football team the past two seasons.

The Edgar native was an All-American defensive end as a junior and a All-West region selection in his senior season in which he led the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with three forced fumbles, ranked 11th in the country with 11 sacks and proved to be one of the most dominant defensive linemen in NCAA Division III football.

The last fact is what a lot of pro football teams focus on however. His accomplishments came while playing Division III football.

"That's the biggest flaw that is on my shoulders so to speak," Karlen said in a phone interview earlier this week. "I have heard a lot of the (NFL) scouts saying, 'Yeah, but you have been playing Division III football compared to all these other guys who have been playing Division I.' Even though I have tested better than some of these guys (in workouts), I played Division III football. That is what it comes down to. It got kind of frustrating, kind of like, 'Hey, just give me a shot.'"

There's a chance that Karlen, listed at 6-foot-1 and 245 pounds, might get a shot at playing on the next level based on his strong workout performances leading into the NFL Draft, including at the University of Wisconsin Pro Day.

If he would be selected, it won't in the late rounds of the NFL Draft which begins Thursday in Chicago. The better chance is that he is not chosen and could then sign as a free agent with a team after the end of the seven-round draft.

Aaron
Karlen

"I'm a homegrown guy and a big family guy, so I will be in Edgar watching the draft from my house," said Karlen, who was recently offered a contract by the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. "I'm realistic. My name won't be called Thursday and Friday probably the same thing. But I'm going to work out Thursday and I'm going to work out Friday. Saturday will probably be my best chance and I'm going to work out then, too. I'm just going to do my daily routine and be around my family and try to relax. If nothing happens, I will still feel fortunate and blessed to be in the position that I am in."

Three UWSP players have been selected in the NFL Draft since 1991 with the last being Clint Kriewaldt, who was selected by Detroit in the sixth round of the '99 Draft. Karlen has been contacted by a dozen to 15 teams with the most serious ones being the Green Bay Packers, San Diego Chargers and New York Jets.

Some teams see him making a potential position change.

"The Chargers said they could see me playing fullback as well as the (Seattle) Seahawks," said Karlen, who was an all-state linebacker at Edgar and also a two-time WIAA state individual wrestling finalist. "I told them I would do whatever I need to do to make their squad."

Karlen might have been a relative unknown to NFL teams at the start of the winter, but his stock rose on his performance as he was the defensive MVP in a postseason college All-Star game this winter in Myrtle Beach, S.C.; and then bolstered his stock when he posted a time of 4.63 seconds in the 40-yard dash in a NFL Regional Combine in Minneapolis in early March. Karlen also had a strong showing at the Wisconsin Pro Day four days later.

"Honestly the only person I wanted to test better than was (Wisconsin linebacker) Joe Schobert because he's a top prospect that all the NFL teams have. I tested better than him in everything besides the vertical jump. I was very happy with how I performed down there and got a few calls just based off that workout."

The NFL scouts seemingly warmed up to Karlen quicker than some sports agencies did.

"I sent out 350 emails probably and got like 40 responses. I bet you some of those agencies just looked at, laughed (at the email), and hit delete," Karlen said. "The agency I have, the National Sports Agency, I am so appreciative of. I was actually surprised that they took me. The president of the agency said he never represented a Division III player before, that I am his first one. He said he saw something in me."

Karlen hopes a NFL team has as well.

"Growing up watching the Packers, that's every kid's dream to play (in the NFL)," Karlen said. "You just have to relax with it now. You have done everything you can do with it, is what I tell myself. I feel I have tested well in all my combines and put up the same numbers basically. It is out of my hands now, but (being selected) would be crazy. It would just be crazy."

Tim Johnson: 715-845-0731, or timothy.johnson@gannettwisconsin.com; on Twitter @timmyjo11