It’s a reality most prospects prefer not to entertain. Not getting drafted as high as you think you deserve. That was the situation 6th round pick Travis Feeney found himself in. But at least he knew the reason for his fall. A checkered medical history and concern over the long-term health of his shoulders.
“I thought I was going to go higher but then I knew people were marking me off because of my shoulders,” he told Steelers.com’s Missi Matthews. “So I knew that was marking me down. I was just hoping people weren’t worrying about it as much. But they did. So be it.”
Feeney tore a labrum in his left shoulder twice and his right shoulder once at Washington. On a more minor level, he also dealt with a sports hernia injury, undergoing surgery before the draft that caused him to miss the Huskies’ Pro Day.
Even with that knowledge, it didn’t make watching the draft any easier for him.
“My hopes were Day Two. And then Day Two passes. Day Three. Fourth round goes. Fifth round goes. At this point, I was like, forget this, I’m done with the draft. Sixth round comes and then the Steelers pick me up, call me, and it’s the most exciting moment of my life.”
As pointed out in the interview, Kevin Colbert said the Steelers had higher than a 6th round grade on Feeney, making this an obvious value pick in their eyes.
Though he played all over the defense in Washington, it appears he’ll initially be slotted as an outside linebacker in the NFL, likely playing the ROLB spot. As we’ve profiled, a conversion back inside may be in his future. But for his rookie season, it’s all about making the team and a positive impact on special teams.
