Mack Looks to Prove Himself

Everyone was aware of No. 34. He was the all-everything cornerback with the game-changing speed capable of returning punts and kickoffs for touchdowns.

Leodis McKelvin was his name, and he was the reason NFL scouts flocked to Troy football last season, and NFL coaches spent hours watching video and dreaming.

Now, who was No. 13?

“The more you watched Troy the more you said, ‘Who’s this other guy?’ ” Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden said.

That would be Elbert Mack, Troy’s other cornerback, whose eight interceptions led Division I-A football last season.

Because of McKelvin, the turnout of NFL coaches and scouts at Troy’s pro day was larger than usual, and because of McKelvin, eight Troy players found themselves in NFL camps this summer.

“A lot of people had a chance to put their best foot forward,” Mack said.

Mack’s best foot earned him a spot on the Bucs roster. The undrafted free agent spent last Saturday waiting for a call that would summon him to One Buc Place, where the team would collect his playbook and wish him well.

Mack did receive a phone call. It came after 6 p.m., after the regular season rosters were set. It was from the Bucs’ Raheem Morris, who welcomed Mack to the NFL.

“That was my draft day phone call,” Mack said.

A few months late, but Mack is not complaining.

“It’s tough enough to make the team as a rookie, but to be an undrafted free agent, it’s against all odds,” Mack said.

Not really.

Undrafted free agents make NFL rosters all the time. Mack did with an impressive camp. So impressive, in fact, the Bucs felt comfortable releasing Eugene Wilson, the six-year vet they signed in the offseason to add depth and experience to the defensive backfield.

“He had a great camp for us,” Gruden said of Mack.

The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Mack turned heads during the preseason with an interception against the New England Patriots and his ability to be around the ball.

Splash plays is what Gruden calls them, and Mack made a few.

Mack plays fast and understands the defensive scheme. More importantly, he understands how the offense wants to attack the Bucs defense.

“You get a lot of chances to make big plays like Ronde Barber’s been showing everyone for 12 years. When you’re in the right spot at the right time, you make the right play,” Mack said.

Though he led the nation in interceptions, Mack was told at best he would go in the later rounds of the draft. He watched it from start to finish. No one called his name.

The Bucs offered a chance to compete for a job. All he wanted was a chance.

Now he has a spot on an NFL roster.

“I’m amped up,” Mack said. “It’s just like playing my first football game ever. It takes me back to my Little League days when I first put on a helmet. It’s the same feeling. I started off as a little kid, and now I’m playing at the highest level in the world. I’m happy.”

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