| Cecil Shorts caught 70 passes for 1,196 yards and
18 TDs for Mount Union despite missing time with turf
toe. Photo by Dan Poel for d3photography.com |
Mount Union wide receiver Cecil Shorts has been invited to participate in the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine scheduled for Feb. 23-March 1 in Indianapolis. Shorts is a three-time D3football.com All-American and was the 2009 D3football.com Offensive Player of the Year.
Top college football players are invited to participate in front of top executives, coaching staffs, player personnel departments and medical personnel from all 32 NFL teams that will be on hand to evaluate players eligible for the upcoming NFL draft.
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"I have been invited to the combine," Shorts told D3football.com in Salem. "I've been invited to the East-West Shrine Game and the Texas vs. the Nation game. ... And I'm on the watch list for the Senior Bowl, where I'm still fighting for a spot."
Shorts played in 55 games at Mount Union and had 259 receptions for 4,705 yards and 63 touchdowns. He had 75 rushing attempts for 492 yards with 12 TDs on the ground along with two punt returns and a kickoff return for touchdowns. In total, he accounted for nearly 6,000 all-purpose yards (5,989 yards/108.9 yards per game).
His 63 receiving touchdowns is second all-time in NCAA Division III history, just ahead of the 60 of his former college teammate and current Indianapolis Colts receiver Pierre Garcon. Garcon was the last Purple Raiders that participated in the combine.
"The way I'm taking it is (I need to work on) everything," Shorts said. "You can never be too good at anything. So I'm working on strength, weight, speed. I think the most important thing for the combine is the 40, showing them that I'm fast, because it's hard for them to see speed when going against Division III-caliber athletes."
The 4,705 receiving yards is the third highest total in Division III history.