The Buffalo Bills used three draft picks on the secondary the 2011 NFL Draft, the third and final of those selections being Richmond cornerback Justin Rogers. The ballhawk will provide some depth for the Bills at corner, and has the ball skills and football IQ to develop into a solid player down the line.
Last week, Rogers appeared on ESPN 950 in Richmond, VA to discuss the draft and where he goes from here now that the lockout is on.
"It was a blessing, a good feeling, and a relief all at the same time," said Rogers of being drafted in the seventh round. "I was just happy to hear my name called and achieve a lifelong dream."
Rogers' wait was longer than most. Still, he was relieve to hear his name called.
"It's real stressful," admitted Rogers. "You have a kind of clue of where you could go and how long it could take. I knew I could go anywhere from the end of the fourth to the seventh. From that point in time I was just waiting and just kinda seeing. It was real nerve-wracking, but once you hear your name called it's a big relief."
Rogers didn't believe that the Bills were interested in him based on the small amount of contact they'd had. The East-West Shrine Game is the all-star game he mentions.
"I sat down with a scout or something at an all-star game, but I didn't know they were extremely interested as other teams were," Rogers said. "I'm still proud to be a Buffalo Bill right now."
Now that he is a member of the Bills, Rogers can only sit around and wait for the NFL lockout to end and players to return - or in Rogers' case, start work again.
"I haven't really talked to them because of the lockout, they just gave me the call right before I got drafted," Rogers said of the Bills. "They told me they were gonna draft me and got my information down. Once they drafted me I became an official Buffalo Bill and they couldn't talk to me, so I haven't really talked to them since. I'm really hoping I can bring my talent to help them win."
With no contact with the team and no friends or old teammates on the squad, Rogers is left to gather information from a different source.
"My agent's keeping me updated with the process, how things are going, what to look for, what could possibly happen," Rogers said. "All I can do is continue to work out and stay in shape and report in the best shape I can when I have to report to camp."
As for his role on the team, he's not sure what the coaches see him doing because of the lack of communication. With that being said, he seems pretty open to their ideas.
"I hope [I'll do some returning]," Rogers said. "I'm willing to do anything to help contribute to the team winning and being successful. Whether it's special teams, playing corner, anything - I'm down for it."
Now all Rogers can do is wait and see when this whole thing will shake out.
"I'm just down in Louisiana training on my own with my trainer I knew from my past," Rogers said. "I'm just training, staying in shape, working out until I have to report."