Jim Owczarski

jowczarski@enquirer.com

If it’s possible for an Ohio State player eligible for the NFL Draft to slide under the radar, let alone one who started for three years, that’s the space Adolphus Washington is occupying.

At the Senior Bowl media day in Mobile, Ala. he laughed that only one media member sought him out, whereas wide receiver Braxton Miller had a podium and tight end Nick Vannett was shuffled in and out of the main hall for interviews.

And in what is being considered a very deep draft for defensive tackles, Washington is rarely mentioned in the upper tier of players available by draft observers. Yet he has a skill set that could make him a hot commodity in NFL personnel departments.

“Some of the scouts will ask me ‘where can he play’ and he can play nose guard, three-technique, you can kick him out and play a five-technique defensive end – he’s got great rush skills,” said Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson said.

“Having a basketball background he’s got great feet, he’s got great hips, and has a really good feel for rushing the passer. He’s very versatile and I think he’s attractive to a lot of teams.”

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Even during the season in which he recorded a career-high 49 tackles with seven tackles for loss and four sacks, the 6-foot, 4-inch, 295-pound interior lineman was overshadowed by end Joey Bosa, a likely top 10 pick, and potential other early-round selections like linebacker Darron Lee, corner Eli Apple and safety Vonn Bell.

Unfortunately for Washington, he earned his biggest headline for an off-the-field incident in December when he was arrested for solicitation and missed his final game as a Buckeye. By the NFL Scouting Combine in late February, however, the charge was dismissed.

“That was definitely a burden lifted off my shoulders,” Washington said. “I was kind of anxious to go tell the teams that it’s over with, that it’s not a problem anymore, so I was really excited about it.”

Washington says he hasn’t been asked much about it in the run-up to the draft, but it was a hard, yet simple, lesson to learn.

“You have to think before you act,” he said. “You can’t just think impulsively.”

Added Johnson: “What I say to people all the time who kept asking what kind of person he is, well he’s a good enough person that he could marry my daughter. That’s how high I think of Adolphus Washington as a young man. I mean that from the heart. I really love Adolphus, what he is, what he stands for and what he’s done and how hard he worked to get to where he is. I think he has grown and he has matured.”

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It was a disappointing misstep for the Robert A. Taft Information Technology High School alumnus, now the father to a son and a daughter, but he remains a beacon for those on the West side of Cincinnati.

“It’s a real exciting time for him and actually his neighborhood, for Taft,” said former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver and Taft head coach Mike Martin, who remains close with Washington.

“It’s one of the things where it lets guys know that if you do the things you’re supposed to do you can make some things happen for yourself. Along with the fact that it doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter what’s happening in your life, you can get yourself into an opportunity and work at your craft in what it is that you do and you can achieve something.”

It’s a status Washington doesn’t take lightly.

“When I’m in Cincinnati, when people see me around, they show me a lot of love, especially guys I grew up in the neighborhood with, older guys that are from the same neighborhood and they all tell me to stay on the right path, stay focused and put on for the city,” he said.

“I love to hear things like that because that’s what I do it for. I want the kids to look at me as an example that if I can make it out you can too. I didn’t have the best situation and circumstances growing up but I made the most of it and I’m making my dreams into a reality.”

Which brings him to his hometown team, the Bengals, one that needs defensive tackle depth. He will be a part of the team's annual local players workout Tuesday at Paul Brown Stadium.

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Martin, who now works in Chicago, isn’t sure his former team would be a good fit for Washington, noting that getting away from all the trappings of home isn’t the worst thing for a new professional. But, Washington would love to wear black and orange.

“Cincinnati is definitely the dream,” he said. “If you talk to any of my family members, Cincinnati is one of the teams I talk to them about a lot. It’s the fact that you can come back home. It’s kind of different than college. I was learning how to be a man, do things on your own. The NFL, you’re still learning, but I can finally represent our city in my city. I can do football camps for kids. I can do fundraisers, all kind of stuff like that. I would love to be able to do that in my city where I know where the struggles are, where I know where all the bad neighborhoods are, where I know where the kids who need the most help are.

“That would definitely be a dream come true.”

While Washington may not be getting any pre-draft hype outside of NFL war rooms, Johnson feels teams know him well – and that why when it’s all said and done, whichever team selects him will wind up with a versatile player that has a high ceiling.

“It gives him a good background going in,” Johnson said. “That’s the thing you look forward to in Adolphus Washington, because he has everything else.”