NFL Prospects Lead Strong BC O-Line: Part 6

Boston College has seen some tremendous offensive linemen pass through the football program over the years. Marc Colombo became the most recent BC lineman to be drafted into the NFL, as the Chicago Bears selected him in the first round this past April. As Aaron Rose writes, the 2002 Eagles' offensive line contains at least 3 bona-fide NFL prospects.

The Boston College Eagles football team has seen many great professional prospects come and go over the years: William Green and Mike Cloud at running back, Bill Romanowski at linebacker, Pete Mitchell at tight end, and Matt and Tim Hasselbeck and everyone's favorite Doug Flutie at quarterback. However, the most consistent generator of NFL talent has been the not-so-glamorous position of offensive lineman. NFL greats on the line such as center Tom Nalen, guard Ron Stone, and center Damien Woody, a member of the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, all spent autumn Saturdays wearing the burgundy and gold.

Marc Colombo was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft, adding to the long list of BC pro linemen. This year's roster contains at least three legitimate NFL prospects in senior Dan Koppen and Marc Parenteau and sophomore Chris Snee.

Led by the strong blocking of the offensive line, the Eagles have featured a 1000-yard rusher in each of the last three seasons. In 2001, Boston College finished 18th in the country in rushing yardage, and despite the loss of Colombo, the team will return five players who made at least one start last season.

Anchoring the 2002 squad will be Second Team All-Big East honorees center Koppen and tackle Parenteau. For Koppen, it was the second straight year he received the honor. Parenteau started every game last season, including the bowl game, and played three different positions.

Junior Leo Bell, who started seven games last season, will join Parenteau on the opposite side of the offensive line. In between Bell and Parenteau, Snee and junior Augie Hoffmann are expected to start at guard. Snee was named Third Team Freshman All-America by The Sporting News for his efforts in 2001.

The Eagles are not short on depth on the OL for the 2002 season. Juniors Jim Connor, Rudy DiPietro, and Frank Wilpert return and are joined by sophomore Robert Bennett, redshirt freshmen Chris Hathy and Jeremy Trueblood, and freshman Jeremy Simpson. Also, redshirt freshman Pat Ross has moved over from defensive line to complete the offensive line unit for 2002.

Throughout the 2002 Boston College Eagles offensive lineup, there are numerous questions: how will Brian St. Pierre respond to his breakout junior season, how will the tailback-by-committee approach work in replacing William Green, and which wide receivers will step up. However, at the offensive line position, there is only one question: How many of them will make the NFL?