Story by
The Frederick News-Post, Md.
Receiver Cam Dorner hopes to be first Oakdale football player to reach NFL
- Story byThe Frederick News-Post, Md.
- Receiver Cam Dorner hopes to be first Oakdale football player to reach NFL
Cameron Dorner is ready for just about anything this week.
If his name is called after a team selects him in the NFL Draft, it will be a joyous occasion and the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for the Oakdale High graduate.
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Dorner, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound receiver, would be the first Oakdale player to get drafted into the NFL.
If it doesn't happen, it will be right back to a domain and a lifestyle Dorner is both familiar with and quite comfortable in. That is working to create his next opportunity.
"I am really expecting nothing," Dorner said in a phone interview this week. "Hopefully, I can just get a shot."
Dorner has heard he could be a late-round pick Saturday or sign with a team as an undrafted free agent.
After three productive seasons at nearby Division II Shepherd University and one at Division I North Texas, he was not among the 319 prospects invited to attend the NFL scouting combine in February.
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Yet he is hopeful that his game tape and personal conversations with teams will convince one of them to take a chance on him. He has conveyed to teams that playing football is his top priority.
"I'm competitive. I am relentless," he said. "I do all of the little things. I try and be a good teammate. I have seen what it takes and the type of effort you have to put in."
Last season at North Texas, Dorner caught 56 passes for 911 yards and eight touchdowns in helping the Mean Green finish 12-2 overall and nearly earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. They finished the season with a national ranking of 25.
He's hoping that will be enough to convince one of 32 teams to take a chance on him this weekend. If not, he said he plans to keep pushing forward and working on his game until a team gives him a shot.
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"It would be incredible," Oakdale football coach Kurt Stein said of the possibility of Dorner getting drafted or signing as an undrafted free agent. "He's worked so hard for this. It would be amazing to see him reach this goal."
