Former Hendricken and Boston College star Will Blackmon has become this NFL Draft's mystery man.

01:00 AM EDT on Friday, April 28, 2006

BY KEVIN McNAMARA
Journal Sports Writer

After four years starring for Boston College, NFL scouts are left with a troubling question when evaluating the pro skills of Providence native Will Blackmon.

Quite simply, is the former Hendricken star a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none? Is Blackmon an NFL cornerback, a big-time athlete who uses his 4.46 speed in the 40-yard dash and his 6-foot-1, 200-pound frame to both stay with receivers and make bone-jarring hits? Is he an NFL wide receiver, someone who can make game-breaking plays with his mix of size, speed and shiftiness? Or is he an NFL-quality kick returner who all but specialized in pulling off show-stopping runs as a college star?

These are the questions NFL general managers and scouts have about Blackmon just one day before the league's draft kicks off tomorrow. Unlike virtually every other player in the country, there is no consensus on Blackmon. Some teams like him as a receiver. The majority peg him as a cornerback. Everyone wants to see what he can do with the ball in his hands on kicks.

Blackmon sees this "problem" as a strength. His athletic versatility has never failed him, either as a superstar at Hendricken or as an All-Big East and All-ACC performer in college. The next stop is the pros.

"I don't really care anymore," Blackmon said yesterday between classes at Boston College. "I think I can do both. I'm at the point where I don't care. I'm tired of answering the question, 'What do I like better?' I'm a football player."

The draft has scheduled its first three rounds for tomorrow, with the remaining four on Sunday. Blackmon has a solid chance to hear his name called in rounds one-three, but probably won't top Mike Cloud's record as the highest-drafted Rhode Island native. The former Portsmouth High star was drafted in the second round by Kansas City in 1999.

Several Web sites posting mock drafts yesterday seemed to agree that Blackmon would go in rounds three or four. They ranged from the 83rd pick (3rd round, GBN Draft Report) to the 128th (4th round, DraftDaddy.com).

"I really have no idea. My agent (Eugene Parker) is talking to a lot of teams," said Blackmon. "Obviously, you want to go as high as possible for economic reasons, but the biggest thing is just getting a chance, and I'm confident that's going to happen."

Blackmon says he has had surprisingly little contact with teams since he strutted his stuff in the Senior Bowl and at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. The only team that has asked him to visit their city is the Pittsburgh Steelers. Asked whether the Patriots offered him a chance to stop by for lunch with Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli, Blackmon said, "Nope."

"That's okay. You usually go to someone you've never even talked to," he said.

While Blackmon clearly owns special gifts as a ball-carrier in the open field, it seems as if cornerback may be his calling. He played defense for three years at BC before coach Tom O'Brien decided that getting the ball into Blackmon's hands more often would be the best way for the Eagles to win more football games.

But that move may have hurt Blackmon's draft status. Scouts haven't seen Blackmon shadow receivers for more than a year now, but he seems to own every trait a team needs in a shutdown corner. He's big, athletic and fast, so he can play physical at the line of scrimmage and then turn and run with the NFL's speed merchants.

Regardless of which teams selects him, Blackmon certainly will have a chance to be a return man. In 2004, he finished the year with a 27.2-yard kickoff return average, including a 96-yard touchdown return. On punts, he averaged 11.3 per return and had a 71-yarder for a TD. As a senior, he didn't hit the end zone but did average 22.2 yards on kickoff returns.

As a receiver, Blackmon has good hands and breakaway speed, but scouts question his route-running ability.

"It's all been a lot of fun," Blackmon said of the pre-draft routine. "It's been a great experience, and really something that I've been waiting for since I was five years old. Now, you just have to sit back and see what happens."

kmcnamar@projo.com / (401) 277-7340