Brown's all-time leading rusher hopes to be selected in the late rounds of the draft so he can make his impact felt in the NFL.

01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, April 29, 2006

BY KEVIN McNAMARA
Journal Sports Writer

PROVIDENCE -- After racking up more records than anyone in Brown football history, Nick Hartigan now sits and waits for the National Football League to judge his skills.

Hartigan is in the final weeks of his Brown education, completing only an independent study course this semester. His real work came through lifting weights, improving his speed and running sprints in front of pro scouts toting clipboards and stopwatches.

Sometime this weekend, Hartigan will receive a 'grade' for all his hard work. The NFL's two-day draft begins today with the first three rounds. Hartigan has little chance to be picked then but is holding out hope of going in the later rounds tomorrow.

If he doesn't hear his name called in the seven-round draft, he'll hope to be signed as a free agent at the conclusion of the draft. Hartigan has worked out for several teams with the Patriots, Giants, Redskins, Colts and Cardinals showing the most interest.

"I'd say it looks like he'll go as a free agent," said Brown coach Phil Estes. "There's a chance he may go in the late rounds but if he doesn't sign somewhere as a free agent, something's wrong. I don't foresee that not happening."

The Hartigan that pro scouts are checking out is not the same athlete who tore through the Brown and Ivy League records the last three seasons. A Fairfax, Va., native, Hartigan weighed 218 pounds as a senior at Brown, according to Estes. Through his extensive training, Hartigan now weighs 235 pounds and was recently timed running a 4.69 second 40-yard dash. He needed the extra weight because the majority of the NFL sees him as a fullback, not at tailback like in his Brown days.

Hartigan is Brown's all-time leading rusher with 4,492 yards and the school leader in touchdowns with 52. Last fall, he led 1-AA players in both rushing yards per game (172.7) and scoring (12.6 points per game). All of that ball carrying meant Hartigan rarely was asked to fill a hole and block for someone else, or protect the quarterback from opposing blitzers.

"Most teams like him as a fullback but he didn't do a lot of blocking here for us," Estes said. "The Giants, I know, are still looking at him as a tailback, which would be good for him. Teams doubt his speed. His times in the 40 are good for a fullback, but maybe not for a tailback."

Despite not playing fullback at Brown, Hartigan is rated the eighth-best player at the position in this draft by SI.com. NFLDraftScout.com pegs him as the 13th-best fullback prospect.

Ivy League players, and 1-AA players in general, have a hard time getting drafted but do stick with teams. Former Brown receiver Sean Morey, for example, just won a Super Bowl ring with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a special-teams ace. Several Web sites rating 1-AA talent in this draft name Hartigan among the top dozen prospects. Cornell guard Kevin Boothe, a 6-foot-5, 325-pounder, is expected to be the first Ivy player chosen.

Estes says Hartigan isn't upset or frustrated that the NFL scoffs at his running records and won't give him the ball. It's just another hurdle in a football career that's seen him climb from an unknown Virginia schoolboy to the top of the Ivy record books.

"I wouldn't say he's frustrated. He just sees that's the way it is," said Estes. "He's faced this before. It took me a year to figure out he was a tailback. The biggest thing is getting into a camp and getting a chance and I think he'll have that opportunity."

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