INDIANAPOLIS — Dustin Crum is “soaking in” the NFL scouting combine experience. He called the first couple of days “amazing” and “surreal” as he takes the next step toward fulfilling his NFL dream.
One of his favorite parts has been the interviews with teams. Stressful for many, Crum appreciates the meetings giving him the chance to share his story and show his intelligence as a quarterback.
“Obviously not being the biggest-school guy, teams might not have known me quite as well,” Crum said Wednesday morning inside the Indiana Convention Center. “So just getting the chance for them to get to know me as a person and as a football player I think was big for me.”
Kevin Stefanski keeps play-calling duties, determined to fix passing game woes
He tells the NFL’s decision-makers about beating the odds to get the coveted invitation to the combine, which puts him on the doorstep of getting drafted. Despite starring at Midview High School — he was an All-Ohio first-teamer as a senior in 2016 — he received a lone Division I scholarship offer, and it came from a Kent State program that hadn’t won more than four games the previous four seasons. As a fifth-year senior in 2021, Crum led the Golden Flashes to the Mid-American Conference title game and was named MAC Player of the Year.
“Honestly, I would say the biggest thing for me is I’ve kind of always been the chip-on-my-shoulder kind of guy,” Crum said of relaying his journey to NFL coaches and general managers. “Being able to be a part of that turnaround a little bit the past few years and get way more competitive. And then just some of those adversities and things I went through at Kent that have shaped me into the person and football player I am.”
Dustin Crum on interviews with NFL teams at combine. @MiddieUpdates @KentStFootball pic.twitter.com/PtxDLBaqvW
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) March 2, 2022
Kent State quarterback and Midview alum Dustin Crum speaks to a reporter Wednesday at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.
SCOTT PETRAK/ CHRONICLE
Crum said he was recruited “quite a bit” starting as a sophomore at Midview but no one “pulled the trigger.”
“I can’t tell you the relief it was getting that one offer, that was a day I’ll never forget, to be quite honest with you,” he said. “Finally having a staff that believed in me enough to do that just was a very special moment.”
NFL Network draft expert Daniel Jeremiah gave Crum (6-foot-1, 219 pounds) a sixth- or seventh-round grade and believes he could stick with a team and develop. He’s a good athlete who rushed for 703 yards and 12 touchdowns last season in addition to completing 64.1 percent of his passes for 3,187 yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Crum has gotten a great idea how he stacks up with the draft’s best over the last couple of months. He’s training partners at a facility in New Jersey with the University of Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett, who’s in the conversation to be the first quarterback drafted. Quarterbacks coach Tony Racioppi tutors them.
“Had a lot of fun competing with him the last couple months, pushing each other to be the best we can,” Crum said. “For me personally, it’s a great measuring tool. Obviously he’s one of the best in our class. He’s a really well-rounded quarterback and a great guy. So just being able to be next to that, try to push him and chase after that every day has been really fun for me as a competitor.”
Crum and Pickett hadn’t met but became fast friends.
“He’s a really consistent player,” Pickett said of Crum. “It feels like I’ve been like at college almost with him, how much time we spend together on the practice field throwing, in the weight room, doing all the testing drills together. So it’s been awesome working with Dustin, just another relationship in this process that will last a lifetime. I feel like we’ll keep in touch throughout our careers.”
NFL Draft Prep QB Dustin Crum of Kent State working 7 Step and Reset throwing 18-20yd Dagger Dig layering ball over 2nd level with shoulder tilt. MAC Player of the Year and 1 of 15 invites to NFL Combine. @TEST_Football @Dustin_Crum14 @KentStFootball #nfl #qb pic.twitter.com/9LMCJOc1Fg
— Tony Racioppi (@Tonyrazz03) February 22, 2022
Crum told The Chronicle-Telegram he had an informal meeting with the Browns and the formal meeting that stood out was with the Chiefs. He said he didn’t really grow up a big Browns fan but admired quarterback Colt McCoy, who was drafted by the Browns in the third round in 2010 after playing for Texas.
“I would say mainly a Colt McCoy fan,” Crum said. “But, yeah, born and raised in Grafton, Ohio, small town, about half an hour west of Cleveland. Loved it there. Wouldn’t have traded it for the world.”
At scouting combine, QB Dustin Crum talks about being born and raised in Grafton and growing up a Colt McCoy fan @MiddieUpdates @KentStFootball pic.twitter.com/tadyA7xnLy
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) March 2, 2022
Crum will take the field Thursday at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Colts, for the quarterback, receiver and tight end workouts to be aired live on NFL Network. He’ll have the chance to showcase his athleticism and answer questions about his arm strength.
“Obviously you want to get after it, show what you can do to teams in that regard, but also have a lot of fun,” he said. “There’s a lot of really good football players here. A lot of cool experiences to soak in, a lot of legends, honestly, from the NFL I’ve gotten the chance to meet this week. So it’s been really cool. Just trying to take it all in.”
The awe factor includes former Seahawks Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck serving as his group leader and meeting coaches whom he watched as players. Realizing his NFL dream feels closer than ever.
“Being able to have that kind of almost within reach now is kind of surreal at times, but it’s really cool,” Crum said.
QB Dustin Crum on his scouting combine experience so far. @MiddieUpdates @KentStFootball pic.twitter.com/oonLIBsDpw
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) March 2, 2022
While he acknowledges his appreciation of the situation, he also believes he belongs.
“I would say as a quarterback you have to come in with high confidence,” he said. “That’s kind of where you have to be at in that mental state where you feel like you can go toe-to-toe with anybody. I definitely feel like training with Kenny’s been a big part of that for me.”
Crum had the option of declaring for the draft last year but returned for a fifth season. He’s glad he did.
“Yeah, definitely. I think it helped me a little bit to continue to grow as a player,” he said. “And then at Kent I felt like we had more that I wanted to accomplish, more things to do there. So having another opportunity to come back and play with a lot of guys I considered my brother at Kent State and continue to develop as a player, I think was a big deal for me.”
The decision was rewarded with an invite to the combine.
“It was huge just to get this exposure, meet the guys, get the opportunities it is,” he said. “Just to be able to kind of have more doors open to you is always especially helpful.”
