IRVING, Texas - In 2008, Darrell Robertson had his eye on being drafted into the NFL. But things didn't turn out as great as Robertson anticipated.
Robertson, along with Nfldraftscouts.com, assumed he would have been a third-round pick in the 2008 draft, but the harsh reality of a muscle injury crushed the possibility.
"When I was training for the combine in March, I tore my pectoral muscle," Robertson said. "This was a major setback for me. It shot a lot of hope of what I wanted to do."
At 6-5, 252 pounds, Robertson has great speed and is a talented pass rusher. He started in 29 games during his four- year career at Georgia Tech. The ACC named Robertson Most Improved Player in 2007.
But this was not enough to convince NFL teams to draft him. No team selected Robertson during the seven rounds of the NFL draft in April since he still was recovering from surgery to repair the torn pectoral muscle.
This, though, did not discourage Robertson from trying to achieve his dream of reaching the NFL and making a 53-man roster. So Robertson jumped at the chance to sign a free-agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys following the draft.
"I picked the Cowboys because they had everything I need," Robertson said. "I think the Cowboys were the best fit for me. They have every resource here for me to succeed."
The Cowboys were willing to sign Robertson to a free-agent contract knowing he would not be ready to participate in any of the off-season practices. Their goal was to have him ready for the start of training camp.
So Robertson placed his trust in Cowboys strength and conditioning coach Joe Juraszek, along with Cowboys rehab trainer Britt Brown. While the rest of his teammates participated in OTA's and mini-camp practices in May and June, Robertson was only allowed to participate in conditioning drills.
"I could not do on field stuff but I have participated in workouts and conditioning with the team," Robertson said. "It's a minor setback but training camp is where you really are chosen for your position."
While training camp is just around the corner, Robertson is confident his pec is healed and that he will be ready for the July 25 start of training camp in Oxnard, Calif., where the Cowboys will fly to on July 24.
But he knows his margin of error will be narrow, and that he will have to do something early in training camp or at least in a preseason game to catch the coaching staff's eye. Opportunity is vital for a player on the fringe of the 53-man roster.
"I know what I can do and my coaches knows what I can do so if I go out there and do it for training camp there should be no problems," Robertson said.
While the Cowboys might be stacked at his linebacker spot, the rookie knows he must make an impression on special teams if he is to have a chance at making the 53-man roster, or at least convincing the Cowboys he is worthy of earning a year of further development on the practice squad.
"I am very confident in myself and I see myself on the team come September," Robertson said. "I just have to get through training camp first."
Or at least finally on the practice field.
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