Jason Pinkston is a redshirt senior offensive lineman at Pittsburgh. One of the top offensive linemen in the nation with 40 career starts at Pitt, he also played in the Senior Bowl. In 2010, he was a team captain and named All-Big East first team for the second straight year. In 2009, he was named a second-team All-America by SI.com and Rivals.com. He is also the cousin of former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Todd Pinkston. In his guest column, Pinkston gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at how he's preparing for the NFL Draft and his take on the NFL Lockout. Check back here each week as Pinkston chases his dream of making it to the NFL.
I plan on going back home and watching the NFL Draft with some family members at my grandmother's place and just relaxing. I'm not trying to get too worked up about it. It's here, and I've been waiting for this my whole life. So it's just an exciting time right now. We will probably have around 10 to 15 people over, not too many.
This is just a dream come true. I've been dreaming about this my whole life. I grew up watching the draft and seeing how it goes. Seeing my best friend go through this process -- he was a first-round draft pick of the Carolina Panthers (Jeff Otah) -- it's just an exciting time. Jeff and I came into college together at Pitt, and we still talk regularly. I can't even describe what the feeling will be like when that day comes or whatever round I do go. It's going to be a great feeling, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. We'll just see how it goes.
It's a special time to join the brotherhood of NFL players past, present and future in the NFLPA. You just have to be thankful for it -- very thankful.
I kind of had one of those "light bulb moments" when I knew I would be this good at football. Working with Coach Wannstedt, he always told us that if you continue to get better, you will have a chance at it. Last year, at the end of our season, when we beat North Carolina and we were 10-3, that's when I really started to get a lot of confidence and I said, "You know, I can really make this happen."
After the draft, my next career goal would be to come in and start for a team. Then, I want to become an All-Pro player, play in a Super Bowl and win a championship.
An NFL team should draft me because I'm coming from a pro-style offense and I've played with pro-style coaches. I think I have the capabilities to get better and grow as a player. That's what most teams want. I think I have the skill set to play at the next level.