Central has pair of pro prospects

When it comes to making oneself into a serious prospect for the NFL draft, the method used by a pair of recent Central Washington University teammates is not the most highly recommended.

Mike Reilly and Jared Bronson went down a level to prove that they could play at the highest one of all.

Reilly, a quarterback who started his career at Washington State, and Bronson, a tight end who transferred from the University of Washington, head a small group of in-state players who hope to get drafted this weekend. While neither of them needs to sit by the phone during Saturday's first two rounds, both CWU products have a serious shot of getting drafted sometime Sunday.

"I don't know what would have happened if I stayed at Washington," Bronson said this week from his parents' home in Kent. "I felt like it helped me to have Mike. We kind of helped each other out."

Bronson, who transferred to CWU in search of more playing time, helped lead the Wildcats to a top-10 NCAA Division II ranking and the national tournament last year. CBS Sports draft analyst Rob Rang said he has a slightly better chance of getting drafted than Reilly does, although both could realistically get the call sometime late Sunday afternoon.

"Bronson is athletic enough, and he played reasonably well at the East-West Shrine Game," Rang said. "He is intelligent, and because he's as athletic as he is, he can immediately help someone on special teams."

Rang was not as encouraged by Reilly's potential, even though the 6-foot-3 quarterback broke nearly all of current NFL quarterback Jon Kitna's passing records while at CWU.

"Reilly is helped by a terrible QB class," Rang said. "At the same time, he really struggled at the East-West Shrine Game. Some people thought he was the worst player on the field. But he looks good on film, and he helped himself at the (NFL scouting) combine."

The state's most likely draft pick seems to be Washington State wide receiver Brandon Gibson. The Cougars' all-time leader in career receiving yardage (2,756), Gibson lacks top-end speed but is productive enough that he's a likely Day 2 pick.

The University of Washington's best hope for hearing his name called this weekend is center Juan Garcia, who has a remote chance of getting drafted.

Two Snohomish County athletes are considered long shots to be selected this weekend.

Washington State quarterback Gary Rogers, a Kamiak High School graduate, worked out for scouts last month after having his senior season cut short by a fractured spine. Washington defensive tackle Johnie Kirton was a star running back at Jackson High School but has since changed positions twice.