MUNCIE -- Among the many people put out by the National Football League's lockout last year were the undrafted college football players who sought opportunities at the professional level.
That group of street free agents was among the lowest priority for NFL executives as they scrambled to sign players during the brief window between the time the lockout was settled and training camps began.
Davyd Jones felt the pinch. The Central High School product completed his career as a linebacker at Ball State in the 2010 season. He hoped to get invited to an NFL team's training camp, but no offer was extended.
"A lot of teams were signing players who were already in the league," Jones said. "A lot of guys in my position got left out last year. It was a series of unfortunate events, but I'm still knocking on the door."
More than a year removed from being a college player, Jones hasn't relinquished hope of competing on the next level. He completed a combine-type workout in front of pro scouts in Atlanta last Sunday.
Two teams -- the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans -- called Jones' agent after the lockout ended, but neither team followed up with a camp offer.
"It was a heartbreaker," Jones said.
So he remained in school at Ball State last fall, continued to work out and watched NFL games on TV. Jones obtained seasonal work with UPS during the holidays.
He continues to attend classes and will graduate in May with a degree in business administration. Jones also has a job offer from First Investors, a financial services company in Indianapolis.
But his dream is to find his way to the NFL. To accomplish that, Jones has been working on improving his speed.
He beefed up from his playing weight of 216 pounds as a senior outside linebacker for the Cardinals to 235 last year. With the added weight and strength, he lost some speed.
Jones addressed that this winter when he went to Phoenix for 10 days to train with former Ball State football player and former Central High School boys track coach Cornelius Bowick. Bowick moved to Arizona in 2007 and formed High Octane Development, a training company that works with high school, middle school and club sport athletes. He also coaches football and track at Maryvale High School.
Through Bowick's program, Jones shaved a couple hundredths of a second off his 40-yard dash time, getting down to 4.65 seconds.
"The major correction we made was with his explosion, the first five steps," Bowick said. "His first three steps were short. His stance was off. We call it the drive phase."
Jones came home with a workout prescribed by Bowick to help him continue to improve his speed.
Jones, who is tied for second all-time in games played at Ball State with 50, played inside linebacker as a junior. He led the Cardinals in tackles with 100. He was moved outside as a senior, and different responsibilities within the defense caused his tackles to drop to 66.
He believes he can play linebacker or fullback in the NFL. Jones was a running back at Central.
"I want to make sure I give it my all, and hopefully an opportunity arises," Jones said. "It's my dream. If I give up on the dream, then I would always wonder, 'What if?'
"I'm approaching it (as my last shot), but I'll never give up on my dream until I just can't run anymore. I do believe I can play in the NFL. All I have to do is get a shot. Whenever I get that shot, I'm going to try vigorously, and I'm pretty sure I'll make the best of it."
Contact sports writer Doug Zaleski at 213-5813.
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