Former Temple cornerback and safety Sean Chandler will be one of 17 American Athletic Conference players and the lone Owl at the NFL Scouting Combine from Tuesday to next Monday in Indianapolis.
Chandler and the other defensive backs will work out in front of personnel from all 32 NFL teams on Monday. He is one of 27 safeties who will go through drills during the combine to put himself in the best position to earn high selection at the 2018 NFL Draft from April 26-28 in Arlington, Texas.
Chandler did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
CBS Sports ranks Chandler as the 214th-best overall prospect and 10th-best free safety. The San Francisco 49ers hold the 214th overall pick, which is the 22nd selection in the seventh and final round of the draft.
Chandler, a 6-foot, 190-pounder from Camden, New Jersey, was Temple’s third-leading tackler last season as a senior with 79. His 265 career tackles rank 14th in program history. Chandler split his four seasons between cornerback and safety, making the move to safety after the 2015 season.
Chandler, who earned two American Athletic Conference second-team honors during his career, also returned punts. He led The American in punt return average in 2015.
He trained in Florida to prepare for the combine, which will be another chance for him to improve his draft stock. Chandler played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl on Jan. 20 in California, giving him a chance to display his skills in front of professional coaches and scouts. Former wide receivers Keith Kirkwood and Adonis Jennings also played in the game.
ARTREL FOSTER
FORMER TEMPLE CORNERBACK
Last year, former Temple linebacker and defensive end Haason Reddick’s strong performance at the NFL Combine dramatically improved his draft projection. He ran the fastest 40-yard dash and had the largest broad jump of any defensive lineman at the combine before being selected 13th by the Arizona Cardinals and becoming the fourth first-round pick in Temple history.
Three former Owls were selected in last year’s draft. Former left tackle Dion Dawkins — whom the Buffalo Bills selected in the second round — was the second-highest rated rookie left tackle during the 2017 season by analytics site Pro Football Focus.
Three former Owls were also selected in the 2016 draft. At least one former Temple player has been selected in five of the past 10 drafts. This year, Chandler is the only former Owl on CBS Sports’ list of the top 266 prospects.
Chandler broke into the Owls’ starting lineup at cornerback as a freshman in 2014. He defended nine passes and finished third on the team in tackles with 65.
He also earned a single-digit number as a freshman to signify his status as one of the team’s hardest-working and toughest players.
“That’s how he got his single digit, just being mentally prepared, being focused, not worrying about nothing else, just school and football,” said Artrel Foster, who played cornerback from 2013-17. “And I noticed that, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, man, I should just start working how he works.’ That’s why we became real good friends and just started working out together trying to get to the next level.”
When Temple prepared for games during the 2017 season, defensive backs would meet at 8 p.m. each night to study film at Edberg-Olson Hall, Foster said.
After most people left the building, Chandler, Foster and a few others stayed at the facility to work on their footwork and lift weights. Sometimes they stayed as late as 11 p.m., Foster said.
“We’d be in there late just working,” Foster added. “We just wanted to get better at our craft.”
If drafted, Chandler would be the 72nd former Temple player selected by an NFL team since 1937 and the seventh in the past three years. It would also be the first time Temple would be represented in three straight drafts since 2001-03.
“Everything that’s coming his way, he most definitely deserves it,” Foster said. “He’s a workaholic. … He’s a great dude.”
Be the first to comment