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| Former Slippery Rock C Brandon Fusco |
(The Phanatic Magazine) - Nastiness is a trait that usually isn't all that coveted in the job market unless you happen to be a prospective NFL offensive lineman.
NFL personnel people covet disagreeable types, something Slippery Rock's Brandon Fusco embraces as part of his personality.
The 6-foot-4, 316-pound Fusco was a late bloomer in the world of football, taking up the game in his junior year at Seneca Valley High School. By his senior season, he was "built like a pencil," weighing just 240 pounds.
"I wasn't really into sports that much," Fusco said on a conference call after being drafted by the Minnesota Vikings with the 172nd overall pick in the NFL Draft last weekend. "Sophomore year, [I} didn't really do nothing and football just kind of came to my attention.
"I always watched it on TV and I sometimes got into a pissed off mood so I wanted to get out on the field and take my frustrations out on people. Started football and started it my first year and just really loved the sport."
Fusco's only Division I offer came from Youngstown State as a walk on. Instead, the Cranberry Township, Pa. native opted for Division II Slippery Rock, where he slowly morphed into an NFL prospect.
Fusco started 44 games in the pivot for The Rock, amassing 332 knockdown blocks over his career in Western Pennsylvania while allowing only four sacks, none of them in his senior season.
Fusco was honored as a first-team All-America pick after his final college campaign and was Slippery Rock's offensive MVP, an almost unheard honor for a center at any level.
"I think I was the heart and soul of our offense," Fusco said. "I took a lot of pride in our team and the team looked up to me a lot when times were rough. Slippery Rock, everyone means a lot to me and I took a lot of pride in football."
Perhaps, his most significant accomplishment, however, was catching the eye of numerous NFL scouts at the Senior Bowl and the NFL Rookie Combine thanks in large part to his unpleasant disposition.
"I think I get it from my dad. He has a temper on him," Fusco said of his surly attitude on the playing field. "I mean I'm not like a pissed off kid but people piss me off and I like to take it out on people on the field.
"I played good at the Senior Bowl. I could have played a lot better but I think what really opened a lot of people’s eyes was the combine. I had really good numbers and I really showed a lot."
Some draft services rated Fusco as high as a third round pick but he ended up being taken in the sixth round by the Vikings, a team intent on building an offensive line that has been hit by age and injuries over the past few seasons.
"I figured I would be drafted, I just didn't know where. It was a waiting game for me," said Fusco.
The scouting reports say Fusco has the requisite size and toughness to play in the NFL but perhaps not the athleticism.
"I disagree with that," the big man said. "I think I have the athleticism to play any position in the NFL, the guard, tackle, or center. Evidently the Vikings liked me a lot."
The current starter at center in Minnesota is former Notre Dame star John Sullivan, a competent player who struggled with a series of calf injuries in 2010. His backup is ex-Oklahoma All-American Jon Cooper, an undersized player who excels in the mental part of the game but has trouble moving the pile.
"You have two centers right now in Sullivan and Cooper," Fusco said. "I'm going to be coming in and competing with those guys and I feel confident in my game. I think if I just learn the system, get used to this level, I think I can be pushing for a starting job soon."
Fusco will probably need a year or two of development in Minneapolis to handle the rather large jump in competition but with sound and patient coaching, he looks to have a considerably higher ceiling as a player than the Vikings' other options.
"I just love football and I'm just excited about being a Viking and starting my career," Fusco said.
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