It's a common perception that playing football at the NCAA Division III level means that student-athletes have to give up on their dreams of playing in the NFL. Elmhurst linebacker Randy Wright is doing his part to show that perception doesn't always equal reality.

Wright, a 2010 Preseason All-American from The Sporting News, recently had a junior day workout in front of a pair of NFL scouts at Langhorst Field.

Scouts from the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings watched Wright participate in one of the Bluejays' spring practices before timing him in the 40-yard dash. Similar to pro-day workouts for seniors, they also took measurements of Wright's height, weight, arm span, and hand span. Wright also filled out a standard NFL application and completed the Wonderlic Test, a general aptitude test given to all prospects.

"The whole experience was actually a lot of fun," said Wright. "I've had several friends go through the experience so I kind of a had a feeling of what to expect. It's just a little different when it's happening to you."

The scouting process actually began in the winter when scouts from the Jets contacted Elmhurst head coach Tim Lester asking about potential prospects. Lester sent game-day videotape of Wright to both the Jets and the Vikings. After a few months of silence, the Jets called in February, requesting to see Wright work out in person.

Lester, a former record-setting collegiate quarterback, had been through the scouting process when he was at Western Michigan, so he did his best to prepare Wright.

"I told Randy what he could expect and to try not to be nervous," said Lester. "As a junior, there are only so many things the NCAA lets scouts do. Basically, they wanted to see him in a practice and then watch him run. After that, it's simply letting them weigh and measure you before taking the Wonderlic Test."

Lester is convinced that Wright displays a lot of the skills NFL teams look for. "Randy has both the speed and the strength to play at the next level," he said. "He anticipates how a play is going to develop which is very hard to teach. He possesses great closing speed and acceleration and uses that to cut down the angles for running backs. If he has a great senior year, it's possible that teams will be back to take another look at him."

Having a shot at playing in the NFL is especially rewarding for Wright who had dreamed of suiting up on Sunday afternoons before attending college. But a little more than a season into his collegiate career, football had lost a lot of its appeal for Wright.

Wright's personal journey to Elmhurst is different than most football players. Following a successful high school career at Fenwick High School, Wright played a postgraduate year at the Hotchkiss School, a private prep school in Connecticut. After totaling a team-leading 127 tackles at Hotchkiss, Wright accepted an offer to play football at Holy Cross in Massachusetts. He contributed immediately as a freshman and was penciled in as a starter heading into his sophomore year in 2007.

But before his sophomore year began, Wright had family issues weighing on his mind and football had stopped being fun for him. He lost his mother while he was in high school, and his father passed away while he was at Hotchkiss.

"I almost didn't go to Holy Cross," said Wright. "I felt like I needed to stay and help my family, but I had told my father that I was going to play at Holy Cross and I wanted to honor what I had told him. I went back for my sophomore year at Holy Cross, but I knew that there were some family problems back home. There really wasn't a man in the family anymore and I felt like some of my younger relatives were drifting down the wrong path."

Wright left Holy Cross early in his sophomore year and returned home to tend to his family. Once family concerns were resolved, Wright wanted to return to school and the gridiron. Not wanting to sit out a season from transferring, he looked at Division III schools where he could play right away. He considered a few other local schools, but ultimately chose to attend Elmhurst after being recruited by former assistant coach Todd Nichols.

"I give a lot of credit to Coach Nichols for getting me to come to Elmhurst," said Wright. "He helped convince me that I could have fun playing football again."

But before Wright had had a chance to put on an Elmhurst jersey, he had to survive another challenge. Then-head coach Tom Journell departed in the summer and Elmhurst athletic director Paul Krohn hired Lester to be the Bluejays' new head coach in August. Lester brought new offensive and defensive schemes with him, forcing players like Wright to adapt quickly.

"I wasn't really sure what to expect with the new coaching staff," said Wright. "The timing of the coaching change came pretty late and it was a lot to take in. But playing for Coach Lester has been wonderful. He steers the players in the right direction and he always tells us the truth even if it's tough to hear. The coaching staff here has been great at letting me take care of my family needs even if it sometimes interfered with practices or weightlifting."

Wright's impact on the Bluejays' defense was immediate. In his debut season in 2008, he amassed a team-leading 119 tackles, including a whopping 22.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 quarterback sacks. He led the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) in tackles, earning first-team all-conference and D3football.com third-team All-America honors.

"Randy's first year was truly incredible," said Lester. "Teams had never seen him before and they had no idea how to try and stop him. He used his speed to constantly disrupt play behind the line of scrimmage. I'm guessing there were quarterbacks who would have nightmares about number six bearing down on them time and time again."

In 2009 Wright was slowed by a nagging shoulder injury but still managed to lead the Bluejays in total tackles (98), solo tackles (56), tackles for loss (14) and quarterback sacks (4.5) while playing in only eight games. Despite not playing in the final conference game of the year, Wright still led the CCIW in tackles. His 78 tackles were 13 more than any other defensive player in the league and he was named a first-team all-conference pick for the second consecutive year.

"Looking at the stats, you wouldn't know that Randy was hurting last season," said Lester. "While he led the league and our team in tackles, he was definitely slowed by the injury. Now that the shoulder is healed, we're looking forward to see what Randy can do this season when he's completely healthy."

Wright, who was granted an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA stemming from the family hardships while at Holy Cross, ranks among Elmhurst's career leaders in tackles, tackles for loss and quarterback sacks in just two seasons. While he has enjoyed the individual success and the attention from the NFL teams, Wright is setting his sights on just one mission in 2010 - helping the Bluejays win a CCIW Championship.

"I want to help the team win a CCIW title in the worst way," he said. "It doesn't matter how well you play the game as an individual, it's the wins and losses for a team that really count. When you're looking back through the history, the team's record and accomplishments are more important than a player's statistics or awards."

As far as the NFL is concerned, Wright is excited for what lies ahead, but remains grounded. "When I first came to Elmhurst I wasn't really thinking about playing pro football," he said. "Recently, I've started having thoughts about it again, but I'm trying not to look too far ahead. While I feel like I've gotten stronger and improved each year, there is still a lot work to do. After the season is over I can only work out and prepare myself to try to take the next step in my playing career. If the opportunity presents itself to play professional football, I'll be ready."