by Dan Gelston,
AP sports writer
BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) – Adam Bergen has already spent time on an NFL sideline.
Before he was considered much of a pro prospect, Bergen stuffed his 6-foot-5 frame into the yellow shirt reserved for security at Philadelphia Eagles training camp. His assignment was routine: He had to watch the crowd and make sure fans weren't videotaping practice or getting too close to the players.
One problem.
``I basically watched practice the whole time,'' Bergen said, smiling at the recollection. ``You weren't allowed to, but I kind of kept walking away just to watch practice.''
No surprise there. The Eagles are normally the biggest thing to hit Lehigh University each year, bringing upward of 20,000 fans to watch mundane workouts. Bergen, though, was more than just a star-struck fan. He wanted to pick up a tip or two on what it takes to make a successful pro.
Now Bergen could be taking what he learned as Division I-AA's top tight end at Lehigh to the NFL -- and he'll leave the yellow shirt behind. He's projected as a middle-round pick in this weekend's draft.
Not bad for someone who never thought playing in the NFL was an option as a high school quarterback in Seaford, N.Y., or for someone who did not receive a single offer from a Division I-A program.
``I'm just anxious for the draft to happen at this point,'' said Bergen, stretched out on a sofa inside Lehigh's gym.
Don't feel bad if Bergen's name doesn't sound familiar. Maybe only the most die-hard draft nerds or Patriot League fanatics have heard of Bergen, who led the Mountain Hawks and was fourth in the league with 54 catches for 634 yards and eight touchdowns.
``The upside turned out to be a lot better than we would have ever imagined coming out of high school,'' Lehigh coach Pete Lembo said.
National attention doesn't come easily for players like Bergen, who play in relative anonymity on small campuses with programs that have no national TV deals and, in Lehigh's case, gives no football scholarships. Bergen even jokes he could walk around his hilly, woodsy campus and no one would recognize him.
``I like it that way,'' he said.
But NFL scouts sure have caught on to the 265-pounder who provides a big target and sure hands. They like his size and speed and the way he can stretch the field, making the player from a sleepy town a possible sleeper pick.
Lembo said scouts started visiting Lehigh during Bergen's junior year.
``It seemed like every day in the office we'd have someone coming through watching tape,'' Lembo said. ``Some teams even sent two or three guys. We had a good feel even back then he would be under serious consideration.''
The scouting reports say Bergen needs to run routes better, get stronger (which Bergen says he's working on) and become a better blocker (which Bergen also acknowledges).
The knock against players like Bergen and schools like Lehigh is the level of competition. Colgate, Bucknell and Villanova aren't exactly USC, Oklahoma or Miami.
``I'm sure that's the biggest question going in, just the level of competition he's competed against week in and week out,'' Lembo said.
Bergen, no longer enrolled at Lehigh, shrugs off the small-school label. He points out that it didn't hurt guys like Jerry Rice, Brian Westbrook or Terrell Owens to play at schools most fans couldn't find on a map.
``Everyone who comes through a smaller I-AA school wishes they could be playing on the big stage, but I don't regret playing here,'' he said.
Plus, Lehigh has sent a few players to the NFL, notably New England's Rabih Abdullah and former defensive lineman Rich Owens.
Bergen, an All-American, hoped playing in the East-West Shrine game and participating in the NFL combine showed how well he could play against some of the more recognizable, talented names. Bergen already had one private workout on campus with Minnesota tight ends coach John Tice.
With the emergence of Antonio Gates, Todd Heap and Kellen Winslow, tight ends are suddenly in higher demand in the NFL. Watching the Eagles two years ago showed Bergen he belonged and could join them.
``Going out there and watching that also motivated me to work hard so I could possibly be in a similar situation one day,'' he said.
Story copyright 2005, Associated Press.
