Stanislaus District great Gardner prepares for NFL Draft
Ja’Quan Gardner goes about his business preparing for Thursday’s NFL Draft the way he’s always gone about his business.
Quietly.
The former Central Valley High School football standout, who finished his prep career as the Stanislaus District’s all-time leading rusher (6,014 yards) and went on to star at Humboldt State, has been working out at Bonsu Elite Athletics in preparation for the draft.
But walk into the Ceres facility unannounced and you wouldn’t know an NFL prospect is working out there. Gardner blends in with the other athletes working out in the facility, though his heavily muscled frame makes it impossible to achieve total anonymity.
“He’s always been like that,” said Les Bonsu, who has been training local athletes in the area for 10 years. “He doesn’t care much for attention.”
At 5-foot-7 and 205 pounds, Gardner is considered an undersized prospect, and he’s unsure if he’ll be drafted in the later rounds (four through seven on Saturday) or forced to sign with a club as an undrafted free agent.
“I’ll probably sign post-draft,” said Gardner, a nominee for the Harlon Hill Trophy, the NCAA Division II version of the Heisman, after his sophomore season. “That’s not a bad thing for me. As long as I get a shot to get in camp, everything will take care of itself.”
Gardner, who was not invited to the NFL Combine, conducted a Pro Day at UC Davis on April 4. He turned in a 40-yard dash time of 4.51 seconds. He also performed the bench press, the vertical and broad jumps, pro timing drills (20-yard and 60-yard shuttles and the L-cone drill) and positional work on the field.
“I feel pretty confident I’ll be in a camp,” said Gardner. “My tape will speak for itself and a lot of teams are willing to take a chance. I put up good numbers at my pro day and Cameron (Weiss) told me we’ll be all right."
Weiss, Gardner's agent, believes there's a very high chance that the running back will latch on with an NFL team.
"He's got some people out there who are fans," Said Weiss. "So, that will obviously be tested on Saturday. Sometimes teams talk a big game and then sometimes they don't follow through. But there is some favorable scouting on him and the did well on his pro day."
Despite his size, Gardner possess a versatile skill set that pro teams crave. He can run, catch and return kicks.
In four seasons at Humboldt State, Gardner rushed for 5,495 yards on 880 attempts (6.2 per carry) and 72 touchdowns. As a sophomore, he rushed for 2,266 yards and 25 TDS.
And then there are the intangibles, such as Gardner's affable, low-key personality.
"He is easily one of the greatest people I've been around, let alone student-athletes," said Central Valley athletic director Greg Magni. "He lights up a room when he walks in. He's the type of person that people gravitate toward. He's always smiling and just brings life wherever he's at. And I know none of that gets written into a scouting report, but when you that to what he brings to the table athletically, you get the complete package."
Being a nice guy only gets you so far.
In the cutthroat business of the NFL, talent carries the day. But character does count for something.
"It's not an overriding factor but it's part of the analysis that teams do," said Weiss. "He'll get in the building and they'll find he's a good teammate, coachable and smart, and he'll grow on you. He'll find a fit and some that team will be lucky to have him, for sure."
In the meantime, Gardner will go about his business, quietly, as this long process of becoming a professional athlete comes to its conclusion.
"I'm just trying to be patient with it," said Gardner. "Day in and day out, working with Coach Bonsu. It's physically draining, but it's all for a purpose. I feel like being an underdog is not really trying for me because I'm pretty used to it. I'm confident in my abilities. Once I get into a camp, everything will be fine."
This story was originally published April 25, 2018 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Stanislaus District great Gardner prepares for NFL Draft."