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Building the corporation

Dennis Northcutt and Trung Canidate should consider joining the business fraternity. After all, the two UA seniors are about to become two of the youngest CEOs on campus.

With a businesslike approach to the sport of football and an impressive showing in this winter's NFL combines, both Canidate and Northcutt have seen their respective professional stocks skyrocket.

Canidate and Northcutt have also found a way to approach the decision-making process in the tense six weeks leading up to the draft - treat football like a business.

The young entrepreneurs believe football, like any business, should be handled professionally, especially during the scouting stage.

"Even teams with no chance of talking to you interview you anyway," Northcutt said. "This is a business, it's interviewing. You might not get the job, but they still want to know what type of person you are."

The pair take every workout and each conversation with scouts seriously because, according to Northcutt, "maybe down the line (the other teams) might work with you."

Canidate spends countless hours perfecting his resume, notably by impressing roving NFL scouts with his speed and his affable personality.

"You want to build a snowball effect," he said.

"(It's about) getting my stock rolling and presenting myself well to these guys. It's a job. I'm trying to build my resume. I've got about another month and a half (to build it)."

Northcutt, a 5-foot-11 wide receiver from Los Angeles, has gained the interest of, among others, ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr. In a story released Monday, the well-known draft analyst named Northcutt the 15th best prospect in the upcoming draft, which takes place April 8-9. In the article, Kiper lists Northcutt as a player "whose stock has climbed through post-season workouts, practices, or games."

The buzz surrounding Northcutt's name is seemingly a surprise to everyone except the former UA standout.

"All my work has paid off," Northcutt said. "I've been really blessed. I'm one of the top movers that Mel Kiper had."

NFL scouts have been looking for Northcutt to work out on both sides of the ball. In an informal workout on Tuesday, he ran drills as a defensive back.

"I did what the coaches wanted," he said. "I wanted to show the (defensive back) side of me, run a couple of drills, and work on my footwork."

Despite playing little defensive back in the 1999 season, Northcutt is confident that he could play either position.

"I've always waned to play in the NFL," Northcutt said. "It doesn't matter where I play - I'm gifted by God to play both positions. I have that skill."

Despite being a local celebrity, Canidate commanded little attention from professional scouts before his visit to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis during the off-season.

The 5-foot-11 running back ran the third-fastest 40-yard dash at the combine. His time was the quickest of any running back there.

"Combines went great," he said. "I ran a nice time (4.37 seconds), plus I benched well."

Canidate hopes the good press surrounding his showing at the combines circulates throughout the league.

"I'm bringing something different to the table," he said. "I was blessed physically, but I also want to be the right kind of person."

Like true businessmen, both players are weighing their options carefully. Neither Canidate nor Northcutt wants any public-relations errors at the last minute - therefore, neither player will say which team they want to play for.

"I'm not worried," Northcutt said. "God has my place. What I can control, I'm doing. What I can't, I'm not worrying about. It doesn't really matter where I play. Wherever I go, I go."

Although Canidate has seen interest from the Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, and New York Giants, he (at least publicly) has no preferences as to where he ends up playing.

"You build it, I will come," he said. "When you move up to this next level, you just want to play professional football. I want to show these guys I can play."

So far, the off-season has been productive for both players. Between workouts, the two players have spent time watching their respective stocks rise, and both are enjoying every second of it.

"It's a great time as far as me building up my corporation," Canidate said, hardly concealing the smile on his face. In fact, Northcutt and Canidate seem to have every reason to smile.

Both men are doing good business.