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BOCA RATON – There’s more than prestige associated with graduating players to the NFL.
FAU is enjoying on-field benefits, too.
Late in FAU’s spring game former FAU cornerback Cre’von LeBlanc, now with the Chicago Bears, pulled aside current FAU corners Chris Tooley and Shelton Lewis to pass along some pointers he picked up in the NFL.
“In the League they work different techniques,” Lewis said. “He was just polishing our techniques trying to get us right.”
An undrafted free agent following the 2016 NFL Draft. LeBlanc is entering his third season with the Bears. A native of Belle Glade, LeBlanc can frequently be spotted in South Florida, and on the FAU campus in particular, during the offseason.
He and Lewis were teammates on FAU’s 2015 team.
“It’s always good for us to learn more so that we can go into the League with more information,” Lewis said.
LeBlanc spent several minutes teaching Lewis and Tooley – with injured graduated senior corner Raekwon Williams listening intently – how an opposing wide receiver’s knee at the line of scrimmage can divulge his intended route.
“He was just giving me some coaching about the technique and what to watch and stuff, and how to play the receiver,” Tooley said.
No FAU players were selected in this year’s 2018 NFL Draft, but three signed free agent contracts. Running back Buddy Howell and kicker Greg Joseph signed with Miami, Wide receiver John Franklin signed with Chicago, where he will convert to cornerback and join LeBlanc in the Bears defensive backfield.
Those three additions give FAU 11 players currently on NFL rosters.
LeBlanc never played with Tooley, but the Bear has been around the FAU program enough that Tooley considers him part of the family.
“I take it as, he’s a big brother to me,” Tooley said. “Anything he tells me, I’m going to take it because he’s in the League. I’m going to take what he tells me and I’m going to use it.”
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