Draft Profile: Joey Getherall
UHND.com - Frank Vitovitch
April 15, 2001
Notre Dame, Ind (UHND) - Along with the Mike Gandy
profile, we are bringing you the Joey Getherall profile as well today. Next up will be
Tony Driver whose profile should be up early in the week. Following Tony will be Anthony
Denman, Brock Williams, and Dan O'Leary.
UPSIDE
Joey possesses blazing speed. He ran a legit 4.31 40 yard dash for pro scouts at
Notre Dame's combine held on March 22. He runs good routes. He is unflappable on punt
returns as he seems to catch every punt, even with 6-1, 225 linebackers bearing down on
him as he goes to reel them in. He also is one of the top punt returners in the nation
returning two punts for touchdowns this season. His first was huge as it tied the score at
21 in the Nebraska game and his second was just as big since it came in the Air Force game
that went into overtime. Joey also recorded the game winning touchdown in that same game
giving Notre Dame its first ever overtime victory. The win also allowed Notre Dame to
remain BCS eligible. Joey also possesses a lot of intangibles that simply can't be coach.
He has one of the biggest hearts for any Notre Dame player who has graced the grounds of
Notre Dame Stadium. He is fearless. He continually ran routes across the middle of the
field without thinking about it even though at 5-7, he was an easy target for bigger
defensive backs and linebackers. He has also had to deal with the height issue his entire
life. People have continually told him that he was too small. No one thought that he would
make it at Notre Dame because he was too small, but he turned out to be a leader and major
contributor on the field in more ways than one.
DOWNSIDE
The only real negative I can say about Joey is his height. If he was about four
inches taller he would be a first round draft pick easily. Instead he will most likely not
get drafted as NFL teams have questions about his durability and ability to compete
against much bigger athletes. Joey proved however that he has what it takes to compete at
the next level. In the East-West Shrine game he tied for the most catches on his team. He
went up against other NFL bound athletes and performed very well.
COMMENTARY
Joey has been a true pleasure to watch at Notre Dame. From starting as a freshman
to giving it all he had in the Fiesta Bowl. Many fans, myself included, doubted that he
could perform at the level he has while at Notre Dame. He proved everyone wrong however
and will be a huge surprise to whatever team signs him. Draft experts don't think he will
be drafted in the seven round NFL Draft next weekend, but there will be more than a few
teams inquiring about his as a free agent after the draft. With his speed and skill on
special teams he can step in and make an impact on punt returns next year. He most likely
won't be able to step in and be a contributing wide receiver in is rookie season though.
Look for Joey to surprise a few people and make more than one NFL general manager wish he
had taken a chance on him.