NFL combine: Shon Coleman’s NFL dream closer after battle with leukemia

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. >> Shon Coleman is an inspiration to lots of kids. It has actually nothing to do along with football.

Coleman, one of the top offensive tackle prospects at the NFL Scouting Combine, missed three seasons of college football while he was fighting acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The tackle was diagnosed in the spring of 2010, his senior year of higher school, regarding a month after he had committed to Auburn.

PHOTO GALLERY OF NFL COMBINE WORKOUTS

It was the dream of playing football again that helped get hold of him or her through two years of chemotherapy. He constantly knew he’d get hold of spine on the football field.

“I had a lot of support from my family, followers at Auburn, the coaching staff — simply pushed through and I’m here now,’’ Coleman said at the combine.

“The whole time, it was surely a motivation for me to get hold of through the whole thing simply getting through every one of that, simply attempting to get hold of spine on the field that was my whole motive,’’ he added.

When he was diagnosed at St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis, chemotherapy treatments started immediately.

The day after he began chemotherapy, the entire Auburn coaching staff flew to Memphis to visit him, per a story at al.com.

He went in to remission within a month of the diagnosis, however had to finish two years of chemotherapy.

Unlike lots of patients, he did gone substantial weight throughout the treatment.

“I maintained my weight the whole time. One of the big points I did a lot of people didn’t understand about, I was exercising enjoy at 2 o’clock in the morning, sneaking out, attempting to preserve my weight up. I went to this place caled Lifetime in Memphis,’’ Coleman said. “I went Once enjoy nobody was there, I wanted to be low-key, simply go out there and push some weight around, simply attempting to continue to be as suit as I could.’’

He doesn’t gloss over the situation. He clearly remembers the reduced point.

“I mean probably the initial day, simply getting the news, it was pretty shocking. My mom, she was pretty upset regarding it. however at the end of the day, got through the whole thing — there was plenty of days where it was a inadequate day or whatever from the adverse effects of the medicine and all of that. At the end of the day simply getting through it was the whole deal,’’ Coleman said.

Initially he had a lump removed from his head that seemed enjoy no big deal until the examinations showed it was malignant.

His mom, that was told the diagnosis by the doctors, shared the devastating news along with her son.

The doctors at St. Jude worked along with doctors at Auburn so in January 2011 he was able to enroll in classes. Football was not spine in the picture until he was cleared to technique in the spring of 2012.

“It was great, man simply being out there again along with my teammates, simply getting spine in that football atmosphere, I was enjoy a year away from the whole game. It was exciting, I’ll never ever forget that day, pretty exciting,’’ Coleman said at the combine.

He was red-shirted in 2012, after that was a backup left tackle in 2013 Once he played in eight games.

Coleman, that is 24, was a two-year starter at left tackle in 2014 and 2015.

In an strange way, fighting leukemia earned him or her a much better football gamer or at least earned him or her appreciate it more.

“simply getting spine on the field, now I don’t take life for granted, it can easily get hold of taken away from you as quick as that,’’ Coleman said. “I got an additional opportunity to play football again, I simply took on the opportunity and did a fantastic task along with it the past couple years.’’

Teams this week have actually wanted to understand if he can easily play right tackle and his answer is yes. He has actually a definite objective at the combine of wanting to prove to Groups that he can easily choose up a scheme well.

“I come from an offense a lot of people say is a lot much easier compared to a pro-style offense. Met along with some coaches, we sit down and talk, get hold of quizzed up a little bit. I can easily choose up on a lot of points quickly,’’ said Coleman that officially measured in at 6-foot-5 and 307 pounds.

“He’s as raw as can easily be, he calls for snaps, he calls for reps. He’s a big, long youngster along with gifted feet however he’s going to struggle year one, I think,’’ NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said at the combine. “… Where he gets drafted — I had him or her in the third. Long, good feet, developmental prospect.’’

Other compared to the bench press, he was not able to Job out at the combine.

“In the Georgia game last year I got banged up, we believed it was an MCL sprain and I played the rest of the season, toughed through it. I finally got an MRI it showed a slightly torn MCL, I had to go down to Pensacola to get hold of it worked on by (Dr. James) Andrews. That’s the genuine demand I wasn’t able to participate in (the Senior Bowl),’’ Coleman said.

Because of the knee, he won’t have the ability to Job out until mid-April.

“Definitely, it was something I was looking forward to, I truly believe I’m one of the even more athletic big men out here and for me not to have the ability to reveal that it’s pretty frustrating,’’ Coleman said. “however at the same time I have actually a strategy to return and get hold of every little thing ready.’’

Most draft analysts fee him or her in the top 5 of offensive tackle prospects.

The Lions, that reason an offensive tackle, surely could be interested. They’re looking for higher character guys and Coleman appears to suit that bill.

He fought leukemia, got spine to the football field and at the same time made two degrees at Auburn – a bachelor’s degree in public administration and a master’s degree in adult education.

“There’s a lot of young children that went through the same points I went through that look up to me,’’ Coleman said. “They are likewise an inspiration to me, my engine is still operating to let people understand you can easily beat the odds and dreams never ever fade.’’