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

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. >> Shon Coleman is an inspiration to several 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 grab your man through two years of chemotherapy. He constantly knew he’d grab spine on the football field.

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

“The whole time, it was surely a motivation for me to grab through the whole thing merely getting through every one of that, merely attempting to grab 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 several patients, he did shed considerable weight throughout the treatment.

“I maintained my weight the whole time. One of the big points I did a great deal of individuals 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 As quickly as enjoy nobody was there, I wanted to be low-key, merely go out there and push some weight around, merely attempting to continue to be as suit as I could.’’

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

“I mean probably the initial day, merely 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 edge effects of the medicine and every one of that. At the end of the day merely 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 merely being out there again along with my teammates, merely 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 As quickly as 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 gained your man a much better football gamer or at least gained your man appreciate it more.

“merely getting spine on the field, now I don’t take life for granted, it can easily grab taken away from you as quick as that,’’ Coleman said. “I got yet another opportunity to play football again, I merely took on the opportunity and did a excellent 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 great deal of individuals say is a lot much easier compared to a pro-style offense. Met along with some coaches, we sit down and talk, grab quizzed up a little bit. I can easily choose up on a great deal 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 your man 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 grab it worked on by (Dr. James) Andrews. That’s the genuine requirement 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 much 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 grab every little thing ready.’’

Most draft analysts fee your man in the top 5 of offensive tackle prospects.

The Lions, that requirement 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 gained two degrees at Auburn – a bachelor’s degree in public administration and a master’s degree in adult education.

“There’s a great deal of young youngsters 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 individuals understand you can easily beat the odds and dreams never ever fade.’’