Fairborn, UD grad Easterling continuing to pursue pro football dream

Easterling, a 2017 Fairborn High School graduate who played safety the last four seasons with the Dayton Flyers, hoped to get drafted after a strong performance at the University of Toledo’s Pro Day in March. He ran a 4.54 40-yard dash, posted a vertical jump of 37½ inches and a broad jump of 10 feet, 5 inches. He performed in front of scouts from 28 of the 32 NFL teams.

“There were a total of about 40 of us,” Easterling said, “and I was probably top five and maybe even better than that — top four, top three — in the testing and the numbers that I put up. I think that’s what kept me in the loop.”

Easterling prepared for his Pro Day tests by spending 10 weeks at the Test Football Academy in Martinsville, N.J., throughout January and February.

“Their specialty is to get you ready for your pro day or the combine,” he said, “so they definitely did me some good.”

Twelve or 13 teams reached out to Easterling or to Dayton defensive coordinator Tee Overman after the Pro Day to get more information about Easterling. That’s why he had hopes of getting drafted or at least signing as an undrafted free agent and joining a team’s 90-man roster. The rookie minicamp invitation was the next-best option after neither of those opportunities materialized.

Easterling said only three players from the Pioneer Football league got NFL opportunities this spring. Morehead State wide receiver BJ Byrd received a training camp invitation from the Washington Commanders. Valparaiso running back Robert Washington was invited to rookie minicamp with the Philadelphia Eagles.

There was another former PFL player who got a chance this spring: offensive lineman Michael Niese, who signed as a free agent with the Denver Broncos. Niese played the last two seasons at Temple after starting for three seasons at Dayton and graduating from UD. He contacted Dayton coach Rick Chamberlin after signing with the Broncos to thank him and tell him, “I’ll always be a Flyer.”

Easterling knows reaching the NFL, as his former teammate Adam Trautman did, is a long shot for a PFL player but thought more players should have gotten a chance.

“I think the Pro Day is really what keeps us alive and gives us that extra hope,” he said. “Me having a good pro day, teams started to call like crazy.”

As for his experience with the Giants over a three-day period (May 12-14), Easterling was both thankful for the opportunity and disappointed to not get an invitation to OTAs. He faced an uphill climb with 54 players competing for two spots.

“It kind of just goes to show how hard it really is to get in if you’re not a drafted guy,” Easterling said. “Especially being from a small school, that adds to the difficulty. I guess it is what it is. I laid it all out there.”

There were few opportunities to show his skills at the rookie minicamp. Easterling shared repetitions with a safety drafted by the Giants, fourth-round pick Dane Belton, as well as two other rookie safeties signed to the 90-man roster and four other safeties who received tryout invitations like Easterling.

“Going through the three days, we only had a total of two practices,” Easterling said. “Each practice was an hour and 15 minutes long. During that practice, we had one competitive session that was 15 minutes long, and it was a 7-on-7. Each safety, even the drafted kid, only got three snaps, three plays, because of how short the practice was. So after two days of practicing, I got a total of six snaps. It wasn’t like they were only giving me six snaps and everybody else is getting a lot of snaps. It was like that for everybody. Everybody only got six snaps. That’s tough, especially as a DB if the ball doesn’t come your way, which happened to me all six plays. You really don’t even have an opportunity to make a play. You just have to be perfect in your coverage and perfect in what you can be perfect in.”

The Giants put Easterling on a shortlist for OTAs, as did the Washington Commanders. As he continues to hope for another NFL shot, he’s also thinking about playing in the Canadian Football League.

“It’s kind of the next best thing,” Easterling said. “I’ve gotten interest from some teams. The big thing is that when you sign your contract to go to the CFL, it holds you out from the NFL all the way through Thanksgiving. So you have to figure out if it’s realistic that a team is going to call you. The Canadian Football League is a great league, and you can make a lot of money doing it. It’s very competitive. But the NFL is the best of the best.”

Easterling is preparing for whatever the next step is back home in Fairborn. He works out at the high school as well as at UD. He also has a trainer in Vandalia he visits and a defensive backs coach in Huber Heights.

“I’m kind of just bouncing around everywhere, just depending on what the workout needs to be,” he said.