I said this guy was gonna be a steal
BETHLEHEM | It happens every summer in training camps throughout the NFL.
An unheralded player saddled with no expectations comes in and shows the coaching staff that he belongs despite his lowly draft status.
Actually, Hank Baskett wasn't even drafted. And despite being only a few months out of the University of New Mexico, the 23-year-old rookie wide receiver has already been the property of two NFL teams.
But despite his whirlwind three-month pro football experience, he's been no basket case -- excuse the pun -- in his one week of training camp with the Eagles.
"You do what you gotta do," said Baskett, after another impressive afternoon performance Thursday at Lehigh. "I guess you could say I've already been exposed to the harsh business side of the NFL. In college, you go four years and they can kind of wait for you. Here, you mess up and you're gone."
Baskett made several nice receptions in Thursday's morning session, including one deep ball along the sidelines that he caught on his fingertips before going out-of-bounds. Then in the afternoon, he laid out and made another spectacular fingertip grab of a laser shot over the middle from quarterback Donovan McNabb down the middle.
That catch not only was noticed by the fans but by his teammates, who whistled loudly after Baskett came up with the football.
With Todd Pinkston out with an Achilles injury, Baskett is getting additional reps and making the most of it.
The funny thing is, Baskett wasn't even the original property of the Eagles. Though he was New Mexico's leading receiver in 2004 and 2005, he went undrafted and was signed as a free agent by the Minnesota Vikings.
Baskett, however, was a Viking for less than a week. He was traded to the Eagles for Billy McMullen, another wide receiver, in May.
http://www.nj.com/eagles/expresstime...250.xml&coll=2
Baskett looking like quite fine catch
Baskett looking like quite fine catch
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