If it wasn’t for his imposing 6-2, 315-pound frame, some would find it hard to believe that Arkansas guard Mitch Petrus battled his way through the SEC trenches. Petrus epitomizes the “Southern gentleman” persona.

The 22-year old Carlisle, Ark., native insists on calling me “ma’am,” even though I’m just a few years his senior, and is shocked to hear that there are places in the world where men do not hold doors for women.

“Mitch, you don’t have to call me ‘ma’am,’" I laughed. He responded in a rather serious tone, “Okay, I think I’m going to disagree with you on that.”

I’m not at all surprised he put his foot down on that one. After all, Petrus didn’t let many defensive ends in the SEC have their way to the quarterback, or to two-time Heisman runner-up Darren McFadden and All-American Felix Jones.

The athletic left guard routinely cut down defenders, allowing both running backs to rush for more than 1,000 yards in the same season -– a first at Arkansas. Says Petrus, on blocking for McFadden and Jones, “I was really fortunate. It was a great experience. I’m not going to lie.”

McFadden and Jones have both found homes in the NFL, and if Petrus delivers the same type of performance he did as a second-team All-SEC guard at Arkansas, he could soon be joining them.

The former fullback is explosive and can get to the second level very quickly, although his consistency has some scouts concerned. He’ll dominate a lineman on one play before losing leverage on the very next play.

Still his athleticism has garnered quite a bit of attention, along with his ability to learn from and bounce back from mistakes.

“You have to make sure that whatever drill you’re doing or whatever play that is called, you’re committed to that play,” he said. “You just have to focus on the task at hand. And if you make a mistake, then forget about it, correct it. You can’t let it hold you back.”

He isn’t just talking football. In 2008, Petrus was declared academically ineligible after switching majors and was forced to sit out the season.

“To be totally honest, having to sit out and watch guys [from the sideline] really gives you perspective on life and the game of football and how quickly it can be taken away,” he said.

“I realized that, ‘man I’ve really got to pick it up.’ I never thought that [this would happen] and now that it has, I’ve got to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”

The former walk-on employed the same diligence he used on the football field and transferred it to the classroom.

“I really did pick my grades up after that. Actually I made the honor roll,” he said proudly, adding that school didn’t come easily for him, and that his family never thought he’d graduate.

When it was time to return to the field, Petrus had a new outlook: “I wasn’t going to waste anything or slack off. I wanted to make sure that I gave it full effort. You never know when it’s going to be your last play.”

He’ll take the field at Indy with that same outlook, something that served him well in his final season with the Razorbacks, and in his Combine prep at the IMG Performance Institute in Florida.

“I’m not going to get flustered," Petrus said. "If you make a mistake, you have to move on, and I’ve been able to adopt that throughout my career.”

Teams That Could Use Petrus
Indianapolis Colts – It’s no secret that the Colts are a pass-happy team, and rightfully so. But the team’s need to establish the run means it could be in the market for a physical guy up front to open up holes for Joseph Addai, Donald Brown and Mike Hart.

Houston Texans – The Texans need more depth on their offensive line. Creating traffic lanes for Steve Slaton should be a priority to balance their passing attack.

Cleveland Browns – With 11 draft picks and a whole lot of rebuilding on an offense that ranked 32nd in the league, they’re bound to pick up an offensive lineman somewhere in there.

Kansas City Chiefs – Another rebuilding team with the greatest need at the O-line.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Arron Sears was MIA last season for undisclosed personal reasons with Jeremy Zuttah starting in his place. But with only one game where a running back rushed for more than 100 yards, the Bucs could use some competition at this position.

Seattle Seahawks – Did you see the hits Matt Hasselbeck took last season? Expect the Seahawks to employ more zone-blocking schemes, something Petrus is best-suited for.

Washington Redskins – Another team employing the zone blocking that Petrus would excel in.

-- JENNA LAINE
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