Barrington's 'Big O' gets a big NFL shot with Bengals

Otis Hudson was on his way to the mall when he got a call.

No way it could be the call for the former Barrington football standout, right? After all, it was still too early in Saturday's final day of the NFL draft.

Hudson and his agent Vinnie Porter were figuring if there was a call at all it would be in the afternoon's sixth or seventh rounds. More likely was a shot with someone with a free agent.

Now the Cincinnati Bengals were calling and asking Hudson if he was ready to go to work. As a fifth-round pick taken 152nd overall by the AFC North champions.

Thanks for calling.

"I was very surprised," Hudson said. "I wasn't sure if I would get picked or not. I was preparing for free agency.

"When I got the call I couldn't believe it. I said, 'Are you for real?'"

It's definitely the real deal for the 6-foot-5, 312-pound offensive lineman who will be headed to the Bengals minicamp next week. Not that it was a goal easily attained.

Hudson had to literally fight off gang influences while growing up on Chicago's West Side. Then he had to adjust to his move to a much different world in Barrington through an AAU basketball friendship with Nick Leopardo.

"If I didn't come to Barrington I don't think this would have happened," Hudson said of all the support he received.

It gave him the opportunity to go to Minnesota but he left after two years because of position and coaching changes. The latter held up his transfer to bigger schools and he wound up at Eastern Illinois.

Two solid years on the offensive line and his work off the field set him up for bigger and better things. Bengals offensive line coach Paul Alexander certainly sees it since Hudson, who is projected at right guard, runs a 5.1 40-yard dash and has a 26-inch vertical leap.

"I don't know if the numbers mean much or not, but he is a big, explosive man with NFL talent," Alexander told Bengals.com. "Otis has more athletic potential than many of the players drafted ahead of him. I look forward to the challenge of working with him because the kid does have talent."

But he also has something more important.

"To me, this situation for a kid like Otis is the greatest in the world," Porter said. "Right now he has a little chip on his shoulder and he has something to prove."

Hudson originally started at right guard at Minnesota but was moved to defensive tackle as a sophomore. Then head coach Glen Mason was fired and replaced by Tim Brewster. Hudson wanted to play on the offensive line and with the uncertainty, decided to transfer.

Porter said big-time interest in Hudson, which included Florida State, fell through when Hudson's release from his Minnesota scholarship was delayed in the coaching transition.

He wound up at Eastern Illinois and started 24 of 26 games at right tackle.

"I love the offensive line," Hudson said. "I'm not really a wild guy and I don't like to have the spotlight on myself. I like protecting the quarterback and helping open holes for the running backs. It was a blessing in disguise going to Eastern Illinois."

Veteran Eastern Illinois head coach Bob Spoo was impressed by what he saw from Hudson.

"He picked it up really fast and that's a tribute to his diligence," Spoo said Thursday. "He certainly has all the physical qualifications.

"I'm sure that's what the pros are seeing. In order to get looked at you have to have quick feet and he handles his weight extremely well."

He got the attention of "Sporting News Magazine," which recently named him one of 10 likely late-round draft picks or free agents who could eventually become NFL starters. His work at "Performance Gaines," a top NFL development training facility, was an eye-opener.

"I feel I'm very raw as an offensive lineman with the transition that took place through college," Hudson said. "Overall I think I have a lot of things to prove and I'm not nearly as good as I should be yet."

But Alexander believes he can help get Hudson to be a successful NFL lineman. He went there for a one-day visit this week and obviously made a favorable impression.

"He's got all the tools," Spoo said.

Now Hudson is ready to use them at the highest level with the hopes of helping big names such as Carson Palmer, Chad Ochocinco and Cedric Benson.

"I think it will be great and you're going to be hearing about Otis Hudson a lot," he said. "I've got my foot in the door. Now I have to get my whole body in."

mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com