A simple YouTube search of “Larry Beavers” yields an interesting and quite surprising result.
The first returned result is a video that lasts just over 30 seconds in length of a college football player running the 40-yard dash — in 4.28 seconds.
Philadelphia Eagle Brian Westbrook runs the 40 in 4.57 seconds. Ladanian Tomlinson of the San Diego Chargers, in his prime, ran a 4.38.
So who is 23-year-old Larry Beavers and where has he been hiding with his blinding speed?
The answer, for Doverites, is right in their backyards. Beavers is an alum of the Wesley College football team and that popular YouTube video, which is fast approaching 8,500 views, was shot right on the Wolverine football field.
Beavers’ speed and athletic ability are so great that after going undrafted in the 2009 NFL Draft, he was signed by the Carolina Panthers where he is currently competing for a wide receiver slot.
“It felt great. It felt like nothing that’s ever happened before,” he said of being signed to a professional contract. “It’s a big dream that came true.”
For the past few weeks, Beavers has been going through summer camp with the Panthers, and has been working with stars like receivers Steve Smith and Mushin Muhammad.
While he was nervous entering camp, he quickly learned that the only thing to fear was not giving it his best shot.
“When I got here, I thought they’d treat all the rookies bad,” Beavers said. “But it’s not like that. They teach me a lot, those guys. The whole team, actually, they teach me really good.”
A bumpy ride
When speaking to Beavers now, he is nothing but grateful for the athletic gift he has been given. His humble and hardworking approach to football fully displays that.
But it took a hard lesson for the young Panther to learn to appreciate what he had.
When Beavers came to Wesley and Mike Drass, head coach, in 2004 from Annapolis, Md., he described himself as a “little knucklehead.”
Though he excelled on the football field — he holds an NCAA record for touchdown returns on kickoffs and punts, 10 and three, respectively — Beavers did not take his academic career seriously.
As a result, he was booted from Wesley following the 2005 season and Drass said the message just had not been sinking in for the speedster.
“Sometimes you’re in a situation where your professors, your coaches, everyone at college has explained what to do to be successful,” he said. “Some kids need to hit rock bottom before they actually realize what’s needed of them.”
That proved to be the case for Beavers, when after being dismissed from Wesley, he continued to take classes at Delaware Technical & Community College’s Terry Campus and worked his way back toward playing as a Wolverine again.
Instead of looking back on that year with anger or disgust, Beavers said it was just what he needed, and a big reason why he’s on an NFL field today.
“That matured me a lot,” he said. “That year got me to settle down and realize what I want to do, and that was go to college and play football.
“Taking that year off helped me a lot mentally in growing up.”
From D-III to pro
After his hiatus from college football, Beavers was back in 2007 and tearing up the football field in the special teams game.
Professional scouts became aware of him, and though he went unpicked in this year’s draft, Beavers was confident the whole time he would be an NFL player.
“Me and my agent had been talking and he said no matter what I was going to be on an NFL team,” he said.
That ended up being the truth when shortly after draft day Beavers got the call to sign with Carolina.
He said now that he’s been there a few weeks he’s beginning to adjust, but that going from Division III football to the professional ranks has been quite a change of pace.
“The intensity is very high,” Beavers said. “This is a job now and everyone wants to do their best at it. You have to come up mistake free.”
Though he has signed a professional contract, Beavers has yet to make the Panthers’ roster. Drass, however, thinks that his former star has a dimension that other wide receivers vying for a spot don’t.
“The skill set from the return game gives him an extra dimension,” he said. “He’s in a different boat as far as opportunities, so he might have another opportunity that someone else might not get.”
Beavers agreed with his coach, but acknowledged that camp will get a lot harder before the end.
Still, with his speed and the fact that he’s gained 14 pounds to buff himself up to 5-feet, 10-inches and 181 pounds, Beavers could be building himself into a solid pro.
“I feel like I’ve gotten a lot faster with the strength and conditioning I’ve done here,” he said. “So once I get through that hole on the return, with the speed I have, I can get in front of people and just go.”
Email Brian Citino at brian.citino@doverpost.com
By the Numbers:
13: Kick and punt returns for
touchdowns through NCAA career
39.5: Average yards per kickoff
return
29.2: Average yards per punt return
19.9: Average yards per reception as a senior
