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EWU’s Aaron Neary, Clay DeBord head for NFL rookie camps

Eastern Washington lineman Aaron Neary gathers with his teammates on the sidelines during the Weber State game on Oct. 31, 2015, in Cheney. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)
Eastern Washington lineman Aaron Neary gathers with his teammates on the sidelines during the Weber State game on Oct. 31, 2015, in Cheney. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)Buy a print of this photo
By Jim Allen jima@spokesman.com

Aaron Neary and Clay DeBord – two All-Americans from tiny Washington towns – are still living parallel lives.

Neither was selected in last week’s National Football League Draft, but both have signed free-agent contracts – Neary with the Denver Broncos and DeBord with the Arizona Cardinals.

Both Neary and DeBord – who anchored the left side of the Eastern Washington line the last two seasons – will fly out of Cheney on Thursday for rookie mini-camps, and both will return to on Sunday and continue work toward completing their degrees.

And after that? That’s the exciting part, Neary said.

“This is a huge step in reaching the dreams I’ve had since I was a kid,” said Neary, who grew up in Mattawa, north of Hanford, Washington. “This is great, but no way am I going to be content until I make that final cut in the fall.”

“I want to be a Bronco for the whole year,” said Neary, a 6-foot-4, 300-pounder who says his versatility caught the attention of Denver scouts. Neary, who played all positions at Eastern, said he could play guard or center.

Neary added that Denver has a reputation for valuing athleticism over size on the O-line. “That’s important for me,” Neary said.

DeBord, a 6-6, 305-pound left tackle from Asotin, thought he could go as high as the fourth or fifth round of the draft.

That didn’t happen, but DeBord was told beforehand by several teams that “we might draft you, but if not, we want you as a free agent.”

Those teams included Seattle, New England, Jacksonville, Oakland and Arizona.

The Cardinals were the best fit, DeBord said, because “they called me quite a bit during the draft and brought me down for a visit,” said DeBord, who said he struck up a good relationship with several Cardinals coaches.

“It just felt like the place I wanted to go,” said DeBord, whose evaluation of the current Arizona roster played a part in the choice.

“I think I have a very good opportunity to make the roster,” said DeBord, who said coaches were impressed by his “hard-nosed play” and game experience.

With 51 starts, DeBord is the EWU career record holder.

Neary and DeBord were first-team All-Big Sky Conference picks for the Eagles last season, with DeBord earning All-America honors as a senior in 2015 and Neary earning All-America honors as both a senior in 2015 and junior in 2014.

Twenty-four EWU offensive linemen have earned All-America honors since 1993.