DaytonDailyNews.com

Former Ohio State linebacker Marcus Freeman's performance on the playing field always seemed to go unnoticed while playing for the Buckeyes.

He quietly went about his business flying under the radar giving way to highly publicized linebacker James Laurinaitis, who received Rock Star status in Columbus.

After a solid week of practice and a stellar performance on game day at the Senior Bowl, Freeman is starting to get his just due. The linebacker is no longer a blip on NFL team's radar, but is popping up like a Scud Missile emerging as one of the top linebacking prospects entering the draft.

The 6-foot-2, 235-pound Freeman, a Wayne High School grad, led all defenders in Saturday's Senior Bowl with eight tackles, six of which were solo, in a losing cause for the North squad against the South.

During a phone interview with Freeman on Sunday, the linebacker talked about his Senior Bowl experience:

"To take part in this event was beneficial to me in so many ways," Freeman said. "Not only did it help me to showcase my talents in front of NFL scouts, but I got to learn from professional coaches. I also got to compete with the best players in the nation and made a lot of good friends. It was definitely a great experience."

Praise for Lewis

He said the Cincinnati Bengals coaching staff did a fantastic job coaching the North squad throughout the week of practice. Freeman had nothing but love for head coach Marvin Lewis.

"You hear so many things about him like how good of a man he is, how good of a coach he is, and everything I've heard about him is true," Freeman said. "He's a great guy who really wants to win and a coach with a vision for his team. He coaches with passion and it was exciting and a privilege to play for him."

Proof in performance

The linebacker said coach Lewis and his staff always preached about being a professional and that he learned a lot in just four days of practice.

Freeman accepted an invite to participate in the event to improve his status and prove to NFL scouts that he is worthy of playing in the NFL. There is no question that he has done just that with his performance. He knew coming in the importance of performing and performing well while in Mobile.

"Being injured over half the season, I didn't feel like I showcased my best abilities this year," he said. "I felt pretty healthy going out there this week. It felt good to show the coaches and scouts that I'm a better football player than I showed this year, and also to show them that I can play with the best players in the nation."

Freeman definitely belongs with the elite.

I had one scout tell me in Mobile that when he popped in film to evaluate Laurinaitis, Freeman was like Johnny on the spot by always being in on or around the play.

When asked about the eight tackles in Saturday's game, the player could not have been more humble.

Freeman said he was unaware of his accomplishments until someone mentioned it to him a day later. He also stated that for him it was about competing and not necessarily about stats.

Freeman is back in Columbus studying for his Masters and working out at the school's facilities preparing for next month's NFL Combine. He hopes to impress scouts yet again with his workout and help his cause of being drafted even more so.

Carlos "Big C" Holmes covers the NFL for Dayton Daily News.

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