CHARLOTTE -- For defensive tackle Lonnie Harvey, YouTube is more than just a place to watch local newscast bloopers, trampoline accidents and shrimp running on treadmills to the William Tell Overture. It is a way to publicize his bid for the NFL.
He'd been in contact with scouts prior to his Pro Day on the campus of Morgan State University. But attention for such a workout can be hard to find at a mid-level Football Championship Subdivision program that has finished with five or six wins in five of the last six seasons.
"We had one scout come out, from the Philadelphia Eagles," Harvey said.
Fifteen years ago, that would have presented a problem. In 2009, however, there are easy ways around it.
"I had a camera crew come to my Pro Day, film it and put it on YouTube," Harvey said. "I went on a limb and put my own personal information out there. I even put my cell phone number out there just to show how sincere I was about working hard and everything like that."
Now Harvey didn't necessarily need to post the video on-line; he found other ways to make contacts in the NFL -- including with the Panthers.
"Actually, I went to the University of Maryland's Pro Day -- I didn't work out there -- and I ran into (director of college scouting) Don Gregory and (scout) Jeff Beathard," They followed up on me a little bit in my earlier years of college. I would say it was a great circumstance that I ran into them there because we exchanged information.
"From there I got a private workout set up, and I guess I did well enough at my private workout, so they gave me a call on draft day -- the best day of my life."
Harvey's size is enough to draw attention as a potential run-stuffer and hole-clogger; he was listed at 345 pounds during his senior season at Morgan State. But a month after the season, he was carrying 370 pounds on his 6-foot-4 frame.
"That was the biggest I'd ever been in my life," Harvey said.
NFL teams like defensive tackles who can fill space -- but not that much space. So before he could consider putting a workout on the Internet, he had to shed pounds -- fast. Weight loss and preparation for workouts had to become a full-time job if he was to stand any chance of being on an NFL roster.
"I took the semester off," Harvey said. "I realized that if I want to get to the NFL, I have to make a sacrifice. The sacrifice was to leave school to be able to work out and prepare for the biggest journey of my life."
Carbohydrates were out, so Harvey bid farewell to the chicken sandwiches he loved. Large meals were off the table, as well, replaced by a regimen that gave him protein in concentrated, small doses.
"You know how some people say, 'Eat six small meals throughout the day'? Well, I'm eating three small meals throughout the day," Harvey said. "My last meal is at five o'clock, and that's a can of tuna with mustard in it."
In less than three months of dieting and three cardiovascular workouts a day, Harvey shed 28 pounds.
"I didn't go to a big training facility to get ready for Pro Day. It was a friend of mine, Jason Murphy, who plays for the Tennessee Titans. Me, him and one of his friends helped and worked with me. They got my strength and conditioning levels up, as well as my footwork for the position drills.
"It was pretty much me grinding, working hard and not having the things a lot of other players were blessed and privileged to have.
"I'm not trying to have a pity party or anything, but I just took advantage of what I had and made the best of it."
Which explains why he posted his video on YouTube, why he looked at his four years at Morgan State as the start of a lifetime of opportunities, and why he wants to drop seven more pounds before training camp begins.
"Up until this point, it's panned out," Harvey said. "But I'm a free agent, so I've got to make sure I don't get cut. My goal is to make the 53-man roster. I'm not playing for the practice squad. I want to play for the team and get my opportunity."
LONNIE HARVEY'S YOUTUBE LINKS:
