Senior Kacyvenski Picked in Fourth Round of NFL Draft

Many Harvard students end up in Seattle after graduation--but senior Isaiah Kacyvenski isn't going for the usual Internet ventures and start-ups.

His industry: professional football.

With the 25th pick of the fourth round--119th overall--the Seattle Seahawks took Kacyvenski, Harvard's all-time leading tackler, a three-time All-Ivy First Teamer and the first player to start all 40 games of a Crimson football career.

Kacyvenski simply dominated on his level and drew the attention of scouts throughout the season. Yesterday, his years of effort were rewarded, and his dream fulfilled.

"I'm so psyched right now," Kacyvenski said. "I watched for about nine and a half hours [Saturday, the first day of the draft]. My eyes were falling off, I had never watched that much TV in my life."

The pick was somewhat surprising because Seattle had not shown much interest leading up to the draft.

However, Kacyvenski will be going to a team that went 9-7 last year, has a need at middle linebacker, and has a Super Bowl-winning coach in Mike Holmgren.

"The Bengals called before draft started around 10:30 a.m. yesterday, and they had the third pick at start of fourth round," Kacyvenski said. "The linebacker coach said 'I'm pulling for you, and if we don't get you now, we'll get you next round.'"

However, the real call was much more exciting.

"A guy from the Seahawks called, and he said, 'I just want to see how you're doing.'" Kacyvenski said. "He asked about everything, high school football, and he says, 'Are you a little nervous? You been watching the draft?' And I'm thinking, 'Why doesn't this guy cut to the chase?' "

"Everyone was over, and I couldn't hear anything, so I was outside," he continued. "And he says, 'Look at the TV right about now,' and right when I opened the door, everyone erupted."

"Everyone went crazy, and he was laughing pretty hard at my reaction," Kacyvenski said. "He said that they had had some excited people, but we were the most excited of all."

Kacyvenski had about 20 people over at his house in Endicott, N.Y., during the day, and he had to deal with media the entire day, including an nfl.com chat and a conference call with the Seattle media--many of whom must have been wondering, "Who is this guy?"

If they had been following Harvard football for the past four years, they would have known that Kacyvenski started from the first game his freshman year. He called the defensive signals as a freshman, and worked hard every year to improve.

Kacyvenski said Seattle had a "poker face" leading up to the draft, with the only real contact coming during a psychological interview at the Blue-Gray game. He had been flown out to Green Bay and Cincinnati and visited the Patriots and said he thought he would be drafted by one of those teams.

"As for the system and everything, I don't know too much about it, but I'm excited about getting the opportunity to do this, I'm excited to play football, and I'm living a dream," he said. "I know it's going to work, but it's fun, and I'll be excited every day."

Although going to Seattle was a surprise, Kacyvenski said he expected to go around the area he did, in the fourth or fifth round, based on his conversation with teams leading up to the draft.

"But I was going to be happy with anything," he said. "I wanted a shot, and I'm getting a shot."

Yesterday was the culmination of a long evaluation process for Kacyvenski, who underwent incredible scrutiny. He endured the disappointment and disadvantage of not being invited to the scouting combine, the most important chance for scouts and general managers to test and meet potential draftees.

"I was pretty disappointed in not going to the combine, but that made me work that much harder to get my name out there and get teams to notice me," he said. "The Blue-Gray game ( a college all-star game) helped a lot."

Pro Football Weekly listed as one of Kacyvenski's negatives--as it did for the last Harvard draftee, offensive lineman Matt Birk, a sixth-round pick two years ago--that Kacyvenski "has excellent off-the-field options." Yet he was able to shake the Ivy League stereotypes and now will be competing at the highest level of football.

"All I wanted to do was play football; I had no other options," he said. "I had to show them I'm not some preppy Ivy League kid; that's not me. I just wanted them to get to know me, and I'm glad I got that across to them."

From here, Kacyvenski goes to minicamp in two weeks. After that, he comes back to Harvard and graduates, then will be back in Seattle for the whole summer, doing his best to earn a roster spot.

"He'll make the roster," said Brad Blank, Kacyvenski's agent. "It's interesting, I read in his Boston Globe interview that he had always dreamed of attending Notre Dame and playing football, and I reminded him today that he went higher than any Notre Dame player."

Notre Dame quarterback Jarious Jackson, the first Fighting Irish player taken, went in the seventh round.

Kacyvenski is now the highest Harvard player drafted ever. Blank did some quick over-the-phone calculations, and he said that based on previous contracts, most fourth-rounders get a six-figure signing bonus.

Although football contracts are not guaranteed, a three-year deal would gross a million dollars, as long as he kept making the roster.

"The one thing I never thought of football is as money, although I guess it comes along with it," Kacyvenski said. "Obviously it's good for me and my family, and hopefully we won't have to worry about money. Money is not something big, it doesn't matter if we have it or if we don't. Growing up without it made me realize it's not that important. I don't like to use the words 'football' and 'money' in the same sentence, I love football because football's football."

Kacyvenski returns to school today to finish up his degree in Environmental Science and Public Policy. He might be the only NFL draft pick who spent last summer working in a research lab and who is pre-med.

"I'm looking to go to Seattle, and whatever they want me to do, I'll be happy to do," he said. "Special teams, back-up, starting, whatever. I'm ready to take whatever role and play my ass off. I can't wait to get going. But I have a paper due Wednesday."