Rice sophomore utility back James Casey, who famously manned seven positions in one game as a freshman, announced Monday that he'll forgo his final two seasons of eligibility and enter the NFL Draft.Casey, 24, signed with Rice in January 2007 after spending four seasons playing professional baseball. He was a seventh-round selection of the Chicago White Sox out of Azle High School in 2003, but retired in 2006 and shopped around for a program where he could revive his football career. Casey joined the Owls as a free safety but spent his first spring practices working at defensive end before later shifting to offense.
"It's really just speculation, but I've heard anywhere from like the second to fourth round," Casey said of his draft stock. "I didn't really put too much weight on that because I am an underclassmen and a lot of stuff goes into the draft as far as the combine. Just being older, I'm excited about it and ready to get started.
"Some teams might see me as a tight end or an H-back, but that's just each individual team. Some of them might have in mind what they might like, but that's out of my control so I'm going to keep working hard."
Rice coach David Bailiff utilized Casey in multiple roles in 2007, going so far as to play him at seven different positions against Southern Miss. As the season progressed, it became obvious that Casey had promise as a receiver, and he finished the year posting 46 receptions for 585 yards and four touchdowns.
Casey (6-4, 235) also played quarterback in short-yardage situations, a role he reprised as a sophomore. However, Casey made his greatest contributions as a hybrid tight end, setting a Conference USA single-season record for receptions (111) while also breaking the school mark for receiving yards with 1,329. Casey posted 13 touchdown receptions, rushed for six touchdowns, and passed for two additional scores.
"He is the greatest player I've ever been around because of what he can do at so many positions offensively (and) what he did for us a year ago defensively," Bailiff said of Casey. "Then to go pick up a javelin and score points for the track team, he looked like that guy in 300. He's the most amazing all-around athlete, but he's a true student-athlete too. When you see what he does in the classroom, he is the total package."