Cody Fajardo kept the list ready in college.
While at Nevada, the four-year starting quarterback remembered the schools that snubbed him during recruiting when he was coming out of Servite High. He made it a personal challenge to play well against those teams to prove they made a mistake.
“I got a lot of teams to say, ‘I don’t know why we didn’t we recruit you,’” he recalled.
Fajardo might start another list Saturday during the NFL draft, though he hopes it doesn’t grow too long. His dream is to be drafted but he’s entering the weekend with guarded optimism.
A draft party in Orange County, for example, is pending the outcome.
Fajardo’s prospects generate mixed reviews. His closest football supporters believe he will get drafted in rounds 4-7 on Saturday while draft analyst Matt Miller of Bleacher Report said he won’t be drafted and instead become a “priority free agent.” The NFL.com mock draft also didn’t list Fajardo but NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah projects him as a seventh round pick.
But this much is certain: Fajardo’s underdog story, which includes a strong sense of faith, will continue beyond this weekend. The lightly recruited high school senior, who in 2009 helped Servite beat Mater Dei for the first time since 1988, is now eager to prove himself one more time.
“When I watch the draft, all the teams that do pass me, I may just write them down and when we do play against them, (I’ll) just kind of feel a little better afterward,” he said. “The more people that doubt me, the more fire it just lights underneath me.”
TRAINING TIME
Fajardo’s desire to succeed in the NFL quickly surfaced after his senior season at Nevada.
He spent January and most of February training under the tutelage of quarterback guru Bill Cunerty and the EXOS training program run out of StubHub Center in Carson.
Cunerty, the former Saddleback College football coach, has prepped quarterbacks for the NFL Scouting Combine for the past 13 years. One of his ex-students is Stanford product Andrew Luck, now with the Colts.
Cunerty trained Fajardo and fellow quarterback prospect Brett Hundley of UCLA this year. The day-long sessions focused on technique and film sessions in a classroom setting.
Fajardo operated from the shotgun in the pistol offense at Nevada, so his footwork on drops under center has been a focus. Cunerty also emphasized the ability to verbalize defensive reads.
Cunerty emerged from the sessions impressed with Fajardo.
“The work ethic is Cody’s ace in the hole,” he said. “No one is going to outwork him.”
Fajardo also trained with Orange County’s Steve Calhoun, another noted private quarterback coach who has worked with NFL passers such as EJ Manuel of the Bills and Nick Foles of the Rams.
Calhoun ran Fajardo’s pro day at Nevada that attracted about a dozen professional scouts, including one from Canada. Fajardo also interviewed with about 25 teams at the combine and performed a private workout for the Eagles before they signed Tim Tebow.
“I’m pretty anxious, pretty excited,” Fajardo said of the draft. “The hardest part about it is that I have no idea what’s going to go on. I put my best foot forward. I felt I performed well at the combine, helped myself at the pro day.”
Calhoun said Fajardo showed a strong and accurate arm at his pro day and good footwork under center.
“He answered all the questions they (scouts) had,” Calhoun said. “He reminds me a lot of Russell Wilson.”
Fajardo’s speed certainly helps in those comparisons. He clocked a 4.63 in the 40-yard dash at the combine in February, tying Hundley for fourth-fastest among quarterbacks.
Fajardo used his speed to rush for 3,482 career yards and 44 TDs at Nevada but also passed for another 9,659 yards and 57 TDs. Those numbers aren’t too far off Colin Kaepernick’s production at Nevada. The 49ers quarterback was a senior at Nevada when Fajardo redshirted.
Fajardo even hired the same agent as Kaepernick, Jason Bernstein.
“His success in the NFL has really helped me draw interest from other teams,” Fajardo said of Kaepernick. “(Teams) can see that guys can transition from Nevada, playing in the pistol offense.”
Miller said he believes Fajardo won’t be drafted partially because of his size (6-foot-1 1/2, 223 pounds) and passing abilities. But Cunerty praised Fajardo’s throwing technique and readiness for the sometimes-chaotic nature of playing quarterback in the NFL.
“Cody is not a kid who panics,” Cunerty said. “He’s a tough guy.”
KEEP THE FAITH
For all his preparation for the NFL draft, Fajardo can’t be defined by football. The first word on his Twitter bio provides a clue: Catholic.
Fajardo, 23, said his Catholic faith continued to grow while at Nevada. He helped organize pregame masses for the football team, began speaking with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and recently shared his faith with church groups in Reno and Sparks, Nev.
The path, he said, was laid for him at Servite.
“They shaped my faith,” he said. “The one thing I would love to do is come back and coach at Servite.”
Fajardo said his talks to church groups focus on maintaining faith during adversity and avoiding negative opinions on social media.
“I learned to stay off social media and just go through my text messages because those are the people who will support you,” he said.
When it comes to the NFL draft this weekend, Fajardo will follow players from the small schools or lower-profile conferences.
“I always root for the underdog,” he said. “That’s kind of who I am.”
Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com
