There’s always one.

Each year in the NFL Draft, there’s always one player who becomes what… There’s always one.

Each year in the NFL Draft, there’s always one player who becomes what experts call a ‘steal.’ This player is usually not the most hyped, nor the most talented player entering the Draft, but usually follows up a late-round selection with a stellar NFL career.

Former Pitt football player Derek Kinder has all the makings of a steal entering this year’s NFL Draft.

Some experts have said the 6-foot-1, 210-pound receiver doesn’t have the body to last in the NFL. Others doubt the 2006 Biletnikoff Award semifinalist’s knee is fully recovered from an ACL tear back in 2007.

‘I feel like sometimes even though [my knee] could still be 100 percent, teams still could have that in the back of their minds,’ said Kinder. ‘And if there’s a borderline decision between two players, they could hold that against me. Hopefully it won’t come down to that.’

But plenty have come before him who have endured similar criticism. What’s more, Kinder draws comparisons to these same players.

‘Besides being a tremendous receiver, he does some things that a lot of other receivers don’t do, and that is block downfield,’ said Chase Callahan, director of marketing at Kinder’s agency, Rep1 Sports. ‘He’s very aggressive in the run-blocking, and we’ve heard comparisons to Hines Ward for Derek. That’s what you don’t see from a lot of the first- and second-round receivers right now.’

Besides playing on the same field as Ward does with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kinder is experiencing what the Super Bowl XL MVP felt when he entered the 1998 NFL Draft.

Ward was a third-round selection, despite amassing the second most all-purpose yards in Georgia Bulldogs history at 3,870. Ward was critiqued the same way Kinder is now, with SI.com claiming Ward, ‘Is a great athlete, but may need some refinement at wide receiver.’

It seems that teams are taking notice despite the negative criticism.

Just this past week, Kinder said he met with the Chicago Bears for a tour of the facilities and a sit-down meeting with general manager Jerry Angelo and coach Lovie Smith. Kinder added that he, ‘got real good feedback from them.’ Kinder is scheduled to meet with the Cincinnati Bengals this week.

Interest is always good sign for Kinder, who knows that all it takes is one commitment to secure him a roster spot in the NFL.

‘With these trips, he can really make these teams fall in love with him,’ said Callahan. ‘All it takes is one team to like you, and that’s all you need.’

The Bears might be especially interested. It wasn’t too long ago they selected wide receiver Bernard Berrian out of Fresno State in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. Berrian was projected to be a first-round pick prior to his junior season in 2002 when he blew out his knee. The injury, coupled with the departure of quarterback David Carr, led to his stumble on most teams’ Draft boards.

But not the Bears, who grabbed a fully-recovered Berrian and thought they found a productive player much to some other teams’ doubts.

They were right, as Berrian immediately stepped into a starting role and has grabbed more than 50 passes in each of his three seasons in the league.

Kinder may be their chance to strike gold again with a late-round wide receiver pick. But Kinder, much like many potential draftees, doesn’t really have a clue where he’s going to end up.

‘I feel like it’s really up in the air, and I could go anywhere on the second day,’ said Kinder. ‘I’ve heard as high as four and as low as seven. I feel like it’s all a crap-shoot now.’

It’s disheartening, especially for Kinder, who just recently returned home from San Diego, Calif., after training since the end of Pitt football’s season in December.

Callahan and the rest of Rep1 Sports put Kinder, who has already graduated from Pitt, on a diet and put him through drills every day.

‘Derek’s been out [in San Diego] working with a personal strength coach, a speed coach and a nutritionist,’ said Callahan. ‘He was with about eight other guys out here training for the pro day or the combine.’

Those other guys include running back Javon Ringer from Michigan State, quarterback Hunter Cantwell from Louisville and quarterback Chase Clement from Rice.

Now, Kinder is focused on lifting to maintain his weight, running routes and fighting off the pre-Draft nerves.

‘I feel like the common fan doesn’t know how much really goes into this,’ said Kinder. ‘There’s a lot of stress that goes into it and a lot of mind games being played by teams. It’s fun at times, and I get anxious at times. I just want to know where I’m going to be at and move on to my next goal in life, which is playing in the NFL.’

It’s something that ever since he was a child he’s dreamed of doing. Fittingly, Kinder will sit through his final moments of angst with his family back in his home in upstate New York.

‘It will be a real memorable moment,’ said Kinder, ‘To have the opportunity to get in the NFL is really an honor.’

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