Using past successes as a blueprint, ODU’s Zack Kuntz and Nick Saldiveri await NFL draft

NORFOLK — If, as expected, Old Dominion has at least two players picked in this week’s NFL draft, Monarchs head coach Ricky Rahne believes they’ll travel a road already mapped.

Seven active NFL players out of ODU are slated to earn more than $30 million over the next several seasons, according to player contract resource spotrac.com.

Others will dot NFL practice squads, earning handsome livings nonetheless as they wait on the sport’s fringes.

Tight end Zack Kuntz and offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri are projected by most experts as late-round picks in this week’s draft, which begins Thursday night and runs through Saturday. Rahne credits former ODU stars like quarterback Taylor Heinicke, wide receiver Zach Pascal, long snapper Rick Lovato and linebacker Oshane Ximines — all current NFL players who played under former Monarchs coach Bobby Wilder — with showing how it’s done.

“The way that our guys — and I say ‘our guys’ with an extreme deference to Coach Wilder and his staff — but our guys, Old Dominion guys, the way they handle themselves in the NFL, they’ve built a reputation of guys who go to work and work hard and are going to do things the right way,” Rahne said.

“They’ve done a great job.”

Old Dominion offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri participates in a drill during the school's pro day on March 24. He's ranked the 116th overall draft prospect by ESPN's Todd McShay. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot)

Rahne, a former offensive coordinator at Penn State, has sent players like offensive lineman Isaac Weaver and tight end Stone Smartt to the league from ODU as free agents.

No Monarchs player has been drafted since Ximines and receiver Travis Fulgham, the only draft picks in program history, were selections in 2019.

The 6-foot-7, 255-pound Kuntz had a strong showing at the NFL combine after missing about half of the 2022 season with a knee injury. His size and athleticism help him project as an NFL backup and potential future starter.

The 6-6, 315-pound Saldiveri wowed scouts at the prestigious Senior Bowl with his versatility and his ability to sustain blocks.

ESPN’s Todd McShay ranks Saldiveri 116th and Kuntz 138th overall among NFL draft prospects.

After ODU’s pro day last month, Saldiveri said the process of becoming an NFL player had just begun. He planned to work out for individual teams in advance of the draft.

If he’s picked, there’s mini-camp, organized team activities, training camp and an 18-week season, followed by, with any luck, the playoffs and the Super Bowl.

“And then that’s the first time you get to chill out a little bit,” Saldiveri said. “It takes time.”

It’s a problem Rahne hopes both players have.

“It’s been pretty well-documented that Zack and Nick have a pretty good chance of getting drafted, whenever that is,” Rahne said. “I’m excited for both of them. I think that’s awesome.”

Old Dominion tight end Zack Kuntz warms up during the school's pro day on March 24. He's projected as an NFL backup and potential future starter. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot)

Cornerback Tre Hawkins, offensive lineman Tyran Hunt, edge rusher Marcus Haynes, linebacker Ryan Henry, long snapper B.R. Hatcher and kicker Dominik Soos are among ODU’s former players hoping for free-agent deals after the draft.

Hawkins has been projected by some as a late-round pick. The rest are more likely to take less conventional paths, including, possibly, the Canadian Football League, U.S. Football League or XFL.

Hatcher is well aware of the plight of Lovato, a Super Bowl champion who worked in his family’s deli while waiting for his NFL shot. Hatcher said he’s willing to stay sharp for as long as it takes.

“Things take time,” Hatcher said. “If it’s not now, maybe it’ll be in a year. Maybe it’ll be in two years. I’m just going to keep my head down and keep going to work like I’ve always done.”

Rahne doesn’t expect Kuntz and Salvideri to be the Monarchs’ only new players in NFL camps this summer.

“I just think there’s a number of guys who are going to get chances,” Rahne said. “And then it’s like: What do they do with their opportunity when they get it?”

David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com. Twitter @DavidHallVP.

Draft schedule

(On ESPN, WVEC and NFL Network)

Round 1: 8 p.m. Thursday

Rounds 2-3: 7 p.m. Friday

Rounds 4-7: Noon Saturday

Top 10 picks

1. Carolina (from Chicago)

2. Houston

3. Arizona

4. Indianapolis

5. Seattle (from Denver)

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6. Detroit (from L.A. Rams)

7. Las Vegas

8. Atlanta

9. Chicago (from Carolina)

10. Philadelphia (from New Orleans)

Commanders’ first pick: No. 16

Inside: More draft coverage. Page 5