Mar 3, 2017 5 min read

INDIANAPOLIS – When Scott Orndoff takes the field today at Lucas Oil Stadium with the rest of the tight ends at the NFL Draft Combine, he’ll do so with a bittersweet thought in his mind.

Later in the day, he and his parents, Scott and Beverly, will drive back home to Waynesburg in what could be a final family football road trip.

What comes next for the promising tight end could take him to Seattle, Houston or some other far-away city to continue his dream of playing in the NFL.

For a family that gave up so much for their son to chase that dream, the real journey might only be beginning.

“I’ll go wherever this process takes me. I’ll be on the first flight out,” Scott Orndoff said Friday. “I’m excited. It doesn’t matter where I go. I’ll give it everything I have, no matter where in the country I end up. I have my support system back home. They’re excited. I’m excited for this process. Wherever I end up going, it will be a blessing for me.”

The younger Orndoff completed his final season of football at Pitt, where he had a productive senior season catching 35 passes for 579 yards and five touchdowns. His 16.5-yards-per-catch average was something typically seen from wide receivers, not a 6-5, 253-pound tight end.

NFL teams took notice. Orndoff was invited to play in the East-West Shrine Game in December. He performed well enough there to get the invitation to the combine.

Next up is waiting on that call to break a long streak for Greene County. No Waynesburg native has been selected in the draft since Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Bill George was taken in the second round in 1951 by the Chicago Bears.

Orndoff, who already has earned his degree at Pitt in administration of justice, also would be the first person from Greene County drafted by an NFL team since Joe Taffoni of Carmichaels was picked by Cleveland in the fourth round in 1967.

“It’s been a long time. There was a rich football history before,” said the 23-year-old Orndoff. “But in terms of college and going professional, it’s been a while.”

That puts a little more pressure on his broad shoulders.

“Yeah, but I’m just a kid from Waynesburg and I’m doing what I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid,” Orndoff said. “I wanted to be a football player from the time even before I started playing the game. The whole process is crazy. I can’t believe it’s really happening to me.”

His father had a stellar career at West Greene before heading to California University and then on to the USFL, where he played for the Philadelphia Stars and Washington Federals before returning to Greene County, where he coached football at Waynesburg High School, first as an assistant, then as the Raiders’ head coach.

The younger Orndoff grew up around football and cut his teeth around some of the school’s great teams, including the Raiders’ 1999 WPIAL championship team that included quarterback Lee Fritz and running back Lanfer Simpson.

“Lee Fritz, he was my hero,” Orndoff said. “When I was a little kid, I wore No. 4 because of him. My dad was an assistant coach on that team. I was probably five or six years old, but those guys were my heroes.”

But he wasn’t meant to follow in their footsteps for the Raiders. When it came time to go to high school, Orndoff chose Seton-La Salle, an hour drive from his home.

He would get up at 4:30 a.m. his freshman year to make the trek. Then, he and his father got an apartment in Mt. Lebanon, living there during the week and returning to the family’s home on weekends.

“It didn’t come easy,” Orndoff said of the decision to go to Seton-La Salle. “There were a lot of conversations with my parents, because they made a lot of sacrifices to get me there. I had to wake up early in the morning just to get to school my freshman year. It was a tough decision, but at the same time it was easy. I knew that it was in my best interests, my parents knew that it was in my best interests. It definitely paid off.”

How much so, he’ll find out when the NFL draft is held April 27-29.

Orndoff has a mid- to late-round draft grade. Tight ends who can both block and catch are valued more by some teams than others.

Orndoff, who grew up a fan of Heath Miller, met with Steelers tight ends coach James Daniels this week – one of the 20-plus interviews he had with teams – and knows a good showing in today’s workouts can improve his draft stock. Orndorff spent the past two months working out in Tampa, Fla., at ASPI Training.

“The tight end position has evolved,” Orndoff said. “It used to be either blockers or complete tight ends. Now, there’s so many great receiving tight ends. There’s also a lot of good blocking tight ends. I’d like to think I’m able to hone my skills enough to be a complete tight end, a third-down tight end like you’d see in the past.”

A good showing could make for a nice six-hour drive home tonight with plenty to talk about.

“The more this process goes on, the more it does hit me,” Orndoff said of the prospect of getting drafted. “I didn’t even start thinking about all this stuff, the combine, until my senior season and it became real.

“I used to watch this every year as a kid, just watching these events. To be here, it’s awesome for me, it’s awesome for my family. I’m just really happy. I know they’ll all really proud of me to be here. It’s exciting.”