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Lankster quick to learn, too: Trouble with the law behind; NFL ahead
(The Dominion Post in Morgantown (WV) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jan. 23--MOBILE, Ala. -- It's a part of his past that Ellis Lankster knows he can't avoid.
And he doesn't seem to mind discussing it, which is a good thing because, as he prepares to play in Saturday's Senior Bowl, NFL teams are asking him about it.
"Every team does," the former WVU cornerback said.
Early on Aug. 19, 2007, Lankster and current WVU linebacker J.T. Thomas were at a party on University Avenue and left with a Dell laptop. After students reported the incident, police pulled over Thomas and Lankster and ultimately charged them with receiving and transferring stolen property.
Senior Bowl week gives NFL teams a rare up close and personal view of many prospects for the NFL draft. Scouts and coaches question and interview them, searching into their pasts and trying to get a peek at how they conduct themselves.
Lankster wants to show teams he's learned from his mistakes. He does so by taking a straightforward approach.
"I just tell them the truth," Lankster said. "Me and J.T. Thomas was at a party, we left the party and went to McDonald's. I had dropped off J.T. at McDonald's, and he had bought a stolen laptop. The police pulled us over and charged us with stolen property. ... The NFL teams have said, 'OK, have you learned from that?' and I tell them, 'Yes.' They are straight about it. The NFL teams say everybody makes a mistake once."
Lankster and Thomas were suspended from the team for a month by then-WVU coach Rich Rodriguez. Both entered pretrial diversion agreements.
Although Lankster maintains he didn't steal anything directly, he's learned to be smarter about where he goes and what he does.
"It was a big wake-up call," Lankster said. "It's made me make smarter decisions on everything I do; be smart about it all."
The situation occurred in Lankster's first year in Morgantown, after he had played at Jones County (Miss.) Junior College.
"I think it matured him a whole lot, and made him more focused on what he wants," said Sayinka Jackson, Lankster's mother. "Even before then, he was focused, but he realized how something that could happen so fast could change his life."
Lankster began to make those changes. He finished this past season as WVU's third-leading tackler (68) and tied for first in interceptions (three) and pass breakups (seven). (Thomas, also reinstated to the team, was right behind in tackles, with 65, and a team-high 10 sacks.)
Now, Lankster, from nearby Whistler, Ala., is back in Mobile, trying to impress NFL teams as his friends and family cheer him on.
The excitement came back
Following the South team's first Senior Bowl practice, Sayinka called for WVU coach Bill Stewart until he heard her voice.
She told him who she was, gave him a drawn-out hug and asked for his autograph, and lightly spoke into his ear.
"Coach Stew brought a life back into Ellis," Sayinka said. "He was excited once coach Stew took over, and he really got the excitement back in him. He talked to Ellis and let him know what he needed to do and how he needed to do it."
That's been Lankster's history, as his high school, junior college and WVU coaches all left within his first year on the team.
"He's always jelled with those second coaches," Sayinka said. "I just love all three of them to death. That was the first time I really had to meet coach Stewart, and I just needed to talk to him."
The year before had been frustrating for Lankster, both on and off the field, as he served as a backup following the suspension. Before his senior season, Lankster wasn't on NFL teams' radars, and he gives cornerbacks coach David Lockwood, who just finished his first year in Morgantown, a lot of credit for his maturation.
"He's the best position coach I ever had," Lankster said. "Basically, he helped me with my man-to-man technique and stances and backpedaling and things like that. He helped me with all the small stuff I needed to work on."
Lankster describes his coaching as "strict," and Sayinka remembers how her son was at first taken aback by Lockwood's stern approach. She realized the coaching was making him better, and she says her son quickly responded and accepted his coaching.
Former WVU cornerbacks coach Tony Gibson "really didn't care what you did, but he still wanted you to make plays," Lankster said. "Coach Lockwood wanted you to make plays, but you were going to use his technique to make those plays. His technique is the best I've seen so far."
NFL scouts admit Lankster has grabbed their attention, and he really could benefit himself between this week and the NFL combine, next month. Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio, whose staff is in charge of the South team in the Senior Bowl, says Lankster has "shown some nice instincts. You can tell [he's] been a corner, [he's] been well coached and knows what he's doing."
Back home
After each South team's practice, most players mingle with media members and NFL scouts before darting to the team bus.
Lankster is almost always one of the last ones to get on the bus.
As soon as he's done his necessary interviews, Lankster goes over to the fence to meet with his mom, his stepfather, Billy Jackson, his uncle Curtis Lankster, his Vigor High football coach Kerry Stevenson, his girlfriend, Kimberly Bowie, and their son, Ellis Jr.
E.J., who turns 2 in March, runs around the field at Ladd-Peebles Stadium with his Spiderman hat and oversized gloves. Everyone chuckles. He throws his hands behind his back the way his father used to before coach Stevenson helped correct his form.
In fact, he's running on the same field where a proud 8-year-old Ellis was introduced as Mobile's NFL Punt, Pass and Kick competition winner.
"It's just very exciting," Sayinka said of the whole college-to-NFL process. "Ellis has always been very hyper and very athletic, all the way since he was 5. That's one of the reasons I put him on the field, because he was hyper and he had to burn it."
Lankster was always one of the best athletes from a neighborhood full of kids who played sports from morning to night. And one of the most competitive.
"When he was about 12 years old, one of the neighborhood girls was a senior and she had a scholarship at Auburn to run track. He raced her, and she beat him. He never forgot that," Curtis Lankster said with a laugh. "He came back as soon as he got fast and said, 'Do you want to race me now?' "
Many people in the Mobile area remember Lankster as a star running back for Vigor High. Stevenson is quick to point out the nine interceptions he had, in addition to the 5,000 all-purpose yards. Stevenson calls Lankster the best football player he's ever had, even if he isn't the most athletic one, from a school rich in football talent.
To show off its pride in what Lankster has accomplished, Vigor High is holding an "Ellis Lankster Day" today at the school.
"We put together a little film," Stevenson said. "When I was watching it in class, some of the kids said, 'Coach, is that on fast-forward?' That's how fast it looked like he was running."
Stevenson said he has no doubt Lankster will make it at the next level. Lankster, who came in this week at 5-foot-9, 191 pounds, says he's spoken to 10 or more NFL teams this week, including the Patriots, Panthers, Vikings, Jets and Chiefs.
"The teams already know I can play defense, they just want to see me run," said Lankster, who will get his chance at the combine.
"He will run good at the combine, probably a 4.4 or a 4.35" in the 40-yard dash, Stevenson said. "When he runs, they are going to be really impressed."
Lankster knows he has more work to do before draft day, and he's heard certain teams say they'd get him earlier in the draft, depending on his 40 time. After signing with agent Jason Fletcher, Lankster trained in Orlando, Fla., before arriving in Mobile.
"All I need is a chance to make it to minicamp," he said.
To see more of The Dominion Post or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dominionpost.com/.
Copyright (c) 2009, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.
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