Bio: Giovanni Carmazzi

He might be the best story in the NFL draft, a fairy tale dream with a happy ending.

His name is Giovanni Carmazzi, the son of a high-school football coach. He played for his father and became a quarterback star at Jesuit High School in Sacramento.

Still, the big schools didn't notice. Oregon and Colorado State showed interest, but no one offered a scholarship. So Carmazzi stayed close to home and walked on at the University of Pacific.

After a year, Pacific dropped football and Carmazzi needed another college. The big schools stayed away again and he decided to play at the Division I-AA level.

Carmazzi narrowed his choices to Villanova, Montana State and Hofstra.

"I didn't even know where Hofstra was," Carmazzi said. "I'd never heard of it and when I went there for a visit, it snowed something like 12 feet. I couldn't believe it because I'd never seen snow like that before."

Still, Carmazzi chose Hofstra, located in Hempstead, N.Y., on Long Island.

In his second year, he passed for 3,554 yards, 27 touchdowns and was voted the I-AA Independent Player of the Year. In 1998, Carmazzi threw for 2,751 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Last year, he led Hofstra to an 11-2 record and its first playoff victory. He also had 3,200 passing yards and 25 touchdowns.

Along the way, Carmazzi earned a 3.9 grade-point average in business administration and became a Rhodes Scholar candidate.

But a career in business can wait. Carmazzi's dream is to play in the NFL and he has all of the necessary intangibles, including size (6-2 and 225 pounds), speed (4.75 time in 40 yards) and athleticsm (36 1/2-inch vertical jump).

But he doesn't have a big-name school on his resume.

"I know the NFL scouts don't take my film seriously because they say I put up those numbers in a passing offense against Division I-AA schools," Carmazzi said. "That's why things like the All-Star games and (NFL) combine are so important to me.

"Some guys don't take those things seriously, but I need to get the word out. I need to let people know who I am."