His acrobatic catches, sure hands and blocking made him an indispensable part of the Buckeye offense last season and we knew he make an impact at the next level. As we all sat and watched the 2011 NFL Draft, as we watched other Buckeyes be taken off the board, we figured that Dane would be taken at some point, and would be a steal for any team. That didn't happen. I was confused as to why, there are plenty of teams lacking at wide reciever who could have used someone like Dane - reliable, smart, with sure hands and speed. He's not the fastest in the stable, but as hard as he works, I didn't understand why no one took a chance.
The Bear's eventually did take a chance and brought him into training camp after the lock-out ended...and I bet they are glad they did! Coach Lovie Smith has been impressed with Dane since Day 1 and Dane has made it easy to be noticed. He has had a solid pre-season and looks to improve with more experience and playing time.
He is a role player, he will play any role, on any team that needs to be played. This along with a great attitude will keep him in the league for years to come. I know it is way to early for this kind of talk but if he stays healthy and gets within the right offense, maybe some day he will join other Buckeyes in the Hall of Fame in Canton.
Everyone else seems to be surprised his skills, but we knew about them all along!
