O’Laughlin Doing Self Promotion : Football: CSUN quarterback, nose guard Wilson fight long odds in draft as they try to impress a bevy of NFL scouts.

Like a party host awaiting the first knock on the door, J.J. O’Laughlin was more than a little skittish.

Two months ago, he scheduled a workout on the intramural field at UCLA, but this was no flag-football affair.

O’Laughlin, a two-year starter at quarterback for Cal State Northridge, was hoping to impress NFL scouts with his skills.

First, somebody had to show up. Finally, he spotted a few scouts on the horizon.

“At least it wasn’t a no-show,” cracked O’Laughlin, a senior transfer from Illinois who will graduate in three weeks. “I saw two or three guys, then seven or eight more behind them.”

O’Laughlin ended up working out before 10 scouts. A few days later, representatives from 13 teams turned up to watch another workout; six of the original 10 teams returned for another look.

O’Laughlin, who passed for 2,373 yards and 13 touchdowns last fall, is among hundreds of college players who will be stationed by the telephone this weekend as the NFL conducts its annual college draft. Teammate Oscar Wilson, who like O’Laughlin was selected a preseason NCAA Division I-AA All-American by College Football Preview Magazine, also is a possible late pick.

O’Laughlin has worked out for 22 teams. Wilson (6 feet 3, 290 pounds) has been doing likewise but has lost track of the scout count. Both were first-team All-American West Conference selections last fall.

The NFL draft has been trimmed from 12 to seven rounds. If neither player is selected--both are relative longshots--they hope to land free-agent contracts over the next few weeks.

“Signing a free-agent contact would be about the same as being drafted in the eighth through 12th rounds,” O’Laughlin said.

O’Laughlin (6-3, 200) has an outside chance of being selected. Scouts have told the Glendora High product that as many as 10 quarterbacks could be taken in the first four rounds.

“There’s supposed to be a lot of quantity but not a lot of quality,” said O’Laughlin, who called his chances of being picked “pretty slim.”

Then again, a couple of teams contacted O’Laughlin this week to verify his home number in case they decide to call. Not a bad sign.

Wilson, who created a large obstacle for offenses from the nose-guard position, led the team in sacks with seven and was fourth in total tackles with 55. In only two years at Northridge, Wilson moved into a tie for second place on the Matador sack list with 15.

Neither player was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, held during the winter in Indianapolis. Combine invitees typically include the top college prospects nationally. Players undergo a battery of mental and physical tests before representatives of every NFL team.

Instead, Wilson and O’Laughlin had to market their wares at individual workouts. At least the interest was there.

Wilson was a third-team selection to the Associated Press All-American team but nonetheless is taking a realistic tack.

“I’m probably more of a free-agent-type guy,” Wilson said, “but you never know.”