Von der Ahe Surprised When Colts Draft Him

Scott von der Ahe was a bit surprised when the Indianapolis Colts made him their sixth-round choice during the NFL draft last weekend.

“I didn’t talk to the Colts much before,” said the former Mission Viejo High and Saddleback College standout, who played linebacker at Arizona State. “I talked to a lot of other teams--including the Cowboys, the Eagles and Jets--but I didn’t know that the Colts needed linebackers.”

Von der Ahe was one of five former county players selected by NFL teams. Tight end Tony Gonzalez (Huntington Beach High) and quarterback Pat Barnes (Trabuco Hills), who both played at California, were selected by the Kansas City Chiefs. Matt Keneley (Mission Viejo), a defensive lineman at USC, was picked by the New York Giants. And fullback Nicky Sualua (Mater Dei), who attended Ohio State but sat out last season because of academic problems, was picked up by Dallas.

The 6-0, 250-pound von der Ahe, who had hoped he might go higher than the sixth round, said he was ready to play outside or inside linebacker for the Colts. “They said I might need to learn both inside and outside linebacker. That’s OK, I’ve played both before.”