PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia airport terminal was lined with Eagles fans as first-round pick Andre Dillard touched down Friday. When the 6-foot-5, 315-pound specimen of an offensive tackle emerged from the jetway, sporting a fresh green Eagles cap atop his massive frame, cheers rang out and did not stop until Dillard was out of sight.
"I felt like some kind of superhero," he said.
He could be cast as one, with a size-speed combo rarely found on Earth. But this was no phone booth transformation. It took a seismic shift over time, and a lot of late-night snacking, for Dillard to turn from a self-described "wuss" into an elite NFL prospect.