Duke QB can thank two inventive teammates after Thursday's NFL draft
When Duke quarterback Daniel Jones broke his collarbone in the second game of the season back in September, there was a bit of panic about how successful the team would be with the star on the sideline.
"At that point our training staff was rushed, trying to figure out what to do," said Kevin Gehsmann, a linebacker who rode the bench for the Blue Devils.
That's when Hap Zarzour, Duke's head trainer, came looking for Gehsmann and his teammate Clark Bulleit.
"He knew we were into 3D printing and had the engineering experience," Gehsmann said. "He asked if there was something possible to create a pad."
So Bulleit and Gehsmann got to work.
"We had some of the background and some of the software knowledge, but it required learning softwares we were unfamiliar with," said Bulliet who was an offensive lineman for Duke who also saw very little playing time.
The guys worked with the injured quarterback to measure his shoulder and created nine different prototypes for pads that could protect him from further injury. They finally found one that worked.
It's a little bigger than an average wallet and fits just over the collarbone.
"There is an arch in the middle of this so nothing ever contacts his collarbone directly," said Bulliet. "So the pressure is transmitted to these two areas above and below his collarbone."
Jones tested the brace and felt comfortable enough to wear it in a game. He was able to return to the field much earlier than expected.
"Kevin and I both looked at each other for the first game he wore it and said, 'Wow, I've never been this nervous for a football game before,'" Bulliet said.
Jones went on to be named MVP of the Reese's Senior Bowl in January and is now getting ready for the NFL draft, which begins Thursday. He's expected to be a first-round draft pick and will likely sign a lucrative contract thanks, in part, to his teammates.
"This has been the best project ever because it was finally where we got to come out of the classroom and implement everything we learned for four years and all of the difficult math and all of the difficult physics and implement it to actually help our teammate," Bulliet said.
Bulleit is planning a career in medicine and Gehsmann in engineering, but they said there are companies interested in what they did to help Jones. So they could consider continuing to work with 3D printers in the future.
