Two players with local ties will have a chance to catch the eyes of NFL scouts today.

DeRidder native DeShazor Everett, a Texas A&M defensive back, and McNeese State offensive lineman Antoine Everett — no relation — will play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

The game kicks off at 3 p.m. today in Carson, California, and will air on ESPN2.

Both players are on the roster of the American team, which is coached by former Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren.

The 6-foot-5, 325-pound Everett was McNeese’s Football Championship Subdivision all-American left tackle, but is listed as one of four offensive guards on the American roster.

DeShazor Everett is one of five Texas A&M players in the game. He started every game at cornerback for the Aggies and finished second on the team with 73 tackles this season. He had three defensive touchdowns in his career, returning a pair as a junior and one as a sophomore.

Everett’s most well-known feat in Aggies hearts was a goal-line interception of Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron that sealed A&M’s 29-24 win in 2012.

The Collegiate Bowl provides a chance for seniors not invited to the East-West Shrine Game or the Senior Bowl to showcase their talent. This season, 27 players from the Collegiate Bowl were on NFL active rosters on opening day, and another 17 were on practice squads.

McNeese wide receiver Diontae Spencer caught a touchdown pass in the 2014 Collegiate Bowl and spent training camp with the St. Louis Rams. Spencer recently signed a contract with the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts.

(American Press Archives)

Kirk Meche