Luis Castillo from Northwestern to the NFL

Malafama

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Mar 17, 2005
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Luis Castillo is the first Dominican to be drafted 1st round pick on the NFL Draft. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers and seems to be a promise.. I got the following information from the Chargers' site... Big year for Dominicans in Pro-sports besides Baseball.

Luis became only the fourth player in school history to earn both All-American and Academic All-American honors in the same season. The Northwestern coaching staff says he is as good as any other defensive linemen in the Big Ten Conference, citing Castillo?s unlimited potential, great work ethic, tremendous attitude and good strength level. Luis immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic as a child, settling in Garfield, New Jersey with his mother, Maria.
Luis was a Super Prep All-American selection as a defensive tackle at Garfield (N.J.) High School, where he added team MVP honors after recording 89 tackles with eight sacks and five forced fumbles as a senior. He also excelled in wrestling and was listed as the state?s top heavyweight. He is a very intelligent athlete who garnered academic honors throughout his prep and collegiate career.

Castillo, a three-time Academic All-District choice was nominated for National Football Foundation scholar-athlete accolades. He was also rated the third-best defensive line prospect in New Jersey by the McCarthy Report. The team captain finished his prep career with 159 tackles and 18 sacks as he earned eight letters (three--football, three--track, two--wrestling). He was also the state's top-ranked heavyweight wrestler, member of the Math Honor Society, National Honor Society and the Honor Roll.

Castillo played in five games as a freshman for Northwestern in 2001. He finished the year with 22 tackles (13 solos) and four stops for losses. Luis totaled a career-high 84 tackles (31 solos) as a sophomore in 2002.

In 2003, the Academic All-Big Ten Conference choice produced 70 tackles (38 solos) with 2.5 sacks, 6.5 stops for losses and six pressures from the left tackle position. He shifted to right tackle in 2004, registering 75 tackles (51 solos) with a pair of sacks, 8.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and five pressures.

He closed out his career with Academic All-American honors from ESPN, All-American first-team accolades from Pro Football Weekly and was a second-team All-Big Ten Conference pick on the field. In 42 games for the Wildcats, he produced 251 tackles (133 solos) with 4.5 sacks for minus19 yards, 19.5 stops for losses of 51 yards and eleven quarterback pressures. He also deflected five passes, blocked a kick, caused a fumble and recovered another.