How Parkwood High’s Nick Saldiveri overcame several obstacles on his way to NFL Draft

Nick Saldiveri was never handed anything but size.

When Saldiveri was two years old, his father passed away suddenly. He couldn’t play football until he was in middle school because he was bigger than the kids three years older than him when he was in elementary school.

When he got to high school, Saldiveri was a standout on a lowly Parkwood High football squad that struggled to gain college scouts’ attention amid on-field struggles. And even after he earned a Division I scholarship to Old Dominion, Saldiveri played for a squad that won 14 games in his four seasons, and he had to sit out the entire 2020 campaign while the program shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But now, the 6-foot-6, 318-pound lineman from Waxhaw is on the cusp of something special. Projected as a mid-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft, Saldiveri could be the first Packwood High alum to enter the league as a draft selection.

“Every day, I’m trying to represent Parkwood High School in a good manner, Waxhaw, North Carolina in a good manner, and Old Dominion University in a good manner,” Saldiveri said. “And that’s kind of just how I carry myself.”

As Saldiveri attempts to shine a bright light on the places that matter most to him, the NFL prospect and those close to him are able to look back on his journey and smile. Saldiveri’s path to get here wasn’t easy, but those who know him best believe his success stems from his maturity, loyalty and versatility on the football field.

Humble beginnings

In January, former Parkwood High School head coach Lynn Coble received a phone call from Saldiveri. Coble — who coached Saldiveri during his first three years of high school — was excited to hear from his former pupil.

“He called me out of the blue,” Coble said. “And basically, the gist of his call was just thanking me for being a leader to him and being someone that he could look to as a young man in high school. … I’ve coached for 30 years, and I had never had anyone just reach out like that.

“That just kind of, to me, is the epitome of who he is. And I think it is a large part of why he’s been so successful, because he’s very humble. He’s very appreciative of anyone that has helped him and has worked with him.”

Saldiveri was a work-in-progress when Coble first met him.

The young lineman waited until he was 11 to play football because his height and weight put him dramatically outside of his age range for Pop Warner. His mother, Jennifer Townsend, was reluctant to put an elementary school student on the field with eighth grade boys.

When Saldiveri entered middle school competition, he dominated because of his size. However, he didn’t get a true feel for the game until around eighth grade. Saldiveri then arrived at Parkwood High as a freshman due to redistricting.

While Coble recalls some students struggling with the change in scenery, Saldiveri went with the flow.

“He didn’t come in with a chip on his shoulder because he had to change schools,” Coble said. “He made himself at home, he made himself a leader. And you would have never known that anything had changed in his world.”

Saldiveri credits his mom with teaching him how to handle adversity.

Townsend, his mother, worked two jobs to support Saldiveri and his older half-brother, Jakob Brogdon, following the sudden death of Saldiveri’s father, Steve. She then moved the family from South Florida to North Carolina when Saldiveri was seven, and took on side jobs — along with her full-time job at a doctor’s office in Mooresville — to provide for the boys.

“I think I definitely got my resiliency from her, for sure,” Saldiveri said.

Along with resiliency, Coble credits Townsend with developing Saldiveri’s maturity and focus.

“There was never any question about Nick being a practice (or) Nick doing the things that needed to be done — Nick doing his schoolwork,” Coble said. “She was on top of everything, she got him where he needed to be. She supported him in every way.”

In the grand scheme of things, going to a high school a bit further down the road wasn’t much of a hardship.

However, Parkwood High’s lack of football success — a 13-22 record during Saldiveri’s three varsity seasons — could have been crippling to his college and NFL aspirations.

But luckily for Saldiveri, then-Old Dominion wide receivers coach Arick Forrest noticed him on a scouting service’s prospect list while on the recruiting trail in North Carolina.

“His size jumped out right away — it’s kind of hard to hide Nick on the field,” Forrest said. “Not just his height, but that big body that we’re looking for, that Division I body, and then I started doing some research. In Union County, I spent a lot of time at Sun Valley in Monroe and those schools and started seeing him popping up on crossover tape when watching other guys at those schools.”

Saldiveri’s maturity stood out immediately upon their first meeting, according to Forrest. The coach felt like he was recruiting an adult instead of a high school junior.

Then-Old Dominion head coach Bobby Wilder also took a trip to visit the young lineman, and he was blown away by how personable Saldiveri was in their meeting.

“Talking to a quarterback is very easy,” Wilder said. “Talking to a skill (player), they’re very confident. Generally when you talk to big guys they’re just not as competent. They’re not as talkative. But Nick just made such a really good, strong impression on me right from that first conversation I had with him at his high school.”

Loyalty over luxury

When Saldiveri arrived on the Old Dominion campus in Norfolk, Virginia, he immediately impressed the coaching staff with his work ethic and intelligence, according to Wilder.

After redshirting his first year, Saldiveri became a full-time starter at right tackle in 2019. However, following a 1–11 season, Wilder resigned and was replaced by new head coach Ricky Rahne ahead of the 2020 campaign.

But as the Monarchs were preparing for their first season under Rahne, the coronavirus pandemic forced the school to shut down the football program for the year.

Despite the inactivity, Saldiveri stuck around.

“If I could describe him in any way, it would definitely be that he’s loyal, and if he has a goal, he is going to do what he can to see that that goal is completed,” said Katie Crews, Saldiveri’s girlfriend since high school. “And he’s very much a team player — he never leaves anyone behind. If someone’s having a bad day, he’s always there.”

Saldiveri returned for the 2021 season and continued to grow within the program. He was eventually named a team captain by his peers, an honor Saldiveri cherishes among his greatest football accomplishments.

Saldiveri then closed out his college career by not allowing a sack during his redshirt junior season.

“I think he’s got a great mentality for an offensive lineman,” Rahne said. “I think he knows that it’s constant improvement. You’re never going to be the perfect player, but you’re always going to be striving to be that. … I think, ultimately, it’s going to lead him to being successful for a very long time.”

According to both Saldiveri and Rahne, the lineman received interest from bigger programs during the past two years, but his loyalty remained with Old Dominion. While he could have joined a bigger school to improve his draft stock even further, he chose to finish his college career with the Monarchs.

Townsend, who preaches the importance of completing goals to her sons, was onboard with that decision.

“They believed in us from the beginning, and you started there, and they’ve been good to you — really good to you,” Townsend said. “And what’s the need to leave? I think you’ll be alright. Of course, it was his decision — and he agreed.”

‘He’s going to play 15 years in the NFL’

Saldiveri was invited to the country’s most notable college all-star game, the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, in January.

As a member of the American team, Saldiveri was asked to show off his versatility throughout the week, playing both guard and center. Saldiveri never played center in college, and he started just one game at right guard during his time with the Monarchs.

But like he has done with most challenges in his life, Saldiveri embraced the opportunity

“I think, at the end of the day, I’m an offensive lineman and a football player,” Saldiveri said. “I’m not put in one box to do one thing. I’m open for a challenge at all times.”

Saldiveri received positive reviews for his versatile showing in Mobile. That versatility will only help his draft stock as he looks to join the NFL.

“It’s his intelligence and his love of the game that makes him hungry to learn different things,” Rahne said. “He’s not just knowing what he has to do, he wants to know the whole picture which allows him to move around.”

In February, NFL Network’s lead draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah compared Saldiveri to New York Jets offensive lineman Max Mitchell, who was selected in the fourth round last year.

“I think he can still hold up at tackle,” Jeremiah said about Saldiveri. “I think he has quick feet. I think he can bend. He plays under control. I think there’s going to be times just at that height if you are inside I think he is going to get a little high, and he is going to get moved. But he can sink, he can bend, and I think he could play out on the edge. I still like him at tackle. I want to continue to see him get stronger, but in terms of the range, I have him in the third round.”

CBS Sports draft analyst Ryan Wilson also sees the possibility of Saldiveri going before Day 3 of the draft.

“Saldiveri could find his way into Day 2 on draft weekend because of his position flexibility,” Wilson told The Observer. “Specifically, NFL teams look for offensive linemen who can do more than one thing on game days because of limited roster sizes.”

And if Saldiveri’s versatility wasn’t enticing enough, Wilder’s endorsement of his career projection might force a team to get ahead of the line for him on draft weekend.

“He’s going to play 15 years in the NFL,” Wilder said. “Obviously, that’s a bold statement for me to make about a mid-major (conference) player. But he’s one of those guys — you can check every box with him as a coach. … Obviously, it’s a violent game, injuries happen, all that stuff. But if he stays healthy, he is playing 15 years in the NFL.”