Published on: Thursday, December 13, 2012

By Brandy L. Simms

Former Watkins Mill standout Josh Pleasant has signed with the Arena Football League’s Spokane Shock.

Earlier this year, Pleasant, a former Kent State cornerback, tore a pectoral tendon while lifting weights nearly three weeks before he was scheduled to work out for NFL scouts on Pro Day.

“I struggled through my Pro Day and did everything except bench press, and then I had surgery the next day,” said Pleasant, who earned All-Sentinel honors at Watkins Mill. “I haven’t stopped working to get back since I got hurt. I worked all the way through draft day, getting calls from different [NFL] teams and missing out on the chance to get invited to camp because I wasn’t healthy. I missed out on chances with eight or nine teams.”

Pleasant said he received interest from the Eagles, Browns, Lions, Bengals, Jaguars, Texans, Broncos and Cardinals and strongly believes he would have been invited to an NFL training camp had he not been injured.

During a four-year career at Kent State, Pleasant recorded six interceptions and earned All-Mid-American Conference second team honors while leading the team with eleven pass breakups during his senior campaign in 2011. He also finished fifth on the team with 59 tackles as a senior.

The Spokane Shock open the 2013 campaign in March and play an 18-game regular season schedule through July.

“I don’t know much about the Arena Football League other than the game is faster, and the field is like 25-percent of an NFL field while there are still 75-percent of the players on the field,” said Pleasant. “I also know the wideouts get to run at full speed before they even get to the (line of scrimmage). I played nickel for three years at Kent State, so that won’t be too different. I’ve just got to be patient.”