MOBILE, AL- Ivy League players very rarely get the opportunity to play in the Senior Bowl. When the invite comes, you do not pass on the opportunity to play in the premier football all-star in the country.

For Duxbury’s Delby Lemieux, the chance to prove he has what it takes to to play in the NFL is a thrill and an honor.

“I was really excited. I was over the moon when I found out I was going to get the opportunity to come down here and compete. So this week, I have gotten the opportunity to meet a ton of great guys from all over the country. Everyone has been a great dude. At the end of the day, it has been a ton of fun.”

Lemieux says he loves playing football and the opportunity to get his feet wet again after a long layoff has been good. So far Lemieux has more than held his own and impressed the scouts and front office executives in Mobile. When I asked one scout about him, he simply said “He plays above his level. He has proven he is good enough to be here.”

For Lemieux simply being there is not enough. He wants to prove he can compete with some of the best players in college football.

“My main goal is to prove that I am able to compete at the same level with the guys around me. There is an asterisk of me being an “FCS guy, an Ivy Guy” perhaps being a smaller lineman. I am willing and capable to make the blocks out there like the rest of the lineman who want to compete.”

Lemieux had a great career at Duxbury High School before embarking on a five year journey at Dartmouth where he was a two-time All Ivy League offensive lineman and one of the best lineman in FCS Football.

The 6’5 305 pound Lemieux says he focuses on being fundamentally sound and that is the key to his game.

“I focus on having smooth feet both in the pass game and in run blocking. It is something I am trying incorporate as I move inside. You have more space and cushion on the outside, but inside it is more sudden so I need to improve on my hand striking and being more calculated and detailed on how I get my hands on the person on the the D-line to put myself in the best position.”

Lemieux says it will be a special feeling to put the Dartmouth helmet on one more time. It is a place that has meant a lot to him.

“It is really special. Dartmouth Football and Dartmouth College have given me so much in this life. I was fortunate to go there and meet some of the best people, some of my best friends. I grew so much there as a young man. I feel very proud to get to represent them this week in Alabama.”

Lemieux grew up a Patriots fan and on the weekend before the Patriots play in the big game, he says it would be a dream come to play for his hometown team.

“It is hard to put into words what that would be like. I have been to Gillette (Stadium) as a fan but this would be a whole different thing to be able to run on that field in that uniform.”

Who knows? Lemieux may get that opportunity, whether he is a Patriot or on the visiting team. He will get to prove he belong tomorrow. In the biggest stage of his career.