Two Eastern all-conference players will be waiting by the phone for professional teams to come calling this weekend during the NFL Draft.

Defensive end Kory Lothe and center Pascal Matla are going to attempt to make an NFL roster this fall and have hopes of knowing which camp they will attend.

“We are always hoping our guys get in a camp and have an opportunity to showcase their ability,” Eastern defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni said.

The 6-foot-5, 319-pound Matla, who has been projected by some scouting services as a potential late-round selection, was named second-team All Ohio Valley Conference two years in a row.

“He’s in the best shape he’s ever been in,” offensive coordinator Mark Hutson said. “The NFL scouts have told him to work on his lateral movement.”

The native of Holland has excelled in each of his two pro-workouts, including an impressive amount of repetitions on the bench press and what the scouts are calling an extremely high score on the Wunderlic test that examines an athlete’s intelligence.

“He went down to Chicago for a six to eight week period to work out for NFL teams and with a professional trainer,” Hutson said.

Hutson and the coaching staff have received calls from NFL team’s regional scouts on their amazement on Matla’s understanding of English and intelligence.

Some teams’ executives have asked questions about how his foreign heritage would be a hurdle in a professional career.

“I explained to all of them that he is a very smart man, who is graduating with a degree in business management from a four-year college,” Hutson said. “I feel confident to say he can speak English.”

In fact, the foreign aspect may work to his advantage because he maybe able to play in NFL Europe whether or not he makes an NFL roster.

“He’s very excited about the possibility of playing for Amsterdam,” Hutson said.

Lothe went back to his home state for his pro-workout. Thanks to his agent, the Sun Prairie, Wis., native went to the University of Wisconsin to get evaluated by NFL scouts and according to reports, his numbers were more than sufficient.

“He put up some major numbers that day,” Bellantoni said. “He’s got at least seven to eight NFL teams looking at him.”

Lothe, who was named to the all-conference team in his final two seasons, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.68 seconds at 270 pounds and posted a 38 1/2 foot vertical jump, which makes him possibly a versatile player that could work as lineman in a 4-3 scheme or as a roving linebacker in a 3-4 system.

“He has been working with the strength coach at Wisconsin and he has added 15 pounds of muscle,” Bellantoni said.

The one physical roadblock on Lothe’s path to the NFL is that he is completely blind in one eye.

“There’s a bunch of teams that won’t touch him because of his eye,” Bellantoni said. “It’s a major issue for some teams.”

Bellantoni has had Eastern players get NFL camp invitations, like former linebackers Fred Miller and Nick Ricks, but also had talented players get passed over.

“In Kory’s case, I wouldn’t be shocked either way but I’m hoping for him because he deserves the opportunity so much,” Bellantoni said.