<p>Nate Wozniak has always thought of himself as a blocker first and a receiver second.</p>
<p>The former Center Grove and University of Minnesota tight end gets the opportunity to prove it at the highest level of football.</p>
<p>On Monday, the 6-foot-9 3/4, 275-pound Wozniak signed a three-year, $1.7 million contract with the New Orleans Saints. He’ll attend the team’s rookie minicamp May 10-14 and will be at the Saints’ training camp in July.</p>
<p>His salary is contingent upon making the 53-man roster and how long he is part of the team.</p>
<p>Wozniak caught 28 passes in his Golden Gophers career, but he was used mainly as an extra offensive lineman to help the running game and protect the quarterback.</p>
<p>“New Orleans is looking at developing me into a tackle. They want me to get to 285 pounds in the next two weeks, but I think it’s doable,” Wozniak said. “A lot of shakes, a lot of meals and a lot of snacks in between. As an athlete, it’s just training your body to be able to handle more calories.</p>
<p>“At Minnesota, I knew my role as a blocking tight end. We were always kind of a run-first team. I really wouldn’t have it any other way.”</p>
<p>Wozniak’s agent is David Schuman of Inspired Athletes, LLC. Among Schuman’s clients are New Orleans running back Trey Edmunds and Tampa Bay defensive lineman DaVonte Lambert.</p>
<p>“Right now it’s just about hard work and having patience, and conducting yourself in a positive manner at all times,” Schuman said. “Nate is an amazing person and somebody you want to work with.”</p>
<p>Another Johnson County native, former Greenwood and Indiana University placekicker Griffin Oakes, has been invited to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ rookie minicamp on May 10-13.</p>
<p>“I’m excited about it. Tampa Bay is a cool place, and an opportunity for me to go see what kind of completion there is,” said Oakes, a former walk-on at IU who ended his career as the program’s second-leading career scorer with 354 points.</p>
<p>“All I’ve known about (the Buccaneers) is (quarterback) Jameis Winston and that they have a great fantasy football receiver in Mike Evans. I’ve had him on my team a couple of times.”</p>
<p>Should Oakes impress at rookie camp, he would likely be brought back to Tampa Bay’s training camp in July.</p>
<p>“You can get contacted by a few teams, but specialists like punters and kickers are a little different. Sometimes it takes longer to shake out,” said Oakes’ agent, Jim Ulrich of Enter Sports Management.</p>
<p>“Tampa Bay said, ‘Hey, we want to bring Griffin in.’ There will probably be others.”</p>
<p>The Buccaneers started the 2017 season with veteran kicker Nick Folk as the starter, but they replaced him with Patrick Murray in October. Former North Texas kicker Trevor Moore will be in camp competing with Oakes, along with perhaps another prospect.</p>
<p>“I tell Griffin to keep putting in the work and not to get too high or too low,” Ulrich said. “If you don’t stay level, it’s difficult to make it through, but I think Griffin does have that type of personality.”</p>
