Laws looks to brother as guide in life, career

Go to Trevor Laws' Web site (www.trevor-laws.com) and click on ''media,'' and you'll see a slide show that includes the Notre Dame defensive lineman sharing one of life's precious moments with his brothers. With their round, smiling faces and crazy, curly hair, Trevor and younger brother Danny look almost identical.

Then there's older brother Drew, who is as much of a brother to Trevor as Danny despite having a different father and last name.

''I don't think a lot of people know I'm his brother,'' Drew Martin said. ''Dan looks identical to Trevor. When we hang out, it's like, 'Who's the white guy?'''

Trevor and Drew find themselves explaining their relationship most often when introduced to people for the first time, which means they can expect more confusion after Trevor is selected in this weekend's NFL draft. The 6-1, 304-pound tackle could go as early as the second round after turning perhaps the worst season in Notre Dame history into his own personal highlight film.

Laws amassed 112 tackles -- the most in the nation by a lineman and the second-most by a lineman in school history -- and had four sacks and three blocked kicks. His ability to play the 3-technique position that is a staple in Lovie Smith's Tampa-2 scheme makes him a natural fit with the Bears, who still are looking to replace Tank Johnson.

The Bears, however, have holes to fill on offense, so Laws likely will be off the board when general manager Jerry Angelo is ready to address defensive needs.

''[Laws] played his heart out on every play,'' said an NFC evaluator who asked not to be identified. ''You really have to admire his tenacious attitude.

''If I have a criticism of him, it's that he gets smothered sometimes because of his height. He has very quick feet and does a great job of creating daylight for himself, but he doesn't have a great burst of speed when he gets that daylight.''

Helping guide Laws through his college and soon-to-be NFL career has been Drew, who always has been there for Trevor.

''As soon as Trevor was born, I latched on,'' said Drew, who is 10 years older than Trevor and 13 years older than Danny. ''He went with me everywhere. I loved having someone to play with. He was a toy for me.''

''It's definitely not conventional, but it's 100 percent natural in my eyes,'' said Trevor, who was the nation's top-ranked heavyweight wrestler during much of his senior year at Apple Valley High School in Burnsville, Minn. ''He's 100 percent my brother in my eyes.''

Laws needed his family to fall back on when Notre Dame bottomed out with a 3-9 record last season. A low point came when a second-half rally against Purdue came up short, dropping the Irish to 0-5. Laws had three tackles for a loss and a sack in that game but was so inconsolable afterward that he struggled to answer questions.

Laws' decision to return for a fifth college season, in part to improve his draft status, was paying dividends for him. Meanwhile, the team was floundering.

''It was a bittersweet year,'' Laws said. ''After the game you feel terrible because you got destroyed. Then you look on the stat sheet later and realize you had a pretty good game.''

Drew, a computer consultant, made a highlight film of Trevor's high school career and sent it to colleges. He also screened potential agents for his brother while Trevor was raising his draft stock by adding 30 pounds of muscle. Now all that's left is to wait and see which team drafts him.

Drew wonders how he will convince security guards at an NFL training camp that he's really Trevor Laws' brother.

''I can't show them my driver's license because we have different last names,'' he said. ''I guess I'll need an affidavit from Trevor.''