The Bears show loads of interest in offensive prospects at Oregon’s pro day

All 32 NFL teams were at Oregon’s pro day workouts, but nobody sent more coaches than the Chicago Bears

Tuesday’s top collegiate pro day was in Eugene for the Oregon Ducks workouts. All 32 NFL teams were in attendance, though some were represented more heavily than others.

No team sent more resources and high-level personnel to the Ducks pro day than the Chicago Bears. Specifically, the Bears had six members of their staff in Eugene to check out the plethora of prospects.

Per Jim Nagy of the Senior Bowl, the Bears dispatched head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron were there for the festivities. Other sources on the ground indicate new Chicago WR coach Chris Beatty was in attendance. Offensive line coach Chris Morgan was also there, a day after he witnessed Oregon State standout Taliese Fuaga at the Beavers’ pro day.

Among the Ducks prospects they got to watch, listed in expected order of draft selection:

IOL Jackson Powers-Johnson

QB Bo Nix

WR Troy Franklin

RB Bucky Irving

CB Khyree Jackson

DT Popo Aumavae

Marshawn Kneeland attracts a big crowd for Western Michigan’s pro day

Rising 2024 NFL draft prospect Marshawn Kneeland attracts a big crowd for Western Michigan’s pro day

One of only two pro days on the workout circuit attracted quite a crowd to Kalamazoo on Monday. Nearly everyone was there to watch one player: Western Michigan defensive end Marshawn Kneeland.

Kneeland, from nearby Wyoming Godwin Heights High School in Grand Rapids, was one of seven WMU Broncos players participating in the pro day. Let’s just say that over 50 scouts and coaches from 23 NFL teams didn’t make the trip to watch WR Leroy Thomas or TE Austin Hence.

After opting to stand on his outstanding NFL Scouting Combine athletic testing numbers, scouts eagerly watched the 6-foot-3. 267-pound Kneeland go through positional drills.

Kneeland’s workout was run by New York Jets defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton. At least four other NFL defensive line coaches were at the workout inside the Seelye Center on WMU’s campus.

Kneeland has definitely risen in the draft process, beginning with an excellent showing at the Senior Bowl. He’s had to answer questions about a relative lack of productivity — just 4.5 sacks and 7.5 TFLs in 10 games in 2023 — for several NFL teams already. Among them are the Chiefs, Seahawks, Bills, Eagles, Lions, Falcons and Texans.

Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon passes the speed test at his pro day

Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon held a private workout after missing the combine and pro day with a hamstring injury

Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon did not work out at the NFL Scouting Combine or the regularly scheduled Fighting Illini pro day in March due to a hamstring injury. The likely top-25 pick in the 2023 NFL draft was well enough to participate in a scheduled private pro day workout on April 5th.

Witherspoon showed no ill impact from the injury. He clocked in the low 4.4 range in the 40-yard dash at his workout. Several teams had defensive back coaches in attendance for Witherspoon’s impressive athletic display.

Clemson EDGE Myles Murphy impresses in his private pro day

Myles Murphy held his own private workout after missing Clemson’s pro day and the combine with a hamstring injury

Clemson EDGE Myles Murphy held his much-anticipated private workout on Tuesday. The potential top-20 pick did not disappoint after staging his private session.

Murphy didn’t work out at Clemson’s pro day last month or at the NFL Scouting Combine due to a minor hamstring injury. Everything looked fine in his workout athletically.

The pass rusher checked in at 268 pounds and just under 6-foot-5. Murphy’s unofficial testing numbers from various sources at the event:

40-yard dash: 4.52 seconds
10-yard split: 1.61 seconds
3-cone drill: 7.22 seconds
Vertical jump: 31 inches
25 reps on the bench press

For a man of his size, those are very impressive workout figures.

Those numbers closely compare to Green Bay Packers EDGE Rashan Gary, the 12th overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft. Murphy bagged 6.5 sacks and recorded 11 TFLs in 13 games as a junior in 2022.

 

Florida QB Anthony Richardson shows just how high his ceiling is at the Gators pro day

Richardson showed off his outstanding arm strength with one particular throw

Anyone who follows college football or the NFL draft even a little knows the prodigious physical talents of Florida Gators QB Anthony Richardson already. The 6-foot-4, 244-pounder rewrote the Scouting Combine athletic record books earlier this month.

Richardson got another chance to show NFL talent evaluators from all 32 teams just how high his ceiling can be. Literally. At Florida’s pro day on Thursday, the 20-year-old launched a rocket of a deep ball that hit the ceiling of the Gators’ indoor training facility.

After his workout, Richardson was asked by former Gators wideout Chris Doering of the SEC Network if it was intentional. Richardson admitted that he saw Kentucky QB Will Levis do the game thing earlier this week at UK’s pro day. Richardson smilingly added that he was trying to throw it through the ceiling to one-up Levis.

Pair of unheralded LSU DBs shine at the Tigers pro day

Jay Ward and Jarrick Bernard-Converse helped their 2023 NFL draft stock at LSU’s pro day

One of the biggest reasons major college teams hold pro day events for aspiring NFL players is to get more exposure for lesser-known talents hoping to make a mark. At LSU’s pro day event on Wednesday, two unheralded defensive backs showed off their considerable athletic potential during the workouts.

Neither safety Jay Ward nor cornerback Jarrick Bernard-Converse are typically projected to be selected highly — if at all — in the 2023 NFL draft. After Wednesday’s display, the outlook and status improved for both.

Ward is the higher-rated prospect, a converted cornerback renowned for his leadership and attitude. He’s also a heck of an athlete. Ward ran the 40-yard dash in an unofficial 4.36 seconds to go with a broad jump over 11 feet and a 36-inch vertical jump. Those are some impressive tools to work with for a Day 3 prospect, one who has experience playing in the slot safety role.

Bernard-Converse really tore up the turf at the indoor training facility. From Tyler Harden’s summary at LSU Reveille,

He started the day off strong with an event-high 42-inch vertical jump. But he wasn’t done there. When it came time for the 40-yard dash, Bernard-Converse set an event-high in both of his runs; his first at 4.42 seconds, and his second at 4.4.

A transfer from Oklahoma State who spent his final season playing outside CB at LSU, Bernard-Converse offers length at 6-foot-1 and decent ball skills. With athletic testing like that, expect to at least see his name shortly after the draft as a priority free agent appealing to press-man teams.

Pittsburgh RB Israel Abanikanda lights it up at the Panthers’ pro day

Pittsburgh RB Israel Abanikanda lights it up at the Panthers’ pro day in front of all 32 NFL teams

This year’s class of running backs has a sizeable cluster in the range between the second through fourth rounds. It’s a talented group but also one that is difficult to sort out.

Thanks to a superb athletic display at his pro day on Wednesday, Pittsburgh’s Israel Abanikanda helped move himself closer to the top of that RB cluster. Abanikanda put on quite a show for the 32 NFL teams in attendance. Scouts on the scene clocked the 5-foot-11, 218-pound runner with a sub-4.4 40-yard dash, a 41.5″ vertical and a broad jump of nearly 11 feet.

Abanikanda showed during his on-field time at Pitt that he can plant and go out of a cut extremely well, and he’s capable of lowering his pads and dishing out as much punishment as he takes.

2023 NFL draft big board: Running backs

Abanikanda wasn’t the only Panthers prospect to show out at the pro day. The vertical jumps from three different Pitt players would have been the best at their positions at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine — Abanikanda at RB, linebacker SirVocea Dennis and wideout Jared Wayne all topping 41 inches.

Emmanuel Forbes adds some weight for Mississippi State pro day

Potential first-round CB Emmanuel Forbes adds some weight for Mississippi State pro day

Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes is a player with a first-round body of game film but not necessarily the physical body to match. Forbes weighed just 166 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine, a paltry mass on his lanky 6-foot-1 frame.

At the Bulldogs’ pro day on Tuesday, Forbes showed he could add a little meat to his bones. He weighed in at 170 pounds. Every little bit helps a player like Forbes.

All 32 NFL teams were in attendance in Starkville. Forbes opted not to run, standing on his combine time of 4.35 in the 40-yard dash with an elite 1.48 10-yard split. He acknowledged having top-30 visits upcoming with several NFL teams,

Forbes is the all-time leader in pick-sixes at the NCAA level with six, including three last season.

The Panthers send a massive contingent to Kentucky’s pro day

The Panthers send a massive contingent to Kentucky’s pro day to check out QB Will Levis

The Carolina Panthers are once again sending a massive presence to check out a potential No. 1 overall pick at his pro day. This time around, Panthers owner David Tepper and many other significant decision-makers in the organization are focused on Kentucky quarterback Will Levis.

Per Albert Breer, the Panthers traveling road show headed to Lexington in advance of Friday’s pro day. They dined with Levis the night before the Wildcats’ workout.

It’s the same treatment the Panthers contingent gave to Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud earlier this week.

Alabama’s pro day was sandwiched in between, featuring (among many others) QB Bryce Young. The full Panthers throng did also make the short trip to Tuscaloosa and met with Young as well.

Ohio State pro day attracts a huge crowd of NFL personnel

C.J. Stroud was the headliner but Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Paris Johnson and Zach Harrison also attracted lots of attention

Over 100 members representing 30 NFL teams filled into the Ohio State training center to watch the Buckeyes’ pro day workout. A bulk of the crowd, including 11 members of the Carolina Panthers, was there to watch potential No. 1 overall pick, quarterback C.J. Stroud.

When the owner shows up at a pro day, it’s certainly notable. Panthers owner David Tepper led his Carolina contingent into Columbus. It’s the latest tea leaf to point to Stroud being who the Panthers are targeting after moving up from No. 9 overall to the top spot in a trade with the Chicago Bears.

Stroud performed well. Reports from the scene indicate he completed nearly all of his passes and looked sharp on the deep ball.

Stroud wasn’t the only Buckeye working out. Two other Ohio State players solidified their first-round draft stock at the pro day.

Offensive tackle Paris Johnson is a player often projected to the Bears with that No. 9 pick. Head coach Matt Eberflus was among those watching Johnson, who has experience playing both RT and LT, work out. He’s a very impressive athlete with length and power on the edge.

Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba worked out as well. He ran the 40-yard dash in a range between 4.48 and 4.53, which is fast but not blazing. He looked plenty fast on this rep from Stroud:

EDGE Zach Harrison also attracted attention from several head coaches, including Seattle’s Pete Carroll and Dennis Allen of the Saints. Harrison is expected to be a Day 2 pick.

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