Tag: college pro day

Cooper DeJean shines at his private pro day

Iowa DB Cooper Dejean shines at his private pro day

Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean held a private pro day for NFL evaluators on Monday. The likely first-round draft prospect did not disappoint.

DeJean missed Iowa’s pro day, as well as the NFL Scouting Combine and the Senior Bowl, with a broken leg. Based on his athletic testing on Monday, he has recovered quite nicely.

At just over six feet tall and 202 pounds, DeJean ran a 4.42 40-yard dash as timed by an NFL scout. He posted a 10-yard split of 1.55 seconds and vertical jump of 38.5 inches.

DeJean can play cornerback or safety, and different teams view him as one or the other, or even both a la Brian Branch a year ago. This workout should solidify DeJean as a top-25 overall pick in the upcoming draft.

Drake Maye, Michael Penix earn positive pro day reviews

Drake Maye, Michael Penix earn positive pro day reviews as they look to solidify their 2024 NFL draft stocks

There were a couple of significant pro days on Thursday for NFL teams in need of quarterbacking help. Two of the presumptive top five QBs in the draft, Drake Maye of North Carolina and Michael Penix Jr. of Washington packed their college workout facilities with NFL evaluators for their respective pro days.

Drake Maye

Maye was the featured attraction in Chapel Hill. The likely top-5 overall pick showed improved footwork and consistency in his mechanics, per ESPN’s Louis Riddick.

The Washington Commanders and New England Patriots, who hold the No. 2 and No. 3 overall picks and glaring quarterback need, both had massive representation for Maye. Maye threw almost 80 passes, which is 20-30 more than a typical pro day. One of the reasons for that was Maye’s insistence to immediately reattempt throws he missed.

The reviews were strong. Take this summation from NFL.com’s Eric Edholm,

There were a few concerning misfires, but the session contained a little of everything for NFL front offices to chew on — including a lot of good. The questions surrounding him are mostly about experience and how he’ll adapt early in his pro career due to coming from an Air Raid system, but his throwing ability appears downright exciting.

Maye has a great arm, no question about it:

Michael Penix Jr.

All 32 teams were repped at Washington’s pro day, including a large contingency from the New York Giants, to watch a bevy of Huskies prospects. With as many as six offensive players who will be drafted in the first three rounds, the crowd made a lot of sense. The headliner, of course, is the quarterback who is projected to be a top-50 pick, Michael Penix Jr.

The 24-year-old lefty did not disappoint.

Penix did a complete workout, choosing to run the 40-yard dash and athletic testing like the vertical jump. His time in the 40 was reported between 4.46 and 4.53 seconds, which is impressive for a quarterback who posted paltry rushing stats at Washington.

As expected, Penix threw the deep ball quite well.

Penix spent time with the Giants, who sent nearly their entire offensive coaching staff and a significant portion of their front office, after the workout. He has upcoming visits with the Steelers, Broncos, Falcons and Raiders, too.

J.J. McCarthy impressed as the prime attraction at Michigan’s pro day

MIchigan’s pro day brought in all sorts of coaches and GMs, and McCarthy was the featured attraction

Nearly 200 NFL personnel crowded into the University of Michigan’s pro day workout on Friday. While the Wolverines had 18 players who had previously worked out at the NFL Scouting Combine, there was one clear prime attraction: quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

Now widely considered to be a top-10 pick, and perhaps top-5 overall selection, McCarthy did what quarterbacks are supposed to do at pro days. He threw with clean mechanics and accuracy while successfully executing the tightly scripted series of passes to various Wolverine targets.

Per sources in Ann Arbor, the head coaches and GMs of the teams with the first three picks in the draft — Chicago, Washington and New England — were all in attendance. All three are expected to select quarterbacks in next month’s draft.

[lawrence-related id=651272]

Offensive line coaches flocked to Notre Dame’s pro day

The OTs were the headliners, but some other Fighting Irish prospects had very impressive performances at the pro day, too

One of the biggest stops on the pro day tour on Thursday was in South Bend for Notre Dame’s workout. All 32 NFL teams were represented in some capacity to check out 13 Fighting Irish prospects.

The primary attraction was the two offensive tackles, Joe Alt and Blake Fisher. Eight offensive line coaches attended the workout to catch Alt, likely the first offensive tackle to be selected, and Fisher, a likely Day 2 pick.

The OL coaches in attendance:

Bears

Broncos

Chargers

Eagles

Giants

Jaguars

Jets

Patriots

The duo did not disappoint:

Running back Audric Estime and safety Thomas Harper also tested very well. Harper in particular showed off incredible athleticism that could help get him drafted in April:

The GMs from the Cowboys, Commanders and Packers were also in attendance.

[lawrence-related id=651143]

2024 NFL draft: Caleb Williams’ pro day confirms his status as the No. 1 pick

Caleb Williams threw at the USC pro day and did all he needed to confirm he’ll be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears

Presumptive No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams had his pro day at USC on Wednesday. After choosing to not do anything other than interview at the NFL Scouting Combine, the NFL world anxiously awaited the Trojans quarterback performing in front of hundreds of personnel gathered from all 32 teams.

The Chicago Bears, owners of the top pick and in desperate need of a new quarterback, sent nearly a plane full on their own. Also on hand was new Bears wideout Keenan Allen, who was traded to Chicago last week.

Williams threw in the outdoor session, and by all accounts threw pretty well.

He even threw one left-handed, just because:

Not everything was ideal. Williams measured in shorter than expected at just over 6 feet. He’s a little smaller than Baker Mayfield, one of the players he’s sometimes compared to and a former No. 1 overall pick coming from the same collegiate offense (at Oklahoma, where Williams began his college career). Mayfield faced considerable scrutiny for his height–or lack thereof– but that hasn’t been brought up much in Williams’ case.

Williams did everything he needed to do to confirm he will be the No. 1 overall pick by the Bears next month.

Small-school CB Shon Stephens stole the show at Michigan State’s pro day

Small-school CB Shon Stephens from Ferris State stole the show at Michigan State’s pro day

Late last week, 29 NFL teams made the trip to East Lansing for Michigan State’s pro day. The host school is on a down cycle right now and might not have a single player drafted in 2024, but the scouts and coaches on hand did see a draft-worthy player at the Spartans showcase.

That would be Ferris State cornerback Shon Stephens. The standout from the D-II powerhouse some 100 miles to the northwest put on an athletic show.

Stephens had already garnered some NFL intrigue after picking off eight passes, including a pick-six, in his one season for the Bulldogs after transferring from West Liberty. He was a Cliff Harris Award finalist and a D-II All-American for a program that has churned out several NFL defensive players over the last few years, including CB Tavierre Thomas.

After his workout, expect even more NFL and draft media attention.

From a scout in attendance, his tracked data of Stephens’ workout:

Height: 5-foot-8.5 inches

Weight: 173 pounds

40-yard dash: 4.38 seconds

Shuttle: 4.29 seconds

3-Cone: 6.99 seconds

Vertical jump: 36.5 inches

Broad jump: 10 feet

Stephens has a complicated back story. He is the nephew of longtime NFL LB Joey Porter and a cousin of Joey Porter Jr., a first-round pick in 2023. Stephens didn’t play for three seasons while tending to family issues and was denied transfer eligibility at Penn State in 2019 and Purdue in 2023 as a grad transfer. He chose Ferris State and backed up his eight INTs in 2022 with eight more at a new school and new scheme in 2023.

His size is a limiting factor, but the ball production and athletic ability could sneak Stephens into the final round of the 2024 NFL draft.

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.

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.