Let's Talk About... Pro Days (because there wasn't any other news) - 4/5/21
The NFL is in full-on draft mode with Pro Days taking up the bulk of the NFL news cycle last week and for a bit of the weeks prior. Seeing that I haven't touched on them at all, this is going to be an article discussing some of the news and opinions coming from these events around the country.
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First, just for the people that may not have any idea what a Pro Day is. Every major college and most small schools have an event for any draft-eligible prospects so coaches, scouts, GMs, and media can attend to view and meet these players. A generic pro day includes the measurement portion where the players will get a height and weight evaluation, among other things, before going through some athletic testing like the Broad Jump, Vertical Jump, and Bench Press. The rest of the event will be for some live drills where players will showcase some of their talents.
Cutting through the bullshit, Pro Days are basically the same thing as the NFL Combine but done on their own campus so there is some comfortability. A lot of smart people will tell you that some of the Pro Days are even a little rigged in favor of the athletes because they aren't being measured up against everyone else at the same site in the same conditions. So instead of a 40-yard dash, you may see a 39-yard dash or have the players run slightly downhill. The reason I bring this up is that if teams and media members could have a choice between Pro Days or Combine, they would take the Combine every time. Everything is even and comparable. There has been a historic amount of fast times in the 40-yard dash this year and that isn't a coincidence.
The final thing about Pro Days that are very important is the conversations that are had. With many teams converging in similar locations there are tidbits and rumors flying around about what teams are thinking about doing. Some of what the media reports is just smoke, but there is truth out there if you know how to find it. Also, the teams being able to talk to prospects is very invaluable since they aren't getting the same amount of facetime as in previous years.
All of that being said, Pro Days are important but as a fan, I wouldn't advise getting too hyped about an article or piece of content talking about winners and losers of them. The important parts of these events happen behind the scenes. So, shall we dive into the article or piece of content talking about winners and losers of Pro Days then?
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Positive Impressions
We saw a record amount of very fast 40 times in 2021, so we will take some things with a pinch of salt, but you can't fake arm lengths, hand lengths, and height. I'm gonna talk about a few players that I think had a very positive Pro Day.
TE Kyle Pitts, Florida - Everyone was talking about this kid at his Pro Day last week. But when you measure in with an 83.5-inch wingspan, that is what is going to happen. If you would like a comparison for that, it is the largest wingspan for a WR or TE measured in the last 20 years. He is 6-5, 245 lbs and ran a SLOW 4.4. The reason I emphasize slow is that he stumbled a tiny bit out of the block and also wiggled a little bit back and forth on the line. Meaning his true speed is faster than that. In the Kentucky game this season you see him outrunning Kelvin Joseph. I will mention him later on so I won't spoil myself.
WR Ja'Marr Chase, LSU - At the same exact time as Pitts was performing, Chase was putting on a show himself. There is a site that measures athletic testing and basically tabulates how much of an athletic freak you are called Relative Athletic Score. Out of 10, Chase got a 9.81 and that is because he is a little smaller and lighter than the DK Metcalf's of the world. The numbers that really impressed me for Chase was his jumps. An 11-foot broad jump really shows he has burst and his 41-inch vertical backs up the tape showing his ability to make contested catches over the tops of defenders.
LB Jamin Davis and CB Kelvin Joseph, Kentucky - I'm going to just briefly mention Joseph. He came in a shade under 6 feet tall but he ran a blazing 4.3 40. He was probably a 2nd/3rd round player that tested into the 2nd round. As for Jamin, he was beginning to gain some steam in the draft media the past few weeks, but he may have solidified a spot for himself in the 1st round after running somewhere between a 4.38 and 4.47 (conflicting reports on times). He is a little lighter than the era of jacked-up linebackers, but his speed is what allows him to make plays from sideline to sideline. He will be a weakside linebacker in the NFL.
LB Micah Parsons and EDGE Jayson Oweh, Penn St - For pass rushers, there are a few different things you look for in workouts. The 3 cone shuttle is important for changing direction with speed and bend around corners. Anything under a 7 second time is fantastic. The broad jump is also very important to show your first step quickness. For Jayson Oweh, he basically tore the field apart with a 6.9 3 cone and an 11-foot broad jump to show the kind of athleticism that is prototypical on the EDGE. However, his tape has been questionable. Micah Parsons' tape was fantastic despite opting out in 2020, so we all wanted to see him back in the cleats. He ran a 4.36 which for a linebacker is just absolute nonsense. However, Penn St is one of those schools that constantly has ridiculous numbers at their Pro Days.
EDGE Carlos "Boogie" Basham, Wake Forest - We all knew Boogie would weigh in north of 270 lbs. What we didn't know is how well he could carry that weight on his 6-3 frame. He electro-slid his way to a 4.64 40. Carlos is well known for bullying people and not necessarily running around them but still finished with a solid 7.1 on the 3cone. Unfortunately, he only posted 20 bench reps but the other big components of his hand and arm measurements checked out well. To be honest, I just wanted to mention one of my Demon Deacons, leave me alone if he wasn't perfect. WHO IS PERFECT? *inner thoughts: Tom Brady* SHUT UP INNER THOUGHTS!
QB Justin Fields, EDGE Jonathon Cooper, LB Baron Browning, DT Tommy Togiai, Ohio St - I know this is a lot of players to mention so I will make each blurb about them shorter. Fields had a really nice throwing session (on air) at this event that ran the exact same patterns as QB Zach Wilson because they share the same offseason coach. Fields really showed up with his 4.4 40 time, though. That time is faster than Cam Newton, Russell Wilson and Jalen Hurts. Cooper had a really underrated week at the Senior Bowl and for a 6-2, 253 lbs guy to put up 28 on the bench that is impressive. He also showed a sub-7 second time in the 3 cone drill. I really like him to make an impact if he goes to the right team. Baron Browning had a 9.98 RAS with a 40 inch vertical, 6.78(!!!!!) 3 cone, and 10 foot 10-inch broad jump. Browning is going to be a perfect blitzing outside linebacker. You haven't heard the name Togiai from this publication before, but he is a 6-1, 300 lb monster putting up 40 reps on the 225 lb bar. His arm length at 31 inches isn't ideal but with his height, I wasn't expecting him to be a daddy long arms.
DT Levi Onwuzurike and EDGE Joe Tryon, Washington - I've mentioned that Levi is going to best succeed as a 3-tech in the NFL where he doesn't have to get double-teamed over the center. Well, he posted 29 reps on the bench and I kinda think he can do that if he is asked. However, his 10 and 20 yard splits in the 40 show he has the burst to pretty much lineup wherever on the DL. Joe wins with power rather than speed on the EDGE, so his 34-inch arms and 82-inch wingspan gave him winning marks in my book. With their performances, they both have at least locked up being selected in the 1st or 2nd round.
EDGE Jaelan Phillips Miami - Phillips is THE guy. He just is. But what will his medicals look like? They don't do medical evals at Pro Days so we can all just "oooohhhh" and "awwwwww" at his gaudy numbers. 6-5 260 running the 40 at 4.58. A broad jump of 10 feet 5 inches. The guy was made in a factory. His 3-cone isn't as magical as the rest of his numbers but a 7.1 is good enough for me to declare him EDGE1 for my next Big Board.
CBs Patrick Surtain II, Alabama, Jaycee Horn, South Carolina, and Greg Newsome II, Northwestern - Just gonna leave this tweet here. The modern day cornerback prototype is 6 foot with speed and a knack for passes defensed or interceptions. If Horn, Newsome and Surtain aren't all Day 1 locks, I would be absolutely shocked. They might all be taken before Farley at this point, more on that later. (Height is read 6 feet 02 inches 4 whatever is below inches for Ifeatu.)
C Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma and OT Spencer Brown, Northern Iowa - You may be asking yourself about the RAS (Relative Athletic Score) if anyone has ever achieved a perfect 10/10 ranking. The answer is yes many times. But only 3 players achieved it this year. One is an international player that I have never heard of named Sammis Reyes who plays TE. The other 2 are OL Humphrey and Brown. Humphrey is going to be a perfect fit for an outside-zone running scheme. Below is a photo of his testing numbers. The short shuttle is a great measurement for big guys to show their change of direction speed and especially for the scheme he will run in. Humphrey exceeded expectations and hardly anyone is talking about him, besides my trusted Packers informant. As for Brown, he projects as a developmental offensive tackle. He is 6-8 311 lbs and posted a 9ft 9in broad jump. That is dumb. His speed and agility both posted in the 99th percentile as well. If I am a team that likes to get my tackles out in space so they can bury guys, Brown would be a good choice.
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'Meh' Impressions
I am of the opinion that a bad Pro Day isn't really going to kill you. Most teams value the tape and meeting room more than anything else. For every single one of these players, it will be the last time they run a 40-yard dash ever again. But I will say, not being able to live up to what is seen on the tape can be cause for concern.
CB Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech and LB Jabril Cox, LSU - It is hard to fault either of these players considering they didn't even work out at their pro days due to injury. But that is entirely the issue. I mentioned above how Surtain, Horn, Newsome, Parsons, Davis and Browning all had great Pro Days. When the rest of the top players at your position are excelling and you can't show up it hurts a little bit. Cox's issue can be rectified because I believe he moved his Pro Day to later on the calendar, but for Farley he won't be able to get on the field till at least the summer.
OTs Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame, Brady Christensen, BYU, Jalen Mayfield, Michigan, Jackson Carman, Clemson, and Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC - A measurement that offensive tackles get judged on really hard is their arm length. AT LEAST 33 inches is where you want to see them check in at. Everyone listed here came in lower than 33 (most of them just at 32). One inch isn't ballbusting but maybe it is something that pushes them down a little. The fact is that arm length is something that has a correlation to success in the NFL.
WR Tutu Atwell, Louisville - Tutu's game is all about speed and he posted a 4.42 40. Not to say this is disappointing, but there are linebackers posting better numbers. If speed is how you win, I feel like it has to be better than that. Though, the big blow to Tutu's stock was that he came in at only 155 lbs. For comparison, the lightest kicker in the NFL is 168 lbs.
WR Dazz Newsome, North Carolina - Dazz isn't necessarily a burner but he did win a lot after the catch. He posted only a 4.59 at 190 lbs. I don't see him outrunning a whole lot of defenders with that time. He had some people on his hype train on Day 3 but this is a bomb on the tracks.
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TOP 10 Disney Movies
- Moana
- Coco
- Lion King
- Tarzan
- Mulan
- Aladdin
- Finding Nemo
- Zootopia
- Frozen
- Hercules
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What is your favorite Disney movie? Let me know in the comments or at @KyleTheCommish on Twitter.
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