Mr. Laz
03-11-2010, 02:21 PM
On the Clock: Players under most pressure at Pro Days
http://static.foxsports.com/content/fscom//img/2009/12/12/peterSchrager_20091212220423_0_0.JPG (http://msn.foxsports.com/writer/Peter_Schrager)
Peter Schrager is a frequent contributor for FOXSports.com.
Updated Mar 10, 2010 8:57 PM ET
For those in NFL draft circles, the date March 7, 2008 lives on in infamy. Among Jets (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/team/new-york-jets/67057) fans, it’s a day probably better off forgotten.
That Friday in Columbus, Ohio State junior Vernon Gholston (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/player/vernon-gholston/535293) put on a Pro Day performance like few had ever seen before. Scouts and NFL personnel in attendance were wowed when the 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive end blazed a 40-yard dash timed at 4.59 seconds and soared 42 inches in his vertical jump. Gholston’s draft stock skyrocketed, draftniks went gaga and the rest is NFL Draft history.
Six weeks later the Jets made Gholston, an above-average player at OSU, the No. 6 overall pick in the draft, signed him to a multi-year deal that guaranteed him $21 million ... then watched as he recorded just 13 tackles in his rookie year. Unable to get on the field (even on special teams), a completely healthy Gholston observed more games than he played in ‘08. In his sophomore season in ‘09, Gholston was inserted into the starting lineup on opening day when starting LB Calvin Pace was levied a four-game suspension. Gholston recorded three tackles in Houston (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/team/houston-texans/67071), and made just 14 more over the Jets’ next 15 games. He was inactive for two of them despite, yet again, being physically able to play.
In two years in the NFL, Vernon Gholston has a grand total of zero career sacks.
But man, that was some Pro Day.
Someone will have a Gholston-like Pro Day this month. Whether it’s a small school star like The Citadel’s Andre Roberts or an established name like Texas wideout Jordan Shipley, an expected mid-round draft pick will make early-round money after a stellar day on his home field in front of a host of scouts and NFL personnel men. For the first-round guys, it’s all about living up to scouts’ expectations and erasing any potential lingering doubts. Matt Stafford did just that at his Pro Day in Athens last spring.
Over the next four weeks, college teams across the country will be hosting Pro Days. For some scouts and GMs, the Pro Day actually makes for a better scouting environment than February’s NFL Combine. Instead of the meat market circus that is found in Indy, scouts have time to prepare for each player and actually focus on key skill sets.
Alas, two top players won’t be participating at their team’s Pro Day workouts this month. Both happened to play at schools in the Sooner State. Well, it’ll be later rather than sooner for those scouts hungry to see Sam Bradford and Dez Bryant work out. Neither player’s seen action since October as Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford is rehabbing after shoulder surgery and Oklahoma State's Dez Bryant, the consensus top wideout in this year’s draft class, will skip Oklahoma State’s Pro Day in Stillwater this week, citing a lingering hamstring issue. Both players have individual workouts for scouts planned on March 25.
Though Bradford and Bryant won’t be participating in their schools’ Pro Days this month, several top college stars will. Here are five players with the most to gain at their upcoming Pro Days:
<script language="javascript" src="http://msn.foxsports.com/fe/js/jQuery/jquery-1.3.min.js"></script>
<script>; $(document).ready(function() { new fs.Poll('#poll_10818643'); }); </script> 1. Colt McCoy, Texas QB (Texas Pro Day: March 31 in Austin): The Maxwell Club’s 2009 Player of the Year recently said his throwing shoulder is at full strength and good to go for the Longhorns’ Pro Day. Most draftniks have McCoy as the third-rated quarterback in the 2010 Draft and a likely second-round draft pick. With a stellar performance on March 31, he could sneak into the latter half of the first round. Size and arm strength are the main critiques on McCoy. Another guy with questionable height and arm strength that scouts had doubts about coming out of college? Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/player/drew-brees/70657).
2. Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame QB (Notre Dame Pro Day: April 9 in South Bend): Unlike Bradford, the golden-armed Golden Domer still has a solid month before his team’s scheduled Pro Day. Early word out of Indianapolis (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/team/indianapolis-colts/67048) was that Clausen wouldn’t be back from offseason toe surgery until summer. That’s apparently not the case; Clausen says he’s good to go for April 9. With a stellar performance -- paired with perhaps a less than convincing one out of Bradford -- Clausen can still sneak into the top five of April’s draft.
3. Terrence Cody, Alabama DT (Alabama Pro Day: March 10 in Tuscaloosa): It was an up-and-down Combine experience for Alabama All-American DT Terrence Cody. He first impressed scouts by dropping 16 pounds from the Senior Bowl and weighing in at a more manageable 354 pounds on Day One. But then he left scouts confused by opting not to participate in the bench press. What was Cody hiding? Did he lose muscle -- and not fat -- when he dropped all the weight? Cody can answer several lingering questions with a solid Pro Day performance. I know I am in the minority on this one, but I think Mount Cody is still a surefire first-round pick. Hell, I think he still may go No. 9 overall to Buffalo (see below).
4. Joe Haden, Florida CB (Florida Pro Day: March 17 in Gainesville): Tim Tebow is not the only reason scouts will have their eyes on Gainesville on March 17. Perhaps no player caught more slack for his Combine performance last week than Haden. The consensus top-rated cornerback in the 2010 Draft, the mohawked junior ran a 4.57 40-yard dash in Indianapolis, leaving scouts less than overwhelmed. Of course, he then went out and flat-out dominated all of the defensive back drills. Haden can erase all lingering doubts with an impressive performance in Gainesville.
5. Brandon Spikes, Florida LB (Florida Pro Day: March 17 in Gainesville): Though the media has the date circled and has been all but salivating over the thought of it, Tebow’s workout could end up being the third biggest priority on many scouts’ lists in Gainesville. After Haden, there’s Spikes -- the All-SEC four-year starter who had a less-than-stellar Indy showing. Can Spikes stay healthy? Does he have an NFL body? Are the physical tools there to ensure he’s worthy of a first- or second-round pick? Some of these questions will be answered on what is shaping up to becoming a much anticipated Wednesday March afternoon.
A Guy You’ve Never Heard of That You Should Probably Get to Know, Volume 1
Jared Veldheer, OT, Hillsdale: Last year’s “A Guy You’ve Never Heard of That You Should Probably Get to Know, Volume 1” subject was Johnny Knox (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/player/johnny-knox/638231) of Abilene Christian. Knox went on to have a breakout year in Chicago (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/team/chicago-bears/67040), emerging as Jay Cutler’s top deep target and finding his way onto the NFC’s Pro Bowl squad for his work on special teams.
http://static.foxsports.com/content/fscom//img/2010/03/10/031010-NFL-Veldheer-SW-IN_20100310112312_0_0.JPG<!-- get the image's description and add it to the title attribute --> Meet Jared Veldheer, Hillsdale OL
Scott Boehm
<script type="text/javascript"> <!--// fs.getImgSize("http://static.foxsports.com/content/fscom//img/2010/03/10/031010-NFL-Veldheer-SW-IN_20100310112312_0_0.JPG"); //--> </script> This year’s choice comes from D-II school Hillsdale College. Where? Well, Hillsdale College is a small school in Hillsdale, Michigan best known for a Margaret Thatcher statue erected in 2008.
They may be putting up a statue of Jared Veldheer in the near future. The four-year starter at left tackle is an athletic freak that has a lot of scouts licking their chops. At 6-8, 312 pounds, Veldheer has an O-lineman’s body with tight end speed. At February’s Combine, he ran a 5.09 40-yard-dash. It was actually a few tenths of a second slower than most scouts expected. Veldheer met with all 32 NFL teams in Indy and will be working out for scouts at Hillsdale’s first ever Pro Day on March 18.
Veldheer’s an intriguing late first-round, early second-round prospect. In what’s shaping up to be an OT-rich draft class, top guys like Russell Okung, Bryan Bulaga, <category id="144119">Anthony Davis (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/player/anthony-davis/300211)</category>, Charles Brown, Trent Williams and Bruce Campbell may fly off the board earlier than expected on April 22. Veldheer, along with guys like UMass’s Vlad Ducasse and West Virginia’s Selvish Capers, is right at the top of that second tier. Like was the case for expected mid-second round choices Sam Baker (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/player/sam-baker/535199) and Duane Brown (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/player/duane-brown/535209) in the 2008 Draft, there’s a chance teams get antsy after seeing the top-tier OT prospects fly off the board and spend first-round picks on second-round graded tackles. With late first-round teams like Dallas, Green Bay and Minnesota likely all in the market for an offensive tackle, there’s a chance the unknown Veldheer could slide into the first round on draft day.
In Veldheer, you have a raw prospect blessed with incredible physical skills who might not have had the top-flight coaching or experience against NFL talent that his peers have had. But he’s a four-year collegiate starter with unlimited potential. A biology major who will be graduating this spring, I could think of worse guys to have guarding a franchise quarterback’s blind side.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/schrager-on-players-feeling-pressure-at-pro-days-031010
http://static.foxsports.com/content/fscom//img/2009/12/12/peterSchrager_20091212220423_0_0.JPG (http://msn.foxsports.com/writer/Peter_Schrager)
Peter Schrager is a frequent contributor for FOXSports.com.
Updated Mar 10, 2010 8:57 PM ET
For those in NFL draft circles, the date March 7, 2008 lives on in infamy. Among Jets (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/team/new-york-jets/67057) fans, it’s a day probably better off forgotten.
That Friday in Columbus, Ohio State junior Vernon Gholston (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/player/vernon-gholston/535293) put on a Pro Day performance like few had ever seen before. Scouts and NFL personnel in attendance were wowed when the 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive end blazed a 40-yard dash timed at 4.59 seconds and soared 42 inches in his vertical jump. Gholston’s draft stock skyrocketed, draftniks went gaga and the rest is NFL Draft history.
Six weeks later the Jets made Gholston, an above-average player at OSU, the No. 6 overall pick in the draft, signed him to a multi-year deal that guaranteed him $21 million ... then watched as he recorded just 13 tackles in his rookie year. Unable to get on the field (even on special teams), a completely healthy Gholston observed more games than he played in ‘08. In his sophomore season in ‘09, Gholston was inserted into the starting lineup on opening day when starting LB Calvin Pace was levied a four-game suspension. Gholston recorded three tackles in Houston (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/team/houston-texans/67071), and made just 14 more over the Jets’ next 15 games. He was inactive for two of them despite, yet again, being physically able to play.
In two years in the NFL, Vernon Gholston has a grand total of zero career sacks.
But man, that was some Pro Day.
Someone will have a Gholston-like Pro Day this month. Whether it’s a small school star like The Citadel’s Andre Roberts or an established name like Texas wideout Jordan Shipley, an expected mid-round draft pick will make early-round money after a stellar day on his home field in front of a host of scouts and NFL personnel men. For the first-round guys, it’s all about living up to scouts’ expectations and erasing any potential lingering doubts. Matt Stafford did just that at his Pro Day in Athens last spring.
Over the next four weeks, college teams across the country will be hosting Pro Days. For some scouts and GMs, the Pro Day actually makes for a better scouting environment than February’s NFL Combine. Instead of the meat market circus that is found in Indy, scouts have time to prepare for each player and actually focus on key skill sets.
Alas, two top players won’t be participating at their team’s Pro Day workouts this month. Both happened to play at schools in the Sooner State. Well, it’ll be later rather than sooner for those scouts hungry to see Sam Bradford and Dez Bryant work out. Neither player’s seen action since October as Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford is rehabbing after shoulder surgery and Oklahoma State's Dez Bryant, the consensus top wideout in this year’s draft class, will skip Oklahoma State’s Pro Day in Stillwater this week, citing a lingering hamstring issue. Both players have individual workouts for scouts planned on March 25.
Though Bradford and Bryant won’t be participating in their schools’ Pro Days this month, several top college stars will. Here are five players with the most to gain at their upcoming Pro Days:
<script language="javascript" src="http://msn.foxsports.com/fe/js/jQuery/jquery-1.3.min.js"></script>
<script>; $(document).ready(function() { new fs.Poll('#poll_10818643'); }); </script> 1. Colt McCoy, Texas QB (Texas Pro Day: March 31 in Austin): The Maxwell Club’s 2009 Player of the Year recently said his throwing shoulder is at full strength and good to go for the Longhorns’ Pro Day. Most draftniks have McCoy as the third-rated quarterback in the 2010 Draft and a likely second-round draft pick. With a stellar performance on March 31, he could sneak into the latter half of the first round. Size and arm strength are the main critiques on McCoy. Another guy with questionable height and arm strength that scouts had doubts about coming out of college? Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/player/drew-brees/70657).
2. Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame QB (Notre Dame Pro Day: April 9 in South Bend): Unlike Bradford, the golden-armed Golden Domer still has a solid month before his team’s scheduled Pro Day. Early word out of Indianapolis (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/team/indianapolis-colts/67048) was that Clausen wouldn’t be back from offseason toe surgery until summer. That’s apparently not the case; Clausen says he’s good to go for April 9. With a stellar performance -- paired with perhaps a less than convincing one out of Bradford -- Clausen can still sneak into the top five of April’s draft.
3. Terrence Cody, Alabama DT (Alabama Pro Day: March 10 in Tuscaloosa): It was an up-and-down Combine experience for Alabama All-American DT Terrence Cody. He first impressed scouts by dropping 16 pounds from the Senior Bowl and weighing in at a more manageable 354 pounds on Day One. But then he left scouts confused by opting not to participate in the bench press. What was Cody hiding? Did he lose muscle -- and not fat -- when he dropped all the weight? Cody can answer several lingering questions with a solid Pro Day performance. I know I am in the minority on this one, but I think Mount Cody is still a surefire first-round pick. Hell, I think he still may go No. 9 overall to Buffalo (see below).
4. Joe Haden, Florida CB (Florida Pro Day: March 17 in Gainesville): Tim Tebow is not the only reason scouts will have their eyes on Gainesville on March 17. Perhaps no player caught more slack for his Combine performance last week than Haden. The consensus top-rated cornerback in the 2010 Draft, the mohawked junior ran a 4.57 40-yard dash in Indianapolis, leaving scouts less than overwhelmed. Of course, he then went out and flat-out dominated all of the defensive back drills. Haden can erase all lingering doubts with an impressive performance in Gainesville.
5. Brandon Spikes, Florida LB (Florida Pro Day: March 17 in Gainesville): Though the media has the date circled and has been all but salivating over the thought of it, Tebow’s workout could end up being the third biggest priority on many scouts’ lists in Gainesville. After Haden, there’s Spikes -- the All-SEC four-year starter who had a less-than-stellar Indy showing. Can Spikes stay healthy? Does he have an NFL body? Are the physical tools there to ensure he’s worthy of a first- or second-round pick? Some of these questions will be answered on what is shaping up to becoming a much anticipated Wednesday March afternoon.
A Guy You’ve Never Heard of That You Should Probably Get to Know, Volume 1
Jared Veldheer, OT, Hillsdale: Last year’s “A Guy You’ve Never Heard of That You Should Probably Get to Know, Volume 1” subject was Johnny Knox (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/player/johnny-knox/638231) of Abilene Christian. Knox went on to have a breakout year in Chicago (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/team/chicago-bears/67040), emerging as Jay Cutler’s top deep target and finding his way onto the NFC’s Pro Bowl squad for his work on special teams.
http://static.foxsports.com/content/fscom//img/2010/03/10/031010-NFL-Veldheer-SW-IN_20100310112312_0_0.JPG<!-- get the image's description and add it to the title attribute --> Meet Jared Veldheer, Hillsdale OL
Scott Boehm
<script type="text/javascript"> <!--// fs.getImgSize("http://static.foxsports.com/content/fscom//img/2010/03/10/031010-NFL-Veldheer-SW-IN_20100310112312_0_0.JPG"); //--> </script> This year’s choice comes from D-II school Hillsdale College. Where? Well, Hillsdale College is a small school in Hillsdale, Michigan best known for a Margaret Thatcher statue erected in 2008.
They may be putting up a statue of Jared Veldheer in the near future. The four-year starter at left tackle is an athletic freak that has a lot of scouts licking their chops. At 6-8, 312 pounds, Veldheer has an O-lineman’s body with tight end speed. At February’s Combine, he ran a 5.09 40-yard-dash. It was actually a few tenths of a second slower than most scouts expected. Veldheer met with all 32 NFL teams in Indy and will be working out for scouts at Hillsdale’s first ever Pro Day on March 18.
Veldheer’s an intriguing late first-round, early second-round prospect. In what’s shaping up to be an OT-rich draft class, top guys like Russell Okung, Bryan Bulaga, <category id="144119">Anthony Davis (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/player/anthony-davis/300211)</category>, Charles Brown, Trent Williams and Bruce Campbell may fly off the board earlier than expected on April 22. Veldheer, along with guys like UMass’s Vlad Ducasse and West Virginia’s Selvish Capers, is right at the top of that second tier. Like was the case for expected mid-second round choices Sam Baker (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/player/sam-baker/535199) and Duane Brown (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/player/duane-brown/535209) in the 2008 Draft, there’s a chance teams get antsy after seeing the top-tier OT prospects fly off the board and spend first-round picks on second-round graded tackles. With late first-round teams like Dallas, Green Bay and Minnesota likely all in the market for an offensive tackle, there’s a chance the unknown Veldheer could slide into the first round on draft day.
In Veldheer, you have a raw prospect blessed with incredible physical skills who might not have had the top-flight coaching or experience against NFL talent that his peers have had. But he’s a four-year collegiate starter with unlimited potential. A biology major who will be graduating this spring, I could think of worse guys to have guarding a franchise quarterback’s blind side.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/schrager-on-players-feeling-pressure-at-pro-days-031010