Pro Day at WSU

Twelve seniors ran, lifted and jumped in the Washington State University Pro Day held at the Indoor Practice facility to keep their hopes of NFL dreams alive.  The event started with arm length, hand, height and weight measurements at noon, then a series of drills that test the athletes speed, strength and agility.  The seniors include Micah Hannam, Reid Forrest, Daniel Blackledge, Chantz Staden, Marcus Richmond, Zack Williams, Myron Beck, Zach Enyeart, Zack Williams, Aaron Gehring, James Montgomery and Bernard Wolfgramm.

Pro day is a chance for seniors and eligible players entering the draft to showcase their talent through a series of tests/drills in front of NFL scouts.  The drills include the vertical, broad jump, 3-cone drill, 20 yard shuttle, 60 yard shuttle, 40 yard dash and individual drills by position. 

Many seniors improved their draft status and had an overall successful day but there were definitely some highlights of the day.  Blackledge posted the best jumps, with a 40-inch leap in the vertical which got the crowd excited and a 10’11 broad jump, both the best marks of the day.  He also performed well in the agility drills and route-running toward the end of the event.  All eyes were on standout Zack Williams during the bench press when he posted 35 reps.  Williams participated in the national combine in Indianapolis and was only doing the bench at pro day because some of his reps were taken away because of his form at the combine.  Perhaps the best highlight of the day was Marcus Richmond as he ran a blistering 4.4 in the 40 yard dash after he was given another chance to run because the scouts missed his second run.  The crowd of WSU football players and others burst into cheer and celebrated his run.

The scouts in attendance were from the Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks and New York Giants.  The event was filmed for all of the NFL teams to review.

What comes next for the seniors? Well tons of uncertainty until the draft in April.  Until then some seniors may receive an invite for an individual workout for a certain team that has interest in the individual.  Also it will be interesting to see how the CBA agreements play out because it could affect the NFL in its entirety.  After the draft in April, mini-camps start in May.