It’s easy to target the pro days of big-name schools. They attract the most scouts and coaches, but digging deeper will help you figure out where a team may be looking in the 2013 NFL Draft.
2013 NFL Draft stock report: Under the radar players on the rise
Pro days are beginning to wind down, but several big-name schools have held theirs in the past few days.
Andy Lyons
Here are some players that have helped and hurt themselves at recent pro days.
Stock up
Mike Catapano, defensive end, Princeton
Catapano first started getting more attention at the East-West Shrine Game, and continued to help his cause at his pro day. In front of defensive line coaches from the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles, among other coaches and scouts, Catapano had 33 reps on the bench press. It was a good showing after he was snubbed by the NFL Combine. He also registered a 37.5-inch vertical and a 7.03-second three-cone. Catapano could be positioned to go somewhere in the fifth-round range as teams will view him as an ideal power right end.
Gavin Escobar, tight end, San Diego State
Following his pro day, draft analyst Tony Pauline believes Escobar has secured a spot in the second round. Not only did Escobar look good during workouts, he scored dinner with the San Francisco 49ers and lunch with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The latter is more notable because they could use a lead tight end. Tampa has the 43rd pick in the draft and if Tyler Eifert and Zach Ertz are both off the board, Escobar could get a long look.
Cooper Taylor, safety, Richmond
The Georgia Tech transfer probably has scouts going back to the tape. At Richmond’s pro day, Taylor measured in at 6-foot-4 3/4 and 228 pounds. The Richmond All-American put up impressive numbers with a 40-yard dash times of 4.45 and 4.53 seconds and a 6.9-second three-cone drill. Big Cat Country has a nice write-up on Taylor here. Could the Jaguars be looking at him for a Kam Chancellor role?
Adam Replogle, defensive tackle, Indiana
If you put their numbers – testing and statistics – next to each other, it’s hard to distinguish Replogle from Utah’s Star Lotulelei. That’s not to say Replogle is as good as Lotulelei. He’s not. But at the least Replogle probably worked his way into the draft at his pro day. Replogle had 38 bench press reps, the same as Lotulelei and ran times of 4.71 seconds in the short shuttle and 7.62 seconds in the three-cone drill.
D.J. Hayden, cornerback, Houston
Still recovering from emergency heart surgery from during the season, Hayden couldn’t work out at the combine. He made the most of his pro day, registering a 10-foot broad jump, a 33.5-inch vertical leap and running a 4.33 40-yard dash. He had a hamstring injury in his second run, but still came in at 4.4 seconds. He had to sit out positional drills, but Hayden had to impress a lot of teams. Before his injury, some were considering Hayden a possible first-round pick. He won’t go that high now, but a team could get a steal in the third round.
Vance McDonald, tight end, Rice
Gil Brandt of NFL.com reports that 30 teams were at Rice’s pro day, and most were probably there to see McDonald. Brandt thinks McDonald could be drafted between picks 50 and 70 and his combine numbers back it up. But as Brandt notes, McDonald fared well in position drills. It was hard to get a read on McDonald in Rice’s triple-option offense, but he appears to be the real deal.
Stock down
Khaseem Greene, linebacker, Rutgers
Greene stood on most of his combine numbers, but looked to improve on his 4.71 40-yard dash from Indianapolis. He didn’t, running times of 4.7 and 4.71. For a linebacker known more for his running and hitting skills, and less shedding blocks, those aren’t good times. It’s hard to find a spot in the first round for Greene, and now it may be difficult to find one in the top half of the second round.
Brandon Jenkins, defensive end, Florida State
Jenkins probably wanted to show he was fully recovered from a Lisfranc injury that finished his season in September, but he should have considered a personal workout day. According to Phil Savage of the Senior Bowl, Jenkins “struggled in space” and ran 40-yard dash times in the five-second range. With teammate Tank Carradine holding a personal pro day before the draft, it may have been wise for Jenkins to do the same.
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