NFL Draft 2013: Pro day schedules and results

The college pro day circuit is winding down, with just a handful of small schools left hoping to showcase their top prospects in front of scouts. BYU was the biggest name holding workouts Thursday, though Central Arkansas, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, Louisiana-Lafayette, Sam Houston State and Yale also held events.

BYU:

Lacy was forced to sit out Alabama pro day on March 10 due to lingering tightness from a hamstring injury he suffered a week before the 2013 NFL Combine. He is expected to be one of the first running backs taken in the NFL Draft, though his inability to perform in front of scouts may have cooled his stock a bit. He is still ranked as SB Nation’s No. 1 running back in his draft class, putting him in contention for a first-round pick.

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There are, however, six other smaller schools with pro days Thursday -- Central Arkansas, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, Louisiana-Lafayette, Sam Houston State and Yale -- and among them, there are prospects you may hear of again during April’s NFL Draft. Some attended the NFL Combine and some didn’t; either way, their respective pro days are huge in regards to getting the word out about their talents.

Other Bearkats worth following include strong safety Darnell Taylor, offensive tackle Kaleb Hopson and wide receiver/kick returner Trey Diller, who led the Southland Conference in all-purpose yards in 2012.

The most important thing about USC’s Pro Day was Barkley’s throws, 62 scripted passes for scouts. He hadn’t passed since a shoulder injury before the final regular-season game of the year, and was unable to participate in the NFL Combine. That made his performance in front of scouts Wednesday hyper-important for his draft stock, and he didn’t disappoint. Throwing into the wind, Barkley completed the vast majority of his throws, including deep throws and outs. NFL Network analysts noted that although his arm strength wasn’t necessarily elite on deep passes, the accuracy was there:

Barkley was less impressive in the 40-yard dash, though he wasn’t exactly out to prove he could run the read option. Thankfully for all of us, USC documented his 5.02-second run on Twitter:

Hello again, brief former rival Lane Kiffin:

USC’s Pro Day did offer Matt Barkley’s last reps as a Trojan, but Marcus Lattimore’s post-surgery workout at South Carolina is arguably at least as interesting.

Running back Marcus Lattimore participated at the South Carolina Pro Day on Wednesday exactly five months after a devastating right knee injury ended his 2012 season and career with the Gamecocks.

While he didn’t participate fully at the event, Lattimore did a 15-20 minute workout of rehab drills, including ladder drills, to show scouts the progress of his rehab from surgery and his ability to move on the knee. The reviews appear positive too, as the official South Carolina football Twitter account tweeted that the room gave Lattimore a round of applause when he was finished:

Barkley, still recovering from a shoulder injury that caused him to miss USC’s final two games of the season as well as the Senior Bowl and its workouts, didn’t throw at the NFL Combine, so this will be an all-important stage to impress scouts.

One of Barkley’s top wide receivers, junior Robert Woods, will also participate in the pro day workouts after snagging 76 catches for 846 yards and 11 touchdowns during the 2012 season for the Trojans. He was second on the team in all three categories.

Alford tested very well as Southeastern Louisiana’s lone NFL Combine participant. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds, and posted an impressive 39-inch vertical leap and 11-foot broad jump. Alford also has good size and strength to go with his explosiveness. He measured in at 5’10, 188 pounds and put up 17 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press, ranking second among all cornerbacks in Indianapolis.

Alford was very productive last season, recording five interceptions and seven pass breakups in 11 games for the Lions, earning second-team All-Southland honors. He also has the fluid hips and natural instincts to compete at the next level, according to his NFL.com draft profile.

Goodwin did not run the 40-yard dash, either, but probably did so by choice. He would have been hard-pressed to improve on the 4.27 he posted in Indianapolis. Goodwin showed off his explosiveness in other ways, however, posting an impressive 42-inch vertical leap according to defensive coordinator Manny Diaz.

Among the Longhorns’ non-combine pro day participants, running back/kick returner D.J. Monroe may have done the most to solidify himself as a Day 3 selection. He had the fastest reported 40-time to come out of the pro day. Hawkins reported a 4.25 for Monroe, before correcting the time to 4.35 a little later. Monroe also posted a 36-inch vertical leap, proving that he has the speed and explosiveness to be a special teams ace at the next level.

Theories offered as to what we’re looking at include Vince Young working for the Longhorn Network as a camera grip, Young hiding behind a pole, Calvin Watkins making a joke about Young’s image appearing on a pole, Watkins making a joke about Young being so thin he’s now invisible, and Mack Brown recruiting Young as a photograph of a soccer player.

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The NFL pro day circuit is slowly coming to an end, but there are still plenty of big name schools and potential NFL Draft day risers left to show off in front of scouts. On Friday, players from Duke, Iowa, Tennessee State and Stephen F. Austin will get the chance to prove their mettle.

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Jarvis Jones isn’t worried about the poor numbers he put up at Georgia’s Pro Day last week. The outside linebacker was considered a surefire Top 10 pick in the 2013 NFL Draft following the Bulldogs’ season, but many began questioning his stock after he missed the NFL Combine due to a scare with spinal stenosis and ran a 4.92 in the 40-yard dash on Thursday. Jones told the Red and Black that his tape should speak for itself.

Jones also posted a 30.5-inch vertical leap and a 9’3” broad jump that would have ranked near the bottom among linebackers in Indianapolis. However, Jones’ numbers against SEC competition last season are just as eye-popping in the other direction. He led the the nation last season with 14.5 sacks, 24.5 tackles for loss and seven forced fumbles.

The main pro day schedule is going to be wrapping up soon, with only a handful of schools left on the schedule. Fortunately, some of the best schools have yet to hold their pro days, including Notre Dame, LSU and others. On Monday, four more schools will hold their pro days.

Those schools are Duke, Iowa, Middle Tennessee State and Stephen F. Austin. The latter two schools aren’t featuring too many prospects that stand a chance at being drafted, but there are some players of note from both Duke and Iowa.

The two top prospects at pro days Friday weren’t exactly top players -- a pair of late-round running backs -- but there were still a hearty amount of NFL execs interested in how Vanderbilt’s Zac Stacy and Stony Brook’s Miguel Maysonet performed. There were also two guys who were invited to the combine from Missouri Western and Tennessee State.

Let’s take a look at how everybody did in their respective pro days around the country Friday:

Jarvis Jones finally put his skills on display for NFL scouts Thursday at Georgia’s pro day workout in Athens. While Jones seemed pleased with his performance, those watching didn’t exactly feel as strongly about his numbers.

Jones stumbled during his first run in the 40-yard dash, and some reporters believed he tweaked his hamstring in the process. He kept going, though, posting a 4.85 in his second attempt, according to Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Harper, a sixth-year senior, ran for over 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns during his final year for the Broncos. The 5’9, 211-pound tailback should move up draft boards with his impressive speed and could find his way onto an NFL roster next season.

Broncos cornerback Jamar Taylor may have seen his draft stock go up a tiny bit. Though he only ran the 60-yard shuttle, his 10.91 seconds would have been the fastest among defensive backs at the combine. He could be seen as a late first- or second-round pick.

With the sheer number of scouts in attendance and players on display, it’s still quite a sight to see how far this Stanford football program has come.

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Athens Banner-Herald beat writer Marc Weiszer and 247Sports reporter Gentry Estes reported the hamstring tweak as it happened. It doesn’t appear to be a huge issue, though, because Jones ran the 40 again without a hitch as Seth Emerson of The Macon Telegraph and Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reported later.

More highlights:

Thursday will be a busy day for NFL scouts and prospects as 11 schools across the country will host their pro day events. Stanford and Georgia will be the main attraction for NFL scouts, but a number of the other teams also have intriguing prospects.

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The biggest name to show off for NFL Scouts on Wednesday was Star Lotulelei, but he was far from the only guy to make a case for his draft stock: several schools with quarterbacks and wide receivers who will definitely be selected held Pro Days.

Now, not everybody was running for scouts — a few guys opted to rest on their combine stats — but some that did impressed. Here’s a look at what happened elsewhere Wednesday in pro days at Tennessee, NC State, and Baylor:

Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei worked out for NFL scouts at Utah’s pro day on Wednesday, and he posted some impressive numbers.

After not being able to workout at the NFL Scouting Combine due to a medical condition, Lotulelei went through all of the drills Wednesday. He completed 38 reps on the bench press, which would have tied him for the highest total at the combine. Lotulelei posted a 30-inch vertical while running the three cone drill in 7.76 seconds. He also posted a 4.65 second short shuttle.

Florida A&M, Florida State, Louisville, Richmond, San Diego State and Virginia hosted their pro days on Tuesday, and Wednesday will feature even more in advance of the 2013 NFL Draft.

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The Florida State Seminoles will hold their pro day on March 19, with 14 players ready to show of their skills to the NFL scouts on hand. A huge draft class out of Tallahassee will have us hearing Seminole names called often at the end of April.

Bjoern Werner and Xavier Rhodes are looking like potential top 10 picks for this year’s draft. With strong showings at their pro day, the two could ensure a top selection.