Three potential first-round draft picks are working out for NFL scouts as part of an enticing Friday pro day slate. That trio is Oregon State's Brandin Cooks, Texas Tech's Jace Amaro and BYU's Kyle Van Noy, all of whom participated in the combine but still need impressive pro days to lock themselves into the top 32 picks. A total of six schools are holding workouts, the other three being Kansas, Cal Poly and West Texas A&M.
Friday pro day roundup: Oregon State, Texas Tech, BYU in action
Brandin Cooks, Jace Amaro and Kyle Van Noy are among the notable draft prospects working out on Friday.
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Below is a roundup of the top teams and prospects in action on Friday.
Texas Tech
The Red Raiders have 13 players working out on Friday, but the main attraction is Jace Amaro, a tight end considered to be a first- or second-round pick in May. He’s the primary reason every team in the league is in attendance in Lubbock.
32 NFL teams are represented here at Texas Tech Pro Day. #WreckEm
— Blayne Beal (@BlayneBeal) March 14, 2014 Jace Amaro improves 40, drops on bench
After pumping out 28 reps of 225 pounds on the bench at the combine, Amaro made the interesting decision to go back to the bench on pro day, where he dropped a couple reps to 26. Nevertheless, his strength and size (he officially measured in at 6’5, 266 pounds on Friday), will go a long way in helping relieve doubts about his blocking ability.
Amaro lined up outside 80 percent of the time with the Red Raiders and set the NCAA record for receiving yards by a tight end last season, so his receiving ability is apparent. The big question for NFL teams is whether he can block.
He also made a significant improvement on his 40-yard dash, which was a 4.74 in Indianapolis.
Texas Tech TE prospect Jace Amaro moving well. RT @ErikBurkhardt: .@J_ACER22 ran again at Pro Day. 4.59 & 4.62 (into wind). At 266 lbs.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 14, 2014 Kerry Hyder has lost weight
One of the better defensive tackle performers at the combine, Hyder is currently projected as a late Day 3 pickup, but is hoping an impressive pro day can bump him up. He’s obviously working to get in better shape, showing up looking a bit slimmer.
Kerry Hyder measured 6-2 1/4 and 280. So he dropped some weight. Was 290 starting last season.
— Don Williams (@AJ_DonWilliams) March 14, 2014 ***
Oregon State and BYU began workouts later in the day. Here are the top prospects to keep an eye on leading up to the draft:
Brandin Cooks just runs routes at Oregon State pro day
Brandin Cooks was the main attraction at Oregon State's pro day, but he didn't run through all of the drills. After putting together an impressive showing at the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine that included a 4.33-second time in the 40-yard dash. Cooks didn't feel the need to do anything but run routes and catch punts at his pro day.
NFL Draft
“Oh yeah, no doubt I had to stand by those,” Cooks said in an interview with SB Nation on Friday. “I didn’t want to mess those up.”
One question that’s tough for Cooks to answer during the pre-draft process is his size. But he doesn’t think his lack of size will hurt him at all in the NFL.
“I’m not too much worried about my size,” Cooks said. “I know what I can do, know what I can bring to the team. And being so versatile in the return game also, that’s something that sets me apart from other receivers in this class.”
Meanwhile, Cooks’ teammate, Scott Crichton, worked out at linebacker for a few teams, including the Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts, according to Tony Pauline. Crichton was running through those drills at 270 pounds, too.
Extremely proud of @OSUBeaversFB standout DE Scott Crichton's performance at his Pro Day today. Looked terrific in LB drills at 270lbs.
— CJ LaBoy (@CJLaBoy) March 14, 2014
BYU
Outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy was another player who decided to stand on his numbers from the NFL Scouting Combine. He did, however, run through linebacker drills and looked pretty comfortable doing so, according to Gil Brandt of NFL.com.
Brandt added that wide receiver Cody Hoffman only dropped one pass while running routes. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds and stood on his combine numbers in a lot of the other drills.
One player that stood out, according to Brandt, was safety Daniel Sorensen. He looked good during his individual drills and Brandt thinks he will be an early day three pick.
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