In between the end of the college football season and the draft are a series of key events. Those include the recently completed Senior Bowl, the upcoming NFL Scouting Combine and pro days, in which players perform in front of scouts at either their own college or one near by.

More details will come soon about the pro days, including a schedule of when they will be held. But for now, you can whet your appetite by checking out our Senior Bowl section.

Last year’s pro days featured memorable moments, from Alabama offensive tackle Andre Smith running without a shirt to Georgia’s Matthew Stafford wowing evaluators to the point that he became the No. 1 overall pick. What will happen this year?

Stay tuned.

Here are two more schools who recently held pro days:

Villanova

Six team representatives were there to watch five Villanova players and 27 other players from area schools work out outdoors on FieldTurf.

S Darrel Young (5-fooot-10 1/2, 244 pounds) ran a 4.59 and 4.61 in the 40 with the wind, had a 32-inch vertical jump, a 9-foot, 4-inch broad jump, a 4.27 short shuttle, a 6.94 three-cone drill and did 24 bench press lifts.

CB Darren Banks from West Liberty State ran a 4.61 and 4.62 in the 40, but did not run any other drills.

Texas Southern

Five team representatives were on hand to watch eight players work out on March 31. Here were the two notables:

LB Zeke Knight (6-2 7/8, 233 pounds) transferred from Alabama after starting there in 2007. He ran a 4.85 and 4.89 in the 40, had a 30 1/2-inch vertical jump, a 9-foot, 6-inch broad jump, a 4.78 short shuttle, a 7.21 three-cone drill and did 13 bench press lifts. He also had 33 1/2-inch arms.

QB Bobby Reid (6-2 7/8, 236 pounds) a transfer from Oklahoma State is recovering from a torn ACL and was only able to throw some passes.

– Gil Brandt

Three schools recently held pro days, but they were hampered by Mother Nature.

Missouri Western held its event on April 2 when rain forced the drills inside. The workout was conducted on a wooden floor and featured five players. Seven NFL team representatives braved the conditions to watch the activities.

The only notable prospect was OT Roger Allen (6-foot-3 1/2, 325 pounds), who ran 5.25 and 5.31 seconds in the 40-yard dash and had a 26 1/2-inch vertical jump, a 7-foot, 9-inch broad jump, a 4.80-second short shuttle and an 8.30-second three-cone drill.

Some light drizzling and a stiff wind was what hampered Texas State’s pro day on March 24. Despite the weather, seven players worked out outdoors on FieldTurf in front of six NFL team representatives. RB Stan Zwinggi (5-9 3/4, 201 pounds) and S Jamal Williams (5-9 3/8, 198 pounds) were the prospects of note.

Zwinggi ran 4.47 seconds with the wind and 4.54 seconds against the wind in the 40, and he had a 35 1/2-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot, 4-inch broad jump, a 4.40 short shuttle, a 6.94 three-cone drill and 18 bench-press reps. Williams, meanwhile, ran 4.49 seconds with the wind and 4.62 against the wind in the 40, and he had a 38-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot, 3-inch broad jump, a 4.46 short shuttle, a 7.43 three-cone drill and 10 bench-press reps.

Perhaps the school most affected by the weather was Arkansas State. Rain forced the players to work out indoors on FieldTurf at a local high school (Jonesboro).

The lone prospect of note was TE D.J. Johnson (6-2 1/4, 260 pounds), who ran a 4.40-second short shuttle and a 7.33-sec0nd three-cone drill. He kept the rest of his numbers from the combine.

– Gil Brandt

Jairus Byrd, Oregon’s quick defensive back who did not participate in the Ducks’ pro day, held a private workout for scouts Thursday indoors on FieldTurf.

He has decent size at 5-foot-10, 201 pounds, and impressive change of direction with a 4.10 short shuttle and 6.75 three-cone drill, but lacks pure speed as he ran a 4.68 and 4.69 in the 40. He also had a 35-inch vertical and did 15 bench press lifts.

Here are a pair of other schools that recently held pro days:

Hampton

Sixteen teams representatives were present, including Panthers defensive coordinator Ron Meeks, to watch 10 prospects work out outdoors on a soft grass March 20. It had rained the night before. Here are the notable prospects:

DL Chris Baker (6-2 1/4, 316 pounds) ran a 4.56 short shuttle, but kept the rest of his combine numbers. He had 34 1/8-inch arms.

WR Justin Brown (6-1 3/8, 202 pounds) ran a 4.49 and 4.55 in the 40, had a 37 1/2-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot, 5-inch broad jump, a 4.22 short shuttle, a 7.01 three-cone drill and did 19 bench press reps.

WR Jeremy Gilchrist (5-8 5/8, 182 pounds) ran 4.57 and 4.59 in the 40, had a 31-inch vertical jump, a 9-foot, 5-inch broad jump, a 4.22 short shuttle, a 6.69 three-cone drill and did 17 bench press reps.

Hawaii

Fifteen team representatives watched players work out indoors on FieldTurf at the Home Depot Center Thursday in Los Angeles, one day after USC’s pro day. Here are the notable prospects:

Jonathan Davis from Asuza Pacific (6-3, 210 pounds) ran a 4.58 and 4.61 in the 40, had a 33-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot, 1-inch broad jump, a 4.26 short shuttle and a 6.93 three-cone drill.

DB Ryan Mouton (5-9 1/2, 179 pounds) ran a 4.47 in the 40 and had an 11-foot broard jump, but pulled a hamstring.

LS Jacob Ingram (6-3 1/4, 230 pounds) ran a 4.90 and 4.92 in the 40, had a 30 1/2-inch vertical jump, a 9-foot, 9-inch broad jump, a 4.52 short shuttle and 18 bench press reps.

DE David Veikune (6-2 1/8, 257 pounds) ran a 4.75 and 4.80 in the 40 and kept the rest of his numbers from the combine.

– Gil Brandt

Mark Sanchez had an excellent performance at his pro day on Wednesday. (Ric Tapia / NFL.com)

LOS ANGELES — For some, a pro day workout is one of the last chances to put potential NFL talent on display. For others, especially the more established prospects, it’s more about the experience.

Count USC quarterback Mark Sanchez in that second group.

The consensus at USC on Wednesday was that Sanchez had an excellent performance in front of a full house that included NFL scouts and coaches, family and friends, and even a few fans in the stands. He showed balance, solid footwork and most importantly, accuracy on all of his throws. He estimated that he threw about 80 passes — a strong number for a pro day workout.

There were even whispers that Sanchez’s pro day was better than that of Georgia’s Matt Stafford. Again, whispers. But Sanchez was confident and effortless, and did nothing but help himself.

“I think he showed better arm strength than people generally give him,” NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said. “He’s not Stafford, he’s not [Kansas State's Josh] Freeman; but his arm is every bit as good as Matt Ryan’s. And as Matt Ryan showed this year, when you’re accurate and you show good anticipation, a good arm is good enough. That’s what Matt is, and that’s what Mark Sanchez is. What he showed is consistency.”

If his draft stock is indeed rising, as it appears to be, Sanchez says it’s due to his competitiveness.

“I think a lot of it has just been my competitive nature, that’s really come to the forefront,” Sanchez said. “I think my willingness to work out for everyone, to make every throw. We had a set script coming into this, and a couple teams wanted to tweak it a little bit and add some throws here and there. I said, ‘No problem, let’s do it.’ And I nailed it. I think that attitude is really showing.”

Sanchez did add to his throwing script, and the Lions were one of the teams that requested some extra looks. Sanchez will have a private visit with the Lions in about two weeks.

A college quarterback with only 16 starts might raise red flags, but part of the draw on Sanchez is his ability to learn quickly, and his willingness to do everything teams ask of him. He went through a full workout at the combine — doing every drill — and showed that competitive nature again today.

“I’ll tell you right now, that means something to these NFL guys,” Mayock said. “He’s not hiding anything, he’s not guarding anything. I really think he stepped up today and showed that he has confidence in his ability and he executed on it. I think he had a great day.”

The caveat, of course, is that quarterbacks better look good at their pro day.

“I’ve never seen a guy not complete 99.9 percent of his passes against air,” one general manager commented.

Sanchez effectively sidestepped a question about where he’ll be picked in the first round, but used the word “honor” about being the No. 1 pick. He’s more concerned about being in the right system and being with the right team than draft number. Yes, he’s saying all the right things. Yet the indications are from those in the know that Sanchez could be picked anywhere among the top 20 picks — and it wouldn’t be a shock.

It’s beginning to look as we get closer to draft day that Sanchez could prove to be an early wild card of the draft.

Rey Maualuga happy with his pro day workout on Wednesday. (Ric Tapia / NFL.com)

LOS ANGELES — The group of USC linebackers who worked out at the school’s pro day on Wednesday includes three likely first-round draft choices, and a possible fourth. An impressive group to say the least.

For Rey Maualuga, it was a chance to show teams what he wasn’t able to show them during February’s NFL Scouting Combine. Maualuga injured his right hamstring during his first run in Indianapolis, missing out on most of the testing and all of the position drills. While he admitted his injured right hamstring isn’t yet 100 percent, but “close to it,” Maualuga went through all of the testing and position drills for the 30 NFL teams in attendance.

“I just felt that out of all the other linebackers, I had the most to prove,” said Maualuga. “The other guys were all at the combine and did a great job and had tremendous times. All I did was the 40. I couldn’t stand there and watch the other guys compete, so I went home to the hotel and just started treatment on my leg. This whole month, I had to prepare myself to come out here and be at the same level as the rest of these guys.”

Maualuga, who wasn’t among the initial group of eight Trojans to run their 40 at the beginning of the workouts, went through position drills along with fellow linebackers Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews and Kaluka Maiava. After leaving to attend to a nagging blister on his foot, he returned to run a solo 40 run that clocked in at 4.7 according to NFL Network’s Mike Mayock. He was clocked at 4.83 at the Combine.

“I just came out and did everything to the best of my abilities,” Maualuga said. “Am I satisfied with my performance? Yes. If I didn’t give it everything that I had, then what’s the point of being out here?”

Maualuga said he has a visit scheduled with the Falcons on Saturday and seven visits with teams between now and April 20th.

“His play shows up on tape,” said Lions head coach Jim Schwartz. “It’s good to get the measureables and see a guy run a 40 and actually see him do workout stuff. But when you talk about a middle linebacker, what you think is going to be more important is the way he plays on tape, not the way he works out. It’s a tough game for tough people, it’s played with pads. I think that’s most important.”

Based on unofficial times, here are the 40 numbers for the rest of the group: Cushing (4.68), Matthews (4.57), Maiava (4.68), S Kevin Ellison (4.70), CB Cary Harris (4.89), WR Patrick Turner (4.63) and DE Kyle Moore (4.76). QB Mark Sanchez chose not to run the 40, standing on his 4.88 time at the combine.

USC Pro Day well-represented by NFL talent evaluators and executives. (Ric Tapia / NFL.com)

LOS ANGELES — The highly-anticipated USC Pro Day taking place today is well-represented by NFL talent evaluators and executives. By my unofficial count, 30 of the 32 teams have personnel here today, with the exception of the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos. The Texans were not scheduled to attend. The Broncos also do not appear to have anyone here.

Saints coach Sean Payton, Vikings coach Brad Childress, 49ers coach Mike Singletary, Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt and Lions coach Jim Schwartz were on the USC campus today. Several GMs are also getting a first-hand look, including the Lions’ Martin Mayhew, the Saints’ Mickey Loomis, the Vikings’ Rick Spielman, the Cardinals’ Rod Graves and Ted Thompson of the Packers. A number of coordinators are getting a look, including Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan of the Lions and Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

Cardinals owner Bill Bidwill is here, and I’m told he brought the Cardinals’ contingent on his private jet.

The Lions and Saints have the biggest contingents, followed by the Seahawks, Raiders and Vikings.

Mark Sanchez just completed his throwing session, and is about to speak to the media. More to follow.

NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock reports the following 40-yard dash times at USC’s pro day:

LB Kaluka Maiava: 4.68; LB Clay Matthews: 4.57; DE Kyle Moore: 4.76; LB Brian Cushing: 4.68; CB Cary Harris: 4.89; WR Patrick Turner: 4.63; S Kevin Ellison: 4.70.

Mayock also reports that QB Mark Sanchez did not run a 40 and that LB Rey Maualuga will run his later in the day.

Check back here for regular updates.

USC’s pro day is about to get under way, but for some of the 10 prospects the Trojans will trot out today, the chance to leave a good impression in Los Angeles actually began last night.

Quarterback Mark Sanchez had dinner with Jaguars quarterbacks coach Mike Shula last night at the Back Porch Restaurant inside the downtown Marriott hotel. Jacksonville has the eighth overall pick in this month’s draft.

Among the huge contingent of coaches, scouts and player personnel executives in L.A. today for the workouts are Saints coach Sean Payton and his defensive staff, Vikings coach Brad Childress, Lions coach Jim Schwartz, Cardinals team president Michael Bidwill and GM Rod Graves, and five members from the Seahawks.

The pro day will be well-watched, too. There were 87 media requests for the afternoon workouts.

Make sure you watch coverage of the pro day today at 6:30 p.m. ET on the NFL Network’s Path to the Draft show.

– Gil Brandt

Here are a couple schools that had pro days recently:

East Carolina

Eighteen players worked outdoors on FieldTurf in front of 14 team representatives on March 26. The turf was wet from rain that had passed through that morning. Ravens linebackers coach Vic Fangio ran the drills.

QB Patrick Pinkney, who is Aaron Curry’s brother, will go back to school for his sixth season after earning an extra year of eligibility and did not participate.

Here are the notable prospects:

TE Devon Drew (6-foot-4 1/8, 249 pounds) ran a 4.83 and 4.83 in the 40, had a 31½-inch vertical jump, a 9-foot, 10-inch broad jump, a 4.53 short shuttle, a 7.29 three-cone drill and did 18 bench press reps.

DT Khalif Mitchell (6-4¾, 316 pounds) ran a 5.04 and a 5.06 in the 40, had a 27½-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot, 2-inch broad jump, but pulled a hamstring and did not compete in position drills.

Memphis

Twelve team representatives were present to watch 15 players work out outdoors on a Tartan track. Here were the two notable prospects:

OT Brandon Pearce (6-5 5/8, 310 pounds) ran a 5.31 and 5.35 in the 40, had a 26½-inch vertical jump, an 8-foot, 6-inch broad jump, a 4.78 short shuttle, a 7.77 three-cone drill and did 23 bench press reps.

DT Clinton McDonald (6-2, 283 pounds) ran a 4.89 and 4.83 in the 40, had a 38-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot, 1-inch broad jump, a 4.50 short shuttle, a 7.25 three-cone drill and did 36 bench press reps. He looked good and definitely helped himself.

– Gil Brandt

The Detroit Lions held a private workout with QB Matthew Stafford this morning in Georgia. Stafford contacted me a few minutes ago and told me the workout went really well.

The Lions contingent arrived in Georgia on Monday night, and coach Jim Schwartz had dinner with Stafford. At 8 this morning, Stafford met with the team for about an hour and a half to diagram plays on the blackboard and throw passes outside.

When the Lions met with Stafford three weeks ago, they gave him a playbook to study, and they quizzed him on it this morning. Stafford told me he thought he aced the quiz and was comfortable with how he performed on the blackboard and in throwing drills.

Stafford, out of the University of Georgia, is trying to become the first overall pick in the draft. He left school after his junior year and has stated that he wants to go to Detroit and try to help the 0-16 Lions reverse their fortunes.

Charles Davis, Jamie Dukes and Steve Wyche have Stafford going to the Lions in their NFL.com mock drafts, but Pat Kirwan disagrees, saying Detroit will take Baylor OT Jason Smith.

Georgia RB Knowshon Moreno wasn’t on hand because he was visiting the Chargers.

– Gil Brandt

Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel did a great job helping run the pro day and providing information to scouts about the team’s prospects, but at this point he has his work cut out for him in Westwood. UCLA doesn’t have a large number of elite players entering the draft this year and one of Neuheisel’s aims will be to replenish his roster moving forward so that at future pro days there will be a number of first-round caliber players on hand to work out.

Part of the reason UCLA’s cupboard is somewhat bare this year is that two of its quarterbacks — one of which (Ben Olson) was one of the most highly recruited players in the country when he entered the program — missed last season due to injury. Olson, recovering from a broken foot, remains unable to work out, while the other quarterback, Patrick Cowan (6-foot-3 5/8, 230 pounds), is still recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee and only threw passes.

The two other notable prospects from UCLA Pro Day are as follows:

RB Kahlil Bell (5-11 1/8, 211 pounds) ran a 4.75 and 4.76 in the 40, had a 32-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot, 5-inch broad jump. He kept the rest of his numbers from the combine, but did position drills.

WR Marcus Everett (6-foot, 191 pounds) ran a 4.62 and 4.59 in the 40, had a 36 1/2-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot, 2-inch broad jump, a 4.28 short shuttle, a 7.38 three-cone drill and did 16 bench press reps.

– Gil Brandt

It isn’t often that a prospect from St. Paul’s College generates much attention heading into the draft — not a single player from the small Virginia school has ever been selected — but CB Greg Toler is changing that this year.

He was recently mentioned in Steve Wyche’s column highlighting small-school players to watch and he is capitalizing on his rising profile with some solid workouts. According to Wyche, he has drawn comparisons to Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Toler performed in front of scouts on March 19 at Richmond’s pro day and measured in at 5-foot-11, 191 pounds. There was a strong crosswind and the jumps were done after the position workouts due to rain. He ran a 4.50 and 4.45 in the 40, had a 33½-inch vertical jump, a 9-foot, 8-inch broad jump, a 4.18 short shuttle, a 6.95 three-cone drill and did 13 bench press reps.

More evidence on Toler’s rapidly improving stock: five teams (Browns, Jets, Ravens, Redskins and Cardinals) have already worked him out privately and a sixth (the Patriots) is scheduled to do so Wednesday.

– Gil Brandt

Eric Wood works out during the 2009 NFL Scouting Combine. (Scott Boehm / Getty Images)

At the Louisville Pro Day on March 26, C Eric Wood (6-foot-4, 310 pounds) showed why he is generating a lot of buzz from many NFL teams.

Wood did position drills at the pro day but otherwise stood on his marks from the NFL combine. He has already visited the Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals and has worked out for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Denver Broncos. He also has a workout scheduled with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In all, reps from 17 NFL teams attended the pro day, including New England Patriots offensive line coach/assistant head coach Dante Scarnecchia. The 11 players worked out indoors on FieldTurf.

Here are the other notables for the pro day:

QB Hunter Cantwell (6-4 3/8, 236 pounds) did position drills but otherwise stood on his numbers from the combine.

RB/FB Brock Bolen (5-11½, 233 pounds) ran the 40 in times of 4.77 and 4.80 with a 31½-inch vertical leap and a 9-foot, 2-inch broad jump. He did the short-shuttle drill in 4.35 seconds and the three-cone drill in 6.95 seconds, and did 24 repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench press.

DT Adrian Grady (6-1¼, 307 pounds) ran the 40 in 5.20 and 5.18 seconds with a 33-inch vertical and an 8-foot, 10-inch broad jump. He put up times of 4.63 in the short shuttle and 7.52 in the three-cone drill, and he didn’t participate in the bench press.

CB Woodny Turenne (5-11 3/8, 183 pounds) did the 40 in times of 4.49 and 4.54 seconds with a 32½-inch vertical and a 10-foot broad jump. He had a 4.39 short shuttle and a 6.93 three-cone drill, with 12 reps on the bench.

Western Kentucky

Western Kentucky’s pro day, held on March 25, was attended by representatives from eight NFL teams.

Seven players worked out indoors on a hard, rubber surface, and the top prospect was OL Greg Ryan (6-3 7/8, 304 pounds).

Ryan ran the 40 in times of 5.22 and 5.25 seconds with a 31½-inch vertical and a 9-foot, 4-inch broad jump. He had a 4.55 short shuttle and a 7.93 three-cone drill, with 31 strength lifts on the bench.

Another standout prospect was DE Dan Cline (6-5 3/8, 272 pounds). He ran a 4.89 and 4.91 in the 40, had a 30½-inch vertical jump, a 9-foot, 6-inch broad jump, a 4.58 short shuttle, a 7.29 three-cone drill and did 21 strength lifts.

– Gil Brandt

Carolina Panthers GM Marty Hurney has been virtually everywhere on the pro day circuit. (Chuck Burton / Associated Press)

A sizable contingent of NFL assistant coaches and scouts were in attendance at Richmond’s pro day on March 19 to watch DE/LB Lawrence Sidbury Jr. (6-2 1/2, 265 pounds).

Representatives from 31 NFL teams came to the pro day, including Carolina Panthers GM Marty Hurney (who has been virtually everywhere on the pro day circuit), linebacker coaches from the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins and defensive line coaches from three teams. Baltimore Ravens linebackers coach Vic Fangio worked out Sidbury.

Sidbury, who has visited the Buffalo Bills and will visit the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans, stood on his numbers from the combine.

The players worked out in a strong crosswind outdoors on FieldTurf. The players did the broad jump and the vertical leap after positional drills due to rain. Here are other notables:

RB Josh Vaughan (5-11 1/4, 224 pounds) had times of 4.59 and 4.63 in the 40-yard dash, with a 37-inch vertical leap and a 9-foot, 11-inch broad jump. He had times of 4.15 seconds in the short shuttle and 7.10 seconds in the three-cone drill, with 36 repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench press.

TE Joe Monteverde (6-4 1/2, 247 pounds) ran the 40 in 4.85 and 4.77 and had a 35 1/2-inch vertical with a 9-foot, 10-inch broad jump. He had a 4.31 short shuttle and a 7.06 three-cone drill, and didn’t participate in the bench.

Coastal Carolina

Reps from five NFL teams were at the Coastal Carolina Pro Day on March 27 to watch 10 players perform outdoors. The players ran on the school’s baseball field, but it had been raining so the grass field was soft. They worked out in 60-degree temperatures with no wind.

Here are the notable performances:

RB Jamie Fordham (5-10 7/8, 210 pounds) ran the 40 in 4.71 and 4.67 with a 35-inch vertical and a 10-foot, 1-inch broad jump. He ran a 4.42 short shuttle and a 7.61 three-cone drill, with 16 reps on the bench.

DB Marrio Norman (6-0 1/2, 199 pounds) had times of 4.69 and 4.67 in the 40 with a 31-inch vertical and a 9-foot, 3-inch broad jump. He had a 4.48 short shuttle and a 7.43 three-cone, with 20 reps on the bench.

CB Whittmin Reese (5-8 1/2, 196 pounds) had times of 4.44 and 4.50 in the 40 with a 36 1/2-inch vertical and a 10-foot, 2-inch broad jump. He had a 4.32 short shuttle and a 7.41 three-cone time with 14 strength lifts.

– Gil Brandt