Nick Clancy, Luke Kuechly’s predecessor at BC, gets a look

Representatives from 12 NFL teams gathered at Boston College’s pro day on March 20, where 10 players worked out indoors on FieldTurf.

Emmett Cleary, OT (6-foot-7 1/8, 315 pounds) — Cleary stood on all of his numbers from the NFL Scouting Combine, with the exception of the vertical jump (29 inches at pro day) and bench press (19 lifts of 225 pounds). Cleary also has 34-inch arms.

Chris Pantale, TE (6-5 1/4, 256) — Pantale ran the 40-yard dash in 4.93 and 5.00 seconds. He had a 9-foot-5 broad jump, did the three-cone drill in 7.32 seconds and had 20 strength lifts. He stood on his numbers from the combine in the vertical jump and short shuttle.

John Wetzel, OT (6-7 1/4, 316) — Wetzel ran the 40 in 5.42 and 5.41 seconds. He had a 29-inch vertical jump and a 4.78-second short shuttle time. He stood on his numbers from the combine in the broad jump, three-cone drill and bench press.

Nick Clancy, ILB (6-2 1/8, 237) — Clancy — who was not at the combine — ran the 40 in 4.93 and 4.92 seconds. He had a 30-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.26 seconds and the three-cone drill in 6.90 seconds. Clancy did not do the bench press due to a fractured right forearm suffered at the Texas vs. The Nation all-star game. Clancy, who followed in the footsteps of the Carolina Panthers’ top draft pick in 2012 Luke Kuechly, was an extremely productive player for the Golden Eagles.

All four of the aforementioned players went through positional workouts.

Western Michigan’s Alex Carder a late-round possibility

Representatives from five NFL teams — including Cincinnati Bengals quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese and New York Jets quarterbacks coach David Lee — gathered at Western Michigan’s pro day on March 12, where a workout was held indoors on FieldTurf.

Alex Carder, QB (6-foot-1 7/8, 216 pounds) — Carder — who was not at the NFL Scouting Combine — ran the 40-yard dash in 4.93 and 4.92 seconds. He had a 33-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot-5 broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.32 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.18 seconds. He threw the ball well at the pro day.

Carder is most likely a priority free-agent pickup candidate following the 2013 NFL Draft, but could be selected late in the draft. I think in the last round that teams are going to go after quarterbacks such as Carder to see what kind of players they can be in the NFL.

No quarterback from Western Michigan has ever been drafted, but the school has produced notable NFL players such as Greg Jennings, Louis Delmas, Tony Scheffler and Jason Babin.

Luke Marquardt to hold workout at Azusa Pacific on April 11

Azusa Pacific offensive tackle Luke Marquardt — who was at the NFL Scouting Combine but unable to work out due to a broken foot suffered during his senior season — will be working out on April 11 at the school.

A group of NFL offensive line coaches will be present to watch Marquardt go through drills.

Marquardt’s height — he’s 6-foot-8 — helps make him an intriguing NFL prospect, and could allow him to be the first Azusa Pacific player selected in the NFL draft since Christian Okoyethe famous “Nigerian Nightmare” — was a second-round pick in 1987 by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Ridge Wilson completes his workout at West Alabama Pro Day

Representatives from four NFL teams gathered at West Alabama’s pro day on March 14, where a workout was held outdoors on FieldTurf.

Ridge Wilson — a 6-foot-3 1/8, 246-pound linebacker — participated at Troy’s pro day on March 4, but executed the three-cone drill (in 7.09 seconds) at West Alabama’s pro day. Wilson’s efforts at Troy’s pro day were 40-yard dash times of 4.82 and 4.78 seconds, a 29 1/2-inch vertical jump, a 9-foot-3 broad jump, a short shuttle time of 4.40 seconds and 25 lifts of 225 pounds on the bench press.

There was a linebacker coach from the New York Jets present for Troy’s pro day.

ODU’s Craig Wilkins a likely priority free-agent possibility

Representatives from 11 NFL teams — including a linebackers coach from the Cleveland Browns — gathered at Old Dominion’s pro day on March 21, where a workout was held outdoors on FieldTurf in 35-degree temperatures.

Craig Wilkins, LB (6-foot 7/8, 238 pounds) — Wilkins ran the 40-yard dash in 4.54 and 4.64 seconds. He had a 36-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-4 broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.67 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.85 seconds. He also performed 28 lifts of 225 pounds on the bench press. Wilkins — who led ODU during the 2012 season with 90 tackles, 13.5 tackles for losses, 6.5 sacks and three interceptions — is a likely rookie free-agent pickup following the 2013 NFL Draft.

Armonty Bryant gets worked out at both DE and 3-4 OLB

Representatives from 18 NFL teams gathered at Tulsa’s pro day on March 14, where 11 Golden Hurricane players and two more from East Central University (Okla.) worked out outdoors on FieldTurf.

The most notable prospect on hand at the pro day was from East Central.

Armonty Bryant, DE (6-foot-4 3/4, 259) — Bryant — who was at the NFL Scouting Combine — ran the 40-yard dash in 4.84 seconds against the wind and 4.69 seconds with the wind. He had a 34 1/2-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-1 broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.43 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.14 seconds. He also performed 15 lifts of 225 pounds on the bench press. At Tulsa’s pro day, Bryant worked out as both a defensive lineman and an outside linebacker in a 3-4 base defense. He worked out good in the linebacker drills, and could be a seventh-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Mike Shanahan of Pitt will have to switch to tight end in NFL

Representatives from 20 NFL teams — including the running backs coaches from the New England Patriots, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers — gathered at Pittsburgh’s pro day on March 6, where 12 players worked out indoors on FieldTurf.

Ray Graham, RB (5-foot-9, 197 pounds) — Graham — who was at the NFL Scouting Combine — ran the 40-yard dash in 4.70 and 4.72 seconds. He had a 32-inch vertical jump and an 8-foot-1 broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.21 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.03 seconds.

Ryan Turnley, C (6-5 1/2, 304) — Turnley ran the 40 in 5.42 and 5.39 seconds. He had a 30-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot-1 broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.68 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.68 seconds. He performed 15 lifts of 225 pounds on the bench press.

Mike Shanahan, WR (6-4 1/4, 241) — Shanahan — who is not related to the head coach of the Washington Redskins — ran the 40 in 4.81 and 4.84 seconds. He had a 30 1/2-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot-6 broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.74 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.34 seconds. He performed 18 lifts on the bench press. Shanahan was a wide receiver for the Panthers, but his best shot in the NFL is at the tight end position.

Tino Sunseri, QB (6-0, 205) — Sunseri ran the 40 in 4.96 and 4.95 seconds. He had a 32-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.46 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.60 seconds. Sunseri threw the ball well in the positional drills.

Shanahan, Sunseri and Turnley were not at the combine, and are most likely going to be priority free-agent pickups following the 2013 NFL Draft.

Travis Kelce unable to do complete workout after getting sick

Unable to participate in Cincinnati’s pro day on March 13 due to a sports hernia, Travis Kelce — one of the top-rated tight ends in the 2013 NFL Draft class — held an individual workout in Cincinnati on Thursday.

Kelce, who is the No. 4-rated tight end according to Mike Mayock and the No. 69-rated player in my Hot 100 prospect rankings, worked outdoors on FieldTurf in chilly 43-degree temperatures. There were 12 teams present, including four tight end coaches, and Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis and part of his coaching staff.

Kelce (6-foot-5 1/4, 250 pounds) ran the 40-yard dash in 4.62 and 4.65 seconds. He had a 35-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-4 broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.47 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.12 seconds. Due to the sports hernia injury, I’m told that the scouts on hand didn’t think Kelce was in optimum condition for the workout. He got sick after running his 40s, and did not run any routes. He was able to catch passes while in a stationary position during the workout.

Kelce — who was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine — was also not able to go through workouts while in Indianapolis.

Central Florida’s Latavius Murray generating buzz among scouts

A total of 26 NFL teams sent representatives to Central Florida’s pro day on March 20, which was also attended by Detroit Lions senior personnel executive James Harris. A total of 15 Central Florida players worked out.

Latavius Murray, RB (6-foot-2 5/8, 223 pounds) — Murray ran the 40-yard dash in 4.40 and 4.38 seconds. He had a 10-foot-4 broad jump and a 36-inch vertical jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.36 seconds and the three-cone drill in 6.81 seconds. He also performed 22 lifts of 225 pounds on the bench press. Murray was not at the combine, but has had a lot of workouts with NFL teams. This is a hot prospect right now and will be a draftable guy later this month.

Troy Davis, DE/LB (6-1 3/4, 251) — Davis, who is working with former NFL player Blaise Winter to improve his pass-rushing skills, post a time of 4.65 seconds in the 40-yard dash and went 4.14 in the short shuttle. He also had 24 reps at the standard 225 pounds in the bench press to cap off a very good all-around workout.

A.J. Bouye, CB (6-0 1/4, 186) — He went 4.55 in the 40 and showed off a 36 1/2-inch vertical jump. He also went 4.04 in the short shuttle run and 7.06 in the cone drill. Look for him to be a late-round selection in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Kemal Ishmael, S (5-10 3/4, 201) — He clocked in a 4.63 in the 40 and recorded a 10-foot-3 broad jump. He also went 4.28 in the short shuttle.

Two non-combine invitees make mark at Iowa State’s pro day

Representatives from 16 NFL teams — including the linebackers coaches from the Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles — gathered at Iowa State’s pro day on March 26, where 15 players worked out indoors on FieldTurf.

A.J. Klein, ILB (6-foot-1 1/2, 246 pounds) — Klein had a 33-inch vertical jump, 4.35-second short shuttle and 7.09-second three-cone drill. He stood on his official 40-yard dash time of 4.66 seconds recorded at the NFL Scouting Combine. Klein was favoring his right knee during the pro day workout, but had a good performance anyway. Klein — who is from Kimberly, Wis. — is one of the few athletes to leave the state of Wisconsin and really work out well elsewhere.

Jake Knott, OLB (6-1 3/4, 241) — Knott — who was at the combine — ran the 40 in 4.75 seconds (a right hamstring ailment prevented him from running a second 40). Knott had a 34-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot-5 broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.30 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.16 seconds. He performed 20 lifts of 225 pounds on the bench press. Knott also had a good positional workout.

Carter Bykowski, OT (6-6 7/8, 306) — Bykowski ran the 40 in 5.31 and 5.46 seconds. He had a 28 1/2-inch vertical jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.72 seconds and did the three-cone drill in 7.85 seconds. He performed 25 strength lifts. Bykowski, who has 33 3/4-inch arms, opened his college career as a tight end and is capable of playing left tackle. Because of his size, Bykowski might be selected as high as the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

Josh Lenz, WR (5-11 1/4, 201) — Lenz ran the 40 in 4.37 and 4.36 seconds. He had a 38 1/2-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-1 broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.20 seconds and the three-cone drill in 6.59 seconds. He is one of the few guys who ran the 60-yard shuttle in under 11 seconds (doing so in 10.88 seconds). He also had 21 strength lifts. Lenz had limited production at Iowa State, but his workout numbers make him an intriguing prospect.

Kelechi Osemele, who started every game — including four postseason games — last season for the Super Bowl XLVII champion Baltimore Ravens, was a second-round selection in the 2012 NFL Draft out of Iowa State.

Much to the delight of the scouts present in Ames, Iowa, they were provided with a great breakfast and lunch.

Temple’s Montel Harris can follow in Bernard Pierce’s footsteps

Representatives from 16 NFL teams gathered at Temple’s pro day on March 21, where 11 players worked out outdoors on FieldTurf.

The 40-yard dashes were run at first against the wind, and then a second time with the wind.

Montel Harris, RB (5-foot-8 1/8, 207 pounds) — Harris — who was at the NFL Scouting Combine — ran the 40 in 4.70 seconds against the wind and 4.56 seconds with the wind. He had a 30-inch vertical jump and stood on his 9-foot-5 broad jump effort from the combine). He did the short shuttle in 4.38 seconds and the three-cone drill in 6.84 seconds. He also performed 21 lifts of 225 pounds on the bench press.

Martin Wallace, OT (6-5 7/8, 306) — Wallace ran the 40 in 5.50 seconds against the wind and 5.34 seconds with the wind. He had a 29-inch vertical jump, and did the short shuttle in 4.60 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.57 seconds. He performed 25 lifts on the bench press. Wallace, who has 34 1/2-inch arms, is a free-agent possibility following the 2013 NFL Draft.

Last year, Temple had three players selected, including running back Bernard Pierce, who went in the third round and was a factor in the Baltimore Ravens’ run to victory in Super Bowl XLVII.

UNC’s pro day features two projected first-rounders

Representatives from 28 NFL teams gathered at North Carolina’s pro day on March 26, where 15 players worked out outdoors on FieldTurf.

The workout was held in 39-degree temperatures with a 15 mile-per-hour wind (the 40-yard dashes were run at first against the wind, and then a second time with the wind).

Among those from NFL teams present in Chapel Hill, N.C. were offensive line coaches from the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew and Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis.

Giovani Bernard, RB (5-foot-8 1/2, 204 pounds) — Bernard stood on his numbers from the NFL Scouting Combine with the exception of the bench press (19 lifts of 225 pounds at the pro day). In the positional workout, Bernard was very quick and caught the ball well.

Travis Bond, G (6-6 3/4, 328) — Bond stood on his numbers from the combine.

Jonathan Cooper, G (6-2 1/4, 308) — Cooper stood on his numbers from the combine, but had an outstanding positional workout. Cooper is going to be a top-15 pick in the 2013 NFL Draft (my latest mock draft projects Cooper going No. 12 to the Miami Dolphins).

Kevin Reddick, ILB (6-1 3/8, 242) — Reddick had a 30 1/2-inch vertical jump, 4.33-second short shuttle and 7.18-second three-cone drill, and stood on the rest of his numbers from the combine.

Brennan Williams, OT (6-5 1/2, 311) — Williams — who was at the combine — ran the 40 in 5.37 seconds against the wind and 5.27 seconds with the wind. He had a 28 1/2-inch vertical jump and an 8-foot-5 broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.88 seconds and the three-cone drill in 8.08 seconds. Williams is still recovering from a left shoulder injury suffered in October and was limited in the workout.

Sylvester Williams, DT (6-2 3/8, 311) — Williams stood on his combine numbers, and instead put forth an outstanding positional workout. I think the workout was strong enough to get Williams selected in the lower half of the first round (my latest mock draft projects Williams going No. 24 to the Indianapolis Colts).

Jheranie Boyd, WR (6-1 1/8, 187) — Boyd — who was not at the combine — ran the 40 in 4.45 seconds against the wind and 4.43 seconds with the wind. He had a 42-inch vertical jump and an 11-foot broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.44 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.03 seconds. He also had 14 lifts of 225 pounds on the bench press. Boyd didn’t really produce much at North Carolina, but is the sort of size-speed guy that NFL teams look for. That dimension could give Boyd a shot as a rookie free-agent pickup following the draft.

Erik “Mookie” Highsmith, WR (6-0 7/8, 185) — Highsmith ran the 40 in 4.64 seconds against the wind and 4.56 seconds with the wind. He had a 34 1/2-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-4 broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.43 seconds and the three-cone drill in 6.83 seconds. He also had 14 lifts on the bench press. Highsmith is another rookie free-agent possibility.

Five NFL teams meet with San Jose State’s Ryan Otten

Representatives from 26 NFL teams gathered at San Jose State’s pro day on March 15, where 13 players (joined by additional prospects from small schools around the area) worked out outdoors on FieldTurf.

Ryan Otten, TE (6-foot-5 5/8, 241 pounds) — Otten — who was at the NFL Scouting Combine — ran the 40-yard dash in 4.76 and 4.69 seconds. He had a 33-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot-4 broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.62 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.50 seconds. He also performed 17 lifts of 225 pounds on the bench press. Although Otten — out of respect for the teams — wouldn’t mention which NFL franchises he’s met individually with, he did say that three teams came to San Jose to work him out and he had visits with two other teams.

David Quessenberry, OT (6-4 7/8, 303) — Quessenberry stood on his numbers from the combine (he was among the top performers in his position group in the short shuttle), and did the positional drills at the pro day.

Travis Johnson, DE (6-1 7/8, 240) — Johnson ran the 40 in 4.86 and 4.89 seconds. He had a 32-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot broad jump. He had a short shuttle time of 4.44 seconds and did the three-cone drill in 7.18 seconds. He performed 19 strength lifts. Johnson worked out as an outside linebacker, and had a good workout despite suffering from the flu.

One of the non-San Jose State players to work out at the pro day was Andre Hardy, who is a basketball player from Cal State Fullerton who had a brief tenure with the Oakland Raiders after signing with the team in April of last year. Now a free agent, Hardy (6-4 3/4, 253) went through a workout for the teams on hand, running the 40 in 4.78 and 4.81 seconds. He had a 9-foot-2 broad jump, but opted to not do the vertical jump. He had a short shuttle time of 4.49 seconds and did the three-cone drill in 7.26 seconds.

Furstenburg is main attraction at Maryland’s pro day

Representatives from 16 NFL teams — including a running backs coach from the Indianapolis Colts — gathered at Maryland’s pro day on March 13, where 12 players worked out outdoors on FieldTurf in temperatures in the mid-40s and in light rain.

Matt Furstenburg, TE (6-foot-3 1/2, 244 pounds) — Furstenburg really ran fast at the NFL Scouting Combine — he was a top performer in his position group in the 40-yard dash, short shuttle and 60-yard shuttle) — so he stood on the numbers posted in Indianapolis in late February. He has three teams coming to see him: San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants and New York Jets.

A.J. Francis, DT (6-5, 309) — Francis ran the 40 in 5.21 and 5.19 seconds. He had a 29-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot-4 broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.58 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.45 seconds. He also performed 24 lifts of 225 pounds on the bench press. Francis is a possible rookie free-agent pickup following the 2013 NFL Draft.

Kenny Tate, OLB (6-3 1/2, 221) — Tate ran the 40 in 4.76 and 4.66 seconds. He had a 33-inch vertical jump. He did the three-cone drill in 7.20 seconds and the short shuttle in 4.34 seconds. He also had 15 strength lifts. Tate was not at the combine, and was worked out as a safety at Maryland’s pro day.

Patriots work out three Jayhawks following Kansas’ pro day

Representatives from 17 NFL teams gathered at Kansas’ pro day on March 15, where 15 players worked out outdoors on FieldTurf.

Tanner Hawkinson, OT (6-foot-5 3/8, 298 pounds) — Hawkinson kept his numbers from the NFL Scouting Combine, with the exception of the bench press. He did 13 lifts of 225 pounds at Kansas’ pro day. He also did position drills.

Bradley McDougald, FS (6-0 1/4, 211) — McDougald — who was at the combine — ran the 40-yard dash in 4.51 seconds with the wind and 4.52 seconds against the wind. He did the short shuttle in 4.33 seconds. McDougald stood on his combine numbers in the broad jump, three-cone drill and bench press. McDougald had a good positional workout.

Toben “Tobenuchukwu” Opurum, DE (6-1 3/8, 249) — Opurum ran the 40 in 4.59 seconds with the wind and 4.69 seconds against the wind. He had a 34 1/2-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-4 broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.40 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.28 seconds. He also had 24 lifts on the bench. Opurum worked out at both outside linebacker and fullback at Kansas’ pro day, and is a possible rookie free-agent pickup following the 2013 NFL Draft.

Dayne Crist, QB (6-4 3/8, 239) — Crist ran the 40 in 4.94 seconds with the wind and 5.00 seconds against the wind. He had a 29-inch vertical jump and an 8-foot-11 broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.46 seconds and the three-cone drill in 7.48 seconds. He also had 15 strength lifts on the bench press. They said Crist — who transferred to Kansas after three seasons at Notre Dame — looked pretty good in the workout. Kansas head coach Charlie Weis — who coached Crist in South Bend, Ind. — thinks very highly of the quarterback.

Three days after the pro day, the New England Patriots came into Lawrence and worked out Crist, McDougal and Opurum.

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